‘Grow With Us’ Community Allotment & On-Site Environmental Area
Aims & Objectives
The major aims and objectives at all times is to engage with the children to make learning fun, but at the same time to learn core values such as numeracy, literacy, art/craft and discipline.
Core Horticultural Issues –
- How best to use plants for food – how to preserve them today and in the past.
- To learn where food comes from – life cycles of plants.
- To differentiate between fruit, vegetables and root crops.
- To taste food – to cook home produced food.
- Practical preparation and planting of bulbs and seeds to form established plants – working alongside community projects also.
- Planting on (picking out) seedlings to form plants.
Seasons
- Demonstrate the four different seasons and make children aware of the differences, not only in the look of things, but also using instruments such as thermometers and rain gauges to measure temperature and rainfall, bringing in numeracy and literacy.
- Explanation of plant life within the seasons – comparison of year on year differences.
- How wildlife fits in with plants and the seasons, to include birds, mammals and invertebrates – explanation of fertilisation, pollination and distribution of seeds.
We shall also use the school polytunnel and greenhouse to show how plants can be sown and raised outside of the normal growing seasons – we will always offer comparisons on growth.
Enterprise topics
- The growing of bulbs for sale, to incorporate the working out of costs and the marketing of products.
- Planning for the next season and the season beyond with plants for spring - both flower crops and spring vegetables, and to explain the rotation of crops and husbandry.
Nature
- Tree planting – we have some trees coming in November which we will be planting round the eco area at the back of the school. Some are native trees and some are fruit trees (apple).
- Bird life – provision of nesting boxes and bird baths.
Conservation
- How to use residues of plants and crops for fertiliser – composting.
- How to capture and use rainwater for irrigation.
- Avoidance of chemical sprays.
- Introduce Carbon Counting and Carbon Footprint and impact on growing and selection of crops.
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