Over February, our Growing Wild Citizens @ school project has been working with Year 5 and Year 3 children on preparing to grown food outdoors within their school grounds. Activities started with the children planting many indoor winter vegetables in both schools in 8 mini greenhouses, such as:
- Beetroot
- Radish
- Coriander lemon
- Sugar snap peas
- Coriander confetti
- Turnip shaped carrot (A type of small radish shaped carrots)
- Salad rocket
- Wild rocket
Here is their growth after 1 week of planting at Bitterne Manor!
The children discussed the importance of light, water and temperature and how different plants need different conditions to survive. They were very excited when they found out they were going to be given their very own plant! Each child got a small pot of sugar snap peas with some instructions, to grow at home over the February half term. They were eager to share how their plant was doing when they returned to school. Some were doing great and some did not survived…but we assured the children that is perfectly okay, and it is about learning about why the plant may be struggling. Even experienced gardeners can have trouble with their growing!
Next month, we will be focusing on getting potatoes ready for planting by getting them to chit, the children will learn all about composting, they will be finding more about where our food comes from and sowing different hardier plants for the summer, as well as looking at how to enhance the wildlife of their school grounds!
If you would like further information about the Growing Wild Citizens @ school project please contact Dr Jenny Baverstock, J.Baverstock@soton.ac.uk and follow us on Twitter @wild_citizens for further updates.
Posted By : Antri Christodoulou