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The entries in this years harvest competition were certainly evidence that many pupils involved in Garden Organic for Schools are getting into veg! It is wonderful to know that growing, harvesting and eating fruit and vegetables is something that is being enjoyed by so many of you and that so much is being learnt as you work in the garden.
We had a real challenge on our hands to select just three schools from the entries we received.
Congratulations to the three winners in this years harvest competition; Haworth Primary School, Yorkshire, Oakham CE Primary School, Rutland and St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School, Surrey
Pupils from Haworth Primary School
with some of their bumper harvestHaworth Primary School
The gardening club and the rest of the pupils at Haworth Primary School are to be commended on the relationship they have with their local community. Not only do they have a wonderful school environment, enhanced by magnificent floral displays and a vibrant vegetable garden, but they take their green fingers out and about into the community.
Each year they plant up baskets, containers and flowerbeds for the local fire station, railway, police contact point and doctor’s surgery. This year a plant was given to each member of staff at the doctor’s surgery as a thank you for keeping them well throughout the year. The produce from their vegetable garden at school was shared with elderly members of the community, hand delivered by the pupils.
The gardening club have been just as generous with the rest of the school too! The reception class collected fresh fruit and vegetables and delivered them to the school kitchen. All of the pupils had a chance to eat it for their dinner. Steve Thorpe, organiser of the school garden said, "I couldn’t believe how many of the children came and told me how much they had enjoyed it."
During the year the school has won many awards including, "Design a garden in a seed tray", at Manorlands Plant Fair. They also raised funds for the local parish church. To help other charities a calendar has been produced for 2007.
Pupils from Oakham CE Primary School
harvesting their veggies
Oakham CE Primary School
Oakham CE Primary School raised funds for, designed and created a sensory garden in the school grounds in 2002. The original thinking behind this was to make children, parents, staff and visitors more aware of their own senses.
A weekly gardening club ensures that the garden is maintained and accessible by all of the pupils at the school. There is a purpose built workstation for the pupils in the Special Needs Unit and they use the garden on a regular basis. Everyone gets involved in creating and making things for the garden. This year this has included dream catchers, God’s eyes and scarecrows.
Ever wondered what to do with all the carrier bags that are left over from shopping trips? Oakham had a fabulous idea. Each child planted 3 potato tubers in a bag and was responsible for looking after them throughout the growing season. When harvested in July, one pupil had a staggering 35 potatoes!
One of the aims of the garden this year was for the produce to be used in weekly cookery lessons, an important part of the teaching of life skills. The children have become such good chefs they have written their own cookbook.
This winning school sent in thoughts that the children have about their garden. The value they place on it and the benefit and enjoyment received from it are apparent.
- "We like the pretty flowers."
- "I like growing vegetables and I like to keep the flowering plants tidy."
- "We like to take things home that we have grown."
- "I like gardening club because you can pick and eat the strawberries."
- "I like to water all of the vegetables to help them grow."
- "We like to play in the garden when we have finished all our jobs."
St Thomas of Canterbury Primary School
Montage of 'Bean Creative?' artworks
The Green Ground Force Gang at St Thomas of Canterbury Primary School used their ICT and art skills to send us in a wonderful account of their school garden. Between them they demonstrated much of what has happened in their garden this year.
Each pupil is a monitor for a particular aspect of the garden. The ones who were responsible for watering the plants soon found out that they had a big job on their hands in the hot weather because the plants were growing so quickly.
The gang grew lettuce, potatoes, pumpkins, tomatoes, sweet corn, chives and radishes. This lunchtime club has provided produce from their garden for the school kitchen too. The radishes in a summer salad went down very well.
Encouraging wildlife into the garden is important in an organic garden. Being aware of the needs of the wildlife at different times of the year is vital in ensuring they survive. In the springtime the pond was tidied and this meant the children got to see lots of tadpoles and frogs during the rest of the year.
One of the teachers donated a bird table to the Green Ground Force gang, another job for the organised monitors is now ensuring that the birds are fed each week. The efforts that the Gang have gone to, making sure that it is not only their garden that is a great place for wildlife to be, has not been lost on their resident mouse, he was discovered by the shed monitor hiding in a bucket!
The prizes
Each winning school chose a prize from a choice of three.
- Haworth Primary School have chosen for the education team to visit them and help them out with their current project,
- Oakham CE Primary are going to bring a group of children on a visit to Garden Organic Ryton
- St Thomas of Canterbury have chosen a selection of gardening equipment. This equipment has been kindly donated by Duchy Originals, Link-a-bord, Impact Publishing and HappyMais.
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