Tag: Garden Classroom

Posted in Garden Classroom, Seedlings

July in the Garden

Posted on by Tracie Dowling

During the lockdown, the key worker children have been working extra hard helping Tracie in the garden.

We have grown Beetroot, Cucumbers, Chillies, Mange-tout, Peppers, Tomatoes, Pumpkins, Lettuce, Onions, Cauliflowers, Cabbage, Peas, Garlic, Turmeric, Ginger, Strawberries, Raspberries, Currents, Apples, Cherries, Kiwi and lots of different herbs.

Our new vegetable this year is Cucamelons. These are a cute, little fruit with bags of personality. Originating from Mexico, Cucamelons produce lots of fruit throughout the Summer that taste like cucumber and lime. They are grape size, look like baby watermelons and are supposed to be easy to grow. Watch this space for updates on how we get on growing them.

Posted in Garden Classroom, rangers

Who Picked Our Cherries?

Posted on by Tracie Dowling

A few weeks ago, we posted about our two cherries the boys had found growing nicely on our Cherry tree. Today Poppy decided it was time to pick them!

  • 2 Cherries
  • Poppy Picked Them!

She had found three all together and said as she had picked them its one for me and two for her! What a little madam!! They were quite sour so Tracie was pleased she only got one in the end! Lets hope next year we get more and they are sweeter!

Posted in Garden Classroom, Seedlings, wanderers

June’s Walk Around the Garden

Posted on by Tracie Dowling

On our walk around the garden, Leo and Jacey couldn’t pass the Strawberries without having their fill! We found lots of purple flowers. We found Sweet Peas, Foxglove, Alliums and Ice Plant, they were all very fragrant.

  • Strawberry Hunt
  • Ice Plant
  • Alium
  • Fox Glove
  • Sweet Pea

The yellow flowers all shone out like the sunshine. Tracie told us all about the different ways to use flowers. Tracie told us some go into medicine like St Johns Wort, some keep bugs away from our tomatoes like Marigolds and Field Mustard can be used in cooking. But we were warned we can only eat plants and flowers given to us by adults as some are poisonous like the foxglove.

  • Marigold
  • Field Mustard
  • St John’s Wort
  • Cherries!

In the front garden we found two delicious looking Cherries. Tracie said it’s good they where way up high on the tree as it would stop us picking them before she could have a taste! Look who we found hiding in the ferns! Our jolly gnome, Rainbow!

Hello Peeps

The pond is thriving at the moment with wildlife and flowers. The flowers like Hot Poker and Foxgloves attract mini beasts and bees to collect pollen to make us honey and pollenate other plants. Can you spot the Plant sign we made in March?

Pond Flowers
Posted in Garden Classroom, Seedlings

Dinosaur Small World Play

Posted on by Tracie Dowling

Ivor loves to play with the Dinosaurs, especially the big ones! He kept getting upset because the seedlings wanted to play but not how he was playing.

Tracie suggested that he move them to a different place so he could play quietly but leave some for the little seedlings to play with.

Ivor with the Dinosaurs

Ivor decided outdoors on the decking would be a good place. Tracie moved a tuff tray into an area and gave Ivor some materials to build a setting. Ivor loved this and played for hours.

Posted in Garden Classroom, Seedlings

Helping Our Bees

Posted on by Tracie Dowling

This afternoon we were playing outside when Georgia screamed “theres a bee” Tracie asked the children to stand back as the bee is poorly and needs a sugary drink. She carefully picked him up with a piece of paper and took him into the kitchen.

Tracie explained to the children that the bee needed some sugar or he may die. We put some sugar and a little water onto a spoon and then we sat back and watched the bee working hard to drink the solution. After a while, the bee flew off and the Seedlings clapped.

  • Needing Help
  • Sugary Medicine

Tracie then talked to us about bees and why they are so important for our world. The seedlings were very inquisitive and Tracie had lots of good questions to answer.

Posted in Seedlings

Quiet Spaces

Posted on by Tracie Dowling

Today Alfie was grumpy with all the noise the Wanderers and Rangers were making. Tracie decided it was time to go into the garden to find a quiet place for one-to-one play. We chose to play together in the trampoline with different sensory balls.

Alfie enjoyed having a small quiet space to play and we had so much fun listening to the birds and insects flying about.

We decided to have story time on the trampoline. Afterward, Tracie got out and Alfie had a bounce about. When Alfie went back into the setting the older children had finished with noisy play and Alfie was less stressed. Nice and calm!

Posted in Garden Classroom, Seedlings, wanderers

Homemade Plant Labels

Posted on by Tracie Dowling

We have been looking on the internet for labels for our plants. We didn’t like the ones we saw so Tracie decided to make some. First she asked her brother, Jonathan to slice up a big log. Then Tracie sanded them all smooth so they wouldn’t give anyone splinters, and so she could paint on them.

Once they were ready for painting, we all sat around the table and decided which ones we needed making first.

  • Vegetable Signs

Ivor wanted the tomato one, Martha the Cucumber, Fearne wanted Lavender, Poppy the Garlic and Tracie thought a salad bowl would be good for the raised bed that has everything we love eating as a salad.

As soon as the paint had dried Tracie took them outside and sprayed them all with varnish to protect them from rain. They all looked very good and we cant wait to make more.

Area Signs

Posted in Garden Classroom, Seedlings, wanderers

A Summer Walk Around the Garden

Posted on by Tracie Dowling

On our walk around the garden today we found lots of treasures. We picked some lovely large Lilies, Hydrangeas, Sweet Peas, Sunflowers, Lavender and Nasturtiums for a flower arrangement.

Fresh Produce

We looked at all out the fruit and vegetables that are growing in our beds and picked Cucumbers, Beans, Beetroots and Baby Cauliflowers which we will make into a vegetable soup.

Posted in Garden Classroom, Seedlings

Sophie’s Winter Walkabout

Posted on by Tracie Dowling
Sophie Loved the Hellebore Orientalis

Sophie and Tracie took a walk around the front garden to look for plants that have come into bloom. Sophie found some dainty snow drops and then some bright purple crocuses.
As we walked around, Sophie shouted and called over, pointing to a deep purple flower. When Tracie lifted the flower head for Sophie to see, she gasped and said “wow”. Tracie explained it was a Hellebore and said if she looks around the back garden she will find white ones too!

Primrose

Sophie’s next find was this beautiful Primula, it is such a lovely colour of peach and pink. Sophie knelt down to smell them but said they didn’t smell anything which was disappointing. Sophie took this amazing picture! We are looking forward to seeing our other Primroses flower, because we planted red, white and yellow ones too.

Posted in Garden Classroom, Seedlings

A Ray of Sunshine

Posted on by Tracie Dowling

Back in early spring, all the children sowed sunflower seeds. Most of them grew as tall as five feet! Eliza got a bit impatient waiting so long for her’s to grow and nothing happened! Everyone else’s sunflowers had grown and died, the garden started to look dull until…

This little gem made an appearance!

She’s only three feet tall but perfectly formed and attracting all the wildlife.