This creative and challenging start to our day encourages children to think outside the box in coming up with a design solution for their 'client'. We start by having a circle discussion about what gardens mean to us, why they are important to humans and what sort of things can be found in gardens. Up to three fictitious 'clients' are described and breaking into small groups the team choose their client and starts working on their list of priorities and features for their garden. The teams create a concept board using age appropriate technology and then a short spell outside measuring and estimating using games and challenges introduces them to thinking about size.
Older children will also be introduced to compass directions and relative positions of the sun and how that creates shady and sunny areas. Back in the classroom, the children bring all these elements together to draw up their garden designs on graph paper. Older children are introduced to the concept of drawing to scale and drawing in plan view while younger children are encouraged to draw features at relative sizes to each other on their page. The session culminates in the groups presenting their designs back to the class and age appropriate discussion is encouraged about the thought process behind the designs. If your school is considering designing a sensory garden and so you want to obtain childrens ideas we can tailor the design module so that their own school is the client.
RESEARCH themed garden ideas, based on children's prior knowledge and initial discussions
DESIGN gardens to meet the brief, based on their research
EVALUATE their designs based on their brief and peer feedback
D&T KS1 |
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D&T KS2 |
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Maths KS1 |
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Maths KS2 |
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English KS1 |
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English KS2 |
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Considering peoples needs that may be different to their own and learning about the array of benefits that green outdoor spaces and gardening have on human life
Carry out activities in teams with individuals having specific roles
Our practical sessions are detailed below, they are designed to generate enthusiasm, focus attention, provide rich experience and encourage creative response. Children will be introduced to the topic and content through direct experience, and positive dialogues and interactions between learners will be facilitated throughout. Most importantly, children will have fun while they're learning, and be left with a deeper appreciation of nature and the benefits of gardening. Activities will have slight variations depending on the time of year and are flexible enough to be tailored to the particular needs of your school. For example, if you have a forlorn looking vegetable bed let us know in advance and we will, as far as possible, base our practical on getting it spruced up and planted while making sure we leave behind instructions for its ongoing care. On most occasions, as part of children’s creative response to their experience, a take home item will be made to encourage gardening outside of the school gates.
All our workshops are risk assessed and linked to the national curriculum
Is anyone hungry? It's time to get to grips with growing food!
Our session begins with high energy games that assess children’s prior knowledge of the benefits of diet, exercise and hygiene, and where our food comes from. We then get more focused, looking in detail and smelling/tasting particular herbs and vegetables that can be grown in school or at home, exploring the benefits of growing them ourselves. Making use of the space you have available in the school grounds or by using pots, the children will plant up a selection of edible plants. Depending on age we will get the children to plant something relevant to take home e.g. cress in an egg shell. The workshop finishes with an inspiring story.
IDENTIFY a variety of edible plants in a garden
DESCRIBE some health benefits of growing edible plants.
EXPLAIN how good health is linked to gardening
Science | KS1 |
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Science | KS2 |
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D&T | KS1 |
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D&T | KS2 |
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English | KS1 & 2 |
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Understand the health benefits of growing your own food and also the benefits of gardening in the wider environment
KS1 Using Tools Safely: Learning names and uses of common garden tools and setting up important health and safety rules
School Grounds - creating a vegetable growing area
Healthy Living - environmentally sustainable diet, physical activity, taking notice of the world around you
After an introductory discussion about wildlife in the garden, quizzes and interactive games will teach children about the benefits of bees and pollinating insects and why we need to plant nectar rich gardens. Children will enjoy close up inspections of flowers and seeds discovering how a flower is made up and where seeds come from. They will learn about the different seed dispersal methods through hands on team games.
Making use of the space you have available in the school grounds or by using pots, the children will plant up a selection of nectar rich plants or engage in some ‘earth art’. Depending on age the children will make something relevant to take home perhaps making a grass seed head or planting something in a small pot.
STATE the benefits of having wildlife in the garden and the basic parts of a flower
DESCRIBE how wildlife helps pollination and the different means of seed dispersal
EXPLAIN why plants produce flowers
Science | KS1 |
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Science | KS2 |
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D&T | KS1 & 2 |
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English | KS1 & 2 |
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Understanding the benefits of encouraging wildlife into our gardens through planting and the wider benefits to humans of gardening
KS1 Using Tools Safely: Learning names and uses of common garden tools and setting up important health and safety rules
Splash! In this session we get our hands wet and dirty to explore the variety of plant and animal life in water gardens.
Starting with a led discussion about the benefits of water in the garden and the role of pond plants, children will enjoy fun activities on pond wildlife. Using game cards and sensory feely games we will explore and compare the lifecycles of animals then go on to study the different types of aquatic plants – describing the features and parts of the plant - leading to a group discussion identifying how each plant has adapted to a specific pond location, i.e. those that are submerged, marginal and free floating. We then head outside to put our learning into practice – constructing a mini pond from a kit and planting it up, this will remain at the school for ongoing interest and learning. The workshop will finish with an inspiring story or quiz all about water.
IDENTIFY different water garden plants and animals using a key
DESCRIBE the lifecycles of some water garden animals
EXPLAIN how water plants are adapted to their environment and how human lifecycles are similar and different to those of water garden animals
Science | KS1 |
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Science | KS2 |
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D&T | KS1 & 2 |
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English | KS1 & 2 |
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Understanding the environmental benefits of encouraging wildlife into our gardens through diverse habitats and the wider health benefits to humans of gardening
In this session we explore the variety of insects that inhabit our gardens, we learn about the good work they carry out, from pollination to biological control, and why they need shelter. The class will all get involved in constructing an insect hotel within the school grounds.
Depending on the weather we start outside with ‘Insect Charades’, or other fun activity, where children in groups act out an insect for the rest of the class to guess. We then ask the children to see if they can find any insects that we can all examine and share our understanding of how it benefits the garden and the type of shelter it needs. During periods of bad weather this exercise can be carried out indoors with slides.
Staying outside as a class we set about constructing a large insect hotel - shelter for spiders, butterflies and moths, beetles and ladybirds - using natural, recycled materials. Children will have fun foraging for suitable items in the school grounds. Instructions will be given out for making their own small ‘hotel’ at home. (If preferred, as an alternative, children can make their small ‘hotels’ during this activity).
The session is drawn to a fulfilling close when the children are asked to visualise themselves being the insect that’s going to live in their ‘hotel’ – having just awakened from hibernation or emerged from a pupae – and describe how their insect feels on finding their very own secret hotel.
STATE what is meant by the word “habitat”
DESCRIBE similarities and differences in the characteristics of minibeasts
EXPLAIN how minibeasts are suited to life in their habitat
Science | KS1 |
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Science | KS2 |
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D&T | KS1 & 2 |
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English | KS1 & 2 |
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Understand the environmental benefits of creating diverse habitats to encourage wildlife into our gardens and the wider health benefits to humans of gardening
Carry out sustainable recycling activities
With this activity we encourage children’s imagination and creativity to flow into the creation of their own mini garden. We learn about the plants we are growing and how to look after them.
Depending on the weather most of this session will be held outside. We start with a fun dynamic game to awaken the children’s enthusiasm to different things that can be found in a garden. A short spell in the classroom will follow to show examples of miniature gardens and give an insight into what they will be able to construct. We will look at the plants, discovering what they are and the conditions they like.
We then head outside again to roll up sleeves and get started on our gardens. Children will be given the option of creating a slightly larger garden in groups (that will remain in the school grounds) or smaller gardens individually to take home. All gardens will be constructed in containers appropriately sized. The containers, growing medium, plants and a selection of items will be provided but children will also be encouraged to look around them for other suitable materials.
Instructions on how to care for the plants will be provided.
IDENTIFY a variety of plants and how to look after them
DESCRIBE the different elements of a garden
DEMONSTRATE how to model ideas using recycled materials
Science | KS1 & 2 |
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D&T | KS1 |
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D&T | KS1 & 2 |
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English | KS1 & 2 |
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Carry out sustainable recycling activities
What's the difference between a cactus and a daisy? This workshop will explain it all!
We start off with some fun energising games that explore the different habitats around the world. In teams children will get hands on with plants investigating their various parts and how they have adapted differently to survive. Taking this knowledge into the school grounds children will be able to explore conditions there and see what plants are thriving and perhaps those that aren’t! We’ll then roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty with a planting session in the school garden, understanding why and how to position plants in appropriate locations.
The workshop will finish with a creative session in the classroom drawing and describing the features of some special habitat gardens of our own!
IDENTIFY different key plants from around the world
DESCRIBE how water moves around plants
EXPLAIN how different plants are adapted to life in different habitats
Science | KS1 |
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Science | KS2 |
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D&T | KS1 & 2 |
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English | KS1 & 2 |
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Learning about the array of benefits that green outdoor spaces and gardening have on human life.
Carry out activities in teams with individuals having specific roles
KS1 Using Tools Safely: Learning names and uses of common garden tools and setting up important health and safety rules
Did you know that 1 cup of soil can hold more bacteria than there are people on the Earth? That’s over 6 billion!.... and it’s just one fascinating fact about the complex ecosystem we call soil.
If you thought soil was simply dirt, think again!
Our Going Underground workshop will open children’s eyes to the magic of soil and the living creatures within. They will learn through fun interactive games why we need soil and where it comes from. Everyone will carry out a soil testing experiment either using soil from their own gardens or from the school grounds.
Energetic quiz games will focus children’s attention on the differences between a poor soil and a healthy soil and they will learn how to improve soil structure for the health of plants and micro-organisms. We will explore the wonder of decomposition, specifically looking at the decomposers that form part of the essential life cycle - turning dead tissue into nutrients for new plant growth.
Our workshop draws to a close with an inspiring story about the soil food web or the carbon cycle that will strengthen their learning experience and new found appreciation for the living ‘dirt’ they stand on.
All games and quizzes will be age appropriate.
IDENTIFY: the living soil - the decomposers that form the soil ecosystem
DESCRIBE: how soil is made and the different soil textures
EXPLAIN: how we can change a “bad” soil into a “good” soil and why healthy soil is so important
Science | KS1 |
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Science | KS2 |
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D&T | KS1 & 2 |
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English | KS1 & 2 |
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Learning about the array of benefits that green outdoor spaces and gardening have on human life
Carry out activities in teams with individuals having specific roles
KS1 Using Tools Safely: Learning names and uses of common garden tools and setting up important health and safety rules
All our workshop days are competitively priced at £525 plus VAT with the exception of Water Water which has an additional materials cost of £45 (inc.VAT) for each Velda pond that we leave behind in the school.
The workshop cost is based on a school day (9am to 3.15/3.30pm) for up to 30 children with the following assumptions:
We are fully insured and all our tutors are DBS checked.