Lofty's Gardening for Schools

A testimony from Mrs Susan Woodroff, Assistant Headteacher, Holy Trinity C. of E. Primary School, Seaton Carew, Hartlepool. "We chose Chris Dodds to design our gardens at Holy Trinity as it was clear from our first meeting that he had not only a wealth of expertise, but also a passion for gardening that he was eager to share with our school community.... His resourcefulness and experience ensured that we got excellent value for money, achieving marvelous gardens on a limited budget..We set out in search of a garden and found in Chris Dodds, not only an innovative designer and builder of such a space, but also a partner in educating and inspiring our children."

Learning, Achievement and Fun - the three basic principals that represent the way I've looked at gardening throughout my life.

Those of us lucky enough to grow fruit and vegetables from seed to harvest at a young age never forget the thrill of taking the freshly picked crops from the garden, into the house and then help prepare, cook and eat them.

With fewer children eating fresh fruit and vegetables for the past two years I have been fortunate enough to work with a number of schools to take these principles into the classroom and then back out to the garden.

My biggest on going project has taken place at Ayresome Primary in Middlesbrough . For the past two years I have worked with the staff and pupils to make the garden more than just an area to grow fruit and vegetables.

Ayresome Growing Project 2010

First working groups.

Each group would have half a day to initially discuss ideas of the kind of fruit and vegetables they would like to grow, what recipes can be made out of their produce.

Of the first two classes we worked with, one came up with idea of creating 'PotSlaw' - a mixture of potato salad and coleslaw.

Class A

With Class 'A' we discussed various ideas of what could be created with the produce. They decided they would like to arrange a dinner party and, after looking into different recipes went about making Vegetable Soup and Caramelised Carrots for the menu. The pupils formed a number of groups, each with a specific task.

Group One researched:

• How The Royal Family would set a dinner table.
• Place settings.
• Headwear - ways of making crowns for the party.

Group Two set about:

• Washing the produce that had been collected from the garden
• Peeling unwanted skins from the vegetables.
• Cutting potatoes and beetroots into small pieces, grating onions, leeks and the three different coloured carrots.
• Placing potatoes in a pan to boil.

All groups:

• Helped to put all ingredients together and serve the various dishes at the table.

Class B

The pupils again formed a number of groups, each with a specific task.

Group One researched:

• How much it actually cost to grow the produce.
• The cost of the ingredients they would need to purchase such as mayonnaise.
• The price of buying the ingredients from the shop if they had to buy everything from scratch and
• The cost of buying a ready-made product.

Group Two discussed and created:

• Ways to sell their product - in particular to local cafes.
• Packaging and labelling.
• The price they could sell their product for once they had the information from group one.

Group Three set about:

• Washing the produce that had been collected from the garden
• Peeling unwanted skins from the vegetables.
• Cutting potatoes into small pieces, grated onions, leeks and the three different coloured carrots.
• Placing potatoes in a pan to boil then rinsing and letting them cool.

All groups:

• Helped to put all ingredients in a bowl to create 'PotSlaw' and sample their wonderful product.

Ayresome Primary Victorian and Inter War Projects 2011

In March 2011 two groups of pupils were given a different period in history - the Victorian era and the Inter War years - and handed about the following tasks:

Research was made both online and from the schools' books and the pupils then made a list of typical meals they would like to try. Once they had discussed and agreed on a menu that could be prepared they then put together a list of seeds that would need to be purchased.

The research into the flowers and plants used in typical Victorian bedding schemes resulted in the pupils designing and drawing their own versions of a colourful display. An area of the school grounds was set aside and the pupils - armed with tape measures and marker spray - set about marking out their bedding design. The pupils were asked to put together and present a quotation to the Head Teacher requesting funds for the project within a budget.

Both projects crossed almost all the curriculum subjects but more importantly the pupils had a say in what they grew, had the responsibility of growing the fruit and vegetables and got the chance to taste fresh food picked straight out of the garden.

Most of these children live on diets that are very low on nutritional value so by involving them from the planning stage through to harvesting and cooking, they were shown at an early age that a healthier option is possible and certainly tastier.

On 14 th July the Victorian group went back into the garden to harvest the fantastic array of vegetables they had grown throughout the term and then spent the morning preparing and cooking the vegetables. On a beautiful sunny afternoon, the children set up a number of tables and place mats, put on their colourful hats and tucked into the wonderful food they had made.

To finalise the project for the summer term, on 21 st July the Inter War group also spent the morning harvesting, preparing and cooking the vegetables that resulted in some delicious food being enjoyed by the pupils involved as well as some invited members of staff.

Corpus Christi Primary School, Middlebrough

The focal point is a large colourful external board measuring 2400mm by 1200mm. In the centre of the board I have set a map of the world. To either side of the map are drawings of the vegetables that would be grown in the garden and all the flags of the competing countries of the World Cup.

In front of the main board we installed a fantastic Human Sun Clock with purpose made benches around the edge for seating purposes.

The second part of The Global Garden contains the Raised Beds that will grow an array of wonderful vegetables, Compost Bins, Shed, Green House and a small Orchard where each class planted its own fruit tree and fruit bush. Everything is set out with wheel chair access in mind.

Every subject within the National Curriculum would now easily be covered with a facility to add more flags on the board for The Autumn 2010 term.

Holy Trinity Primary, Seaton Carew, Hartlepool

The ground was completely cleared, a sub base spread and consolidated and then wheel chair friendly paving laid onto fresh concrete. The raised beds were then set into position and filled with top soil and compost. After the safety green house had been installed I worked with the staff and pupils to start  planting the various kinds of potatoes sets along with sowing numerous vegetables seeds. The pictures show the vegetables starting to put on a bit of growth towards the end of May.

Westlea Primary, Seaham, Co.Durham

A sloping part of the school grounds was converted into a seated open outdoor classroom. An adjoining picnic style table area provides an area for the pupils to work and eat in the open.

Seaview Primary, Seaham, Co.Durham

With Seaview Primary I was asked to bring alive an area made up of mainly worn out lawn. We cleared away the dead shrubs and grass, installed some additional paving next to a walk-in play sand pit, installed bark pathways and laid a wild meadow lawn.

Despite only being laid in July 2011, the new turf quickly established and has provided colour and interest right up to Christmas.

Nightingale School , London

No involvement in the educational side of this project but we were asked to complete all of the paving work.

Benefits and Links with the Key Stages

Throughout the time I have worked with various teachers we have looked at how we can link the subjects within the curriculum to the garden. My 'Lofty' logo also added a bit of fun to the learning!

English Communication, language and understanding Pupils are encouraged to take notes and discuss the activities they have completed in the garden. As many pupils find it easier working in an environment away from the confines of an indoor classroom, this will help develop their ability to communicate clearly and effectively.

History Gardening in the past and how it has shaped the present Some of the earliest recordings of gardening date back to Egypt in 2600 BC so there are plenty of years to look back on. Pupils can study at what stage in History the fruit and vegetables they are growing were discovered and by whom. The 'Dig for Victory' campaign used in the Second World War is a great way to encourage the pupils to research how people had to grow vegetables in order to survive and provide a healthy diet. This can also be linked to PHSE to compare how our eating habits have changed and in many cases deteriorated over the years.

Geography People, places and the environment we live in A wonderful subject to link History and Science. After the pupils have researched which countries different fruit and vegetables originate from and when they were discovered they can map out the journey's the explorers made and how they arrived back in Britain with their discoveries. The different cultures from around the world and the techniques they use to grow their food makes for a fascinating subject.

Science Curiosity of how plants grow Pupils can research the science of how plants grow in our climate and the ways they adapt to various and sometimes-extreme conditions all around the world. Weather, temperatures and light can be monitored and compared with schools from different regions of Britain and countries further afield. With re-cycling such an important part of our lives, studies can be made on how to produce valuable and money saving compost from waste food . Sensory gardens provide a great way to discuss the different human senses - sight, touch, sound ,taste and smell.

PSHE and PE For a healthier, more active and fulfilling life The garden can provide a means of bringing even more fun to the two subjects. Gardening is great way to take the pupils into the fresh air. By showing them how to use the various garden tools they also gain valuable exercise. To show the pupils just how easy it is to achieve a healthy diet, they are encouraged to work in teams to research the national dishes of the UK and countries from around the world. Once this information has been gathered they can see what dishes can be prepared and cooked from the fruit and vegetables they are growing in the garden. This a fantastic project for the pupils as they will have completed the full cycle of 'Garden to Plate' - from planning to preparing, from preparing to sowing, from sowing to maintaining, from maintaining to harvesting and finally to cooking the wonderful produce they have grown.

Art and Design. Creativity and imagination Art and Design provides a great source of inspiration and enjoyment. Pupils can actively take part and work in teams with the overall design of the garden by making sketches, paintings and models. Mathematics and ICT can also be linked to calculate areas and quantities. Re-cycled school paper, collected twigs and plants from the garden can be used to make decorations and pictures for the classroom.

Mathematics Calculations in the garden Mathematics and ICT can be used to calculate surface areas of the garden, cubic measurements of raised beds and quantities of soil/compost required to fill the beds. The pupils have great fun measuring the growth of the plants over the weeks - especially the Sunflowers - from seed to maturity. At the exciting harvest times, scales provide a means for everyone to calculate the weight of the produce grown in the garden.

ICT Researching, storing and presenting data The tool used to access and store all the information required and gained throughout the changing seasons in the garden. From planning the garden to researching where plants come from, pupils can create simple spreadsheets and presentation pages to show and discuss their work in the various Key Stage subjects.

Music Creating sound Plants can be used to produce wonderful sounds around the garden. Grasses make a soothing rustling sound as the breeze passes its way through them and the use of carefully selected plants encourage birds and insects into the garden to provide their own unique sounds. Making wind chimes to hang around the garden is a great way of getting the pupils to use re-cycled materials and unused musical instruments. Different types of music from around the world can be studied and listened to.

There are also the health benefits that can be achieved and I quote from the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency: 'Schools should look for opportunities to promote and improve health in every area of school life, for example organising physical activities, cooking and growing fruit and vegetables, assessing pupils' eating and exercise habits and offering access to health support services.'