Looking after the seeds
Comparing peas in different growing media
Sunday 20 January 2008
Pilot Project
Images from the Pilot Project
Looking after the seeds
Comparing peas in different growing media
Looking after the seeds
Comparing peas in different growing media
Saturday 19 January 2008
Sowing the Seed Project
This year, 2008, we have been given funding by the Ernest Cooke Trust to extend a recent pilot scheme.
The aim is to introduce children to the idea that our treatment of soil alters the nutritional quality of the food we grow in it. This in turn has an effect on our health and the health of the planet.
This links in with many aspects of the National Curriculum and many current national iniatives.
The project is very flexible and has been run with KS 1 - 3 and in Steiner Waldorf schools. We provide a hands-on learning experience where the children have responsibility for their learning.
So what actually happens? Once a school has agreed to join the project, we meet with the lead person to establish timetables, ages groups etc. For schools with existing gardens we decide on the location of the experiment, for schools without plots we bring in boxes and soil.
There is an introductory lesson with the children which involves looking (and feeling) real soils, finding out about worms and other life in the soil, and depending on the age of the children involved, songs and art.
After that there we visit regularly to help children to prepare, plant and tend seeds. This is done with a variety of soils and types of gardening. For example, one plot with no soil preparation at all, one traditionally double dug with compost incorporated, and one with no digging, but with a good layer of compost added on top.
Children are encouraged to observe and measure the progress of the plants. They will be able to taste the final produce and then draw their own conclusions about the health and vitality of the various trials. For KS3 children there may be the opportunity to have the results scientifically analysed to compare levels of nutrients very precisely.
We will provide all the necessary resources to run this project and have access to nutritionists, scientists and environmentalists to support where needed.
For further information please contact
Jane Renton on jrenton@zoom.co.uk
or Matt Adams on mattcadams@tiscali.co.uk
The aim is to introduce children to the idea that our treatment of soil alters the nutritional quality of the food we grow in it. This in turn has an effect on our health and the health of the planet.
This links in with many aspects of the National Curriculum and many current national iniatives.
The project is very flexible and has been run with KS 1 - 3 and in Steiner Waldorf schools. We provide a hands-on learning experience where the children have responsibility for their learning.
So what actually happens? Once a school has agreed to join the project, we meet with the lead person to establish timetables, ages groups etc. For schools with existing gardens we decide on the location of the experiment, for schools without plots we bring in boxes and soil.
There is an introductory lesson with the children which involves looking (and feeling) real soils, finding out about worms and other life in the soil, and depending on the age of the children involved, songs and art.
After that there we visit regularly to help children to prepare, plant and tend seeds. This is done with a variety of soils and types of gardening. For example, one plot with no soil preparation at all, one traditionally double dug with compost incorporated, and one with no digging, but with a good layer of compost added on top.
Children are encouraged to observe and measure the progress of the plants. They will be able to taste the final produce and then draw their own conclusions about the health and vitality of the various trials. For KS3 children there may be the opportunity to have the results scientifically analysed to compare levels of nutrients very precisely.
We will provide all the necessary resources to run this project and have access to nutritionists, scientists and environmentalists to support where needed.
For further information please contact
Jane Renton on jrenton@zoom.co.uk
or Matt Adams on mattcadams@tiscali.co.uk
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