Schools get digging to turn playgrounds green
Children from four schools in West Dorset hope to grow edible plants in their playgrounds and learn how to prepare and cook them with help from local chefs. A new project called The Edible Playground is being launched in June, aiming to encourage young children to grow and nurture edible plants in their playgrounds. The simple aim of the project is to help young children to connect with food and to get real enjoyment out of turning their playgrounds into green areas, where food and growth go hand in hand. Local chefs will also visit schools to show the children how to prepare and cook plants they have grown. Currently four schools in West Dorset are getting involved; Beaucroft in Wimborne, Thornford Primary, Charmouth Primary and Witchampton Primary.
The children will be digging, planting, watering and nurturing edible plants in their playgrounds throughout the next few months and then some will get the chance to work with local chefs to prepare and eat the results.
Mike Burks of The Gardens Group, which is sponsoring The Edible Playground project, explained; “This project is a really practical way to get children to connect with the food they are eating – they’re not simply being presented with a pile of food and then cooking it. "They are improving the soil in plots in their playgrounds, choosing seed varieties, planting, feeding and watering and really learning how food grows before they finally cook and eat it. It is a pleasure to be involved with a project which is practical and hands-on and we look forward to seeing the results.”
Each school got a supply of equipment including compost, gardening tools, seeds, herb plants, watering cans and troughs. Project co-ordinator Nichola Motley. “The children will be growing lots of different varieties of herbs, lettuces, tomatoes and other quick growing crops. I am especially pleased that very young children are involved, as the sooner we teach children where their food comes from, the better their understanding and willingness to try new foods. "Some of the children will be visiting walled vegetable gardens to learn about crop rotation and even the youngest pupils will be involved in planting and watering.” The Edible Playground project is a new venture for Screen Bites; Dorset’s Food Film Festival and is also supported by Chalk & Cheese.
Where to grow?
What to grow?
What kit will you need?
Check out:
www.rocketgardens.co.uk
www.crocus.co.uk
Rally the troops
You need four things to make your Edible Garden a success:
1. Motivation – get the whole school behind it, proud of it and pleased to part of it
2. Education – use it as a learning experience and a learning tool
3. Sustainability – plan ahead, start small, know what it’s going to cost
4. Support - cultivating people is as important as cultivating plants, and what you can achieve will depend on the level of support you get for the Edible Playground. So it may be worth asking an experienced gardener with tips to share and time to spare for a bit of help
(Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks will need to be carried out before they can start)).
More: Setting up and Running a School Garden,
by Agriculture and Consumer Protection
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