At Wreary CofE Primary School, a group of enthusiastic pupils took part in a unique event on Wednesday, April 23rd, which was designed to teach children the importance of creating pollinator-friendly habitats and safely using gardening tools.
The “Bring Your Spade to School Day” event was a huge success, with different year groups engaging in a range of activities that aimed to educate and entertain the children.
Year Groups Get Hands-On
The primary school’s students were divided into different age groups, each with their own unique set of activities.
- Key stage one and early years students were treated to a engaging story about planting radishes, a catchy song about pollinators, and a fun game of “dandelion hunt”.
- Year three and four pupils got hands-on experience by planting their own radishes, digging out weeds, cutting back the school’s old growth of last year’s mint crop, and planting donated bedding plants.
- Year five and six pupils were put to the test with a competition to see who could dig out the longest twitch weed, while also learning about creating habitats for pollinators and using gardening tools safely.
Expert Guidance
Throughout the day, the school’s students were accompanied by local gardening experts, who provided valuable guidance and advice on how to create a pollinator-friendly habitat and how to safely use gardening tools.
“Our children are young, courageous advocates, with a goal to help our world’s ecosystem by taking action to restore our bee, butterfly, and other pollinator populations. “Today, every class had a session outside, in our school meadow, with local gardening experts, learning more about how to create a pollinator-friendly habitat and how to safely use gardening tools. “Everyone had a fantastic time, and some of our budding young gardeners enjoyed taking part in our after-school gardening club too.”
| Year Group | Activity | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Key Stage 1 | Planting radishes, learning a song about pollinators, and “dandelion hunt” | To introduce the concept of pollinators and their importance in the ecosystem |
| Year 3-4 | Planting radishes, digging out weeds, cutting back mint crop, and planting bedding plants | To teach children about the importance of gardening and how to create a pollinator-friendly habitat |
| Year 5-6 | Creating habitats for pollinators, using gardening tools safely, and “twitch weed” competition | To teach children about the importance of creating pollinator-friendly habitats and how to use gardening tools safely |
The school’s head of school, Stella Astell, was delighted with the success of the event and praised the children for their enthusiasm and participation.
“The children had a fantastic time, and it was wonderful to see them all working together and learning from each other,” she said.
