The rain has been good for the plants, trees and animals in the allotment.
We harvested our first crop of spring green cabbages and lettuces and had a taste of the lettuce – some of our staff had it with their lunch. Back in class, we prepared the cabbage and mixed it with other vegetables to make soup. Yum!
It’s a great feeling knowing that we helped to grow our own food.
In our allotment we noticed that there seemed to be a lot of strange looking ladybirds on our raised beds! After a bit of research, we discovered that many of them were in fact stages in the life cycle of a ladybird. We didn’t see any eggs, but we spotted lots of larva, pupa, and adult ladybirds. We had a little ladybird spotters guide and found that the most common ladybird in our allotment is the adult 7- spot ladybird, its larva and pupa. Apparently there are 46 different species of ladybird in the UK. We learnt quite a bit about them. They are great for our allotment ecosystem.
As you know, pets and other animals are so important to us and to our world. Here are some suggestions to help out our animal friends:
Being kind to animals
Have a kind play time with your pet. Even if it’s just 10 minutes to play, your pet should enjoy it.
Help to tidy up the area your pet sleeps in.
Create a corner for nature
A leaf pile – A leaf pile provides a place for worms, gives shelter to other creatures, and will also supply valuable compost that will naturally fertilise your garden’s soil.
Long grass and nettles – Long grassy areas will attract insects, provide shelter for animals, and give food for predators.
Logs – Logs provide an excellent hiding place for all sorts of amphibians, frogs and ground beetles.
Herbs and flowers – attracts pollinating minibeasts and birds.
A spoonful of water and sugar – a simple mixture of sugar and water will help revive an exhausted bee. Simply mix two tablespoons of white, granulated sugar with one tablespoon of water, and leave some on a spoon.
Bird feeder – recycle a plastic bottle.
Kindness is choosing to do something that helps others or yourself, motivated by genuine warm feelings.   Kindness, or doing good, often means putting other people’s needs before our own. Another way of being kind is being kind to the world.Â
Here are some suggestions to be kind to the world.
Plant a tree or a plant.Â
https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/kids
Take a look at the games and activities on the above website.
https://schools.fairtrade.org.uk/resource/a-fair-story/
Watch the video on the story of Fairtrade and then try out the activities.
Make a list of all the things you can do at home and at school to look after the environment.Â
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zdyycdm/resources/1
Check out the videos about the environment and how we can look after it.
During Science week, Year 3 completed a comic strip with a message relating to saving our environment. Our children chose to focus on either; littering, chopping trees or recycling. As their comics were so brilliant, we decided to post them to Blue Peter. Over the past few days, lots of children have been emailing us with fantastic news that they have received an Eco (green) Badge. We are so proud of their achievements, Well done Year 3!
Pupils from Year 3 to Year 6 had a great time in the allotment today. They planted pea seeds, ready to go into polytunnel, and a pot to take home. The fruit trees in the orchard are starting to bloom, so hopefully the bees and insects will pollinate the flowers. We are looking forward to harvesting the fruit.
Spring is a great season to see growth happening in nature. Whether it’s spent in the garden, yard, planting in a window box, or watching from an open window. It’s all around!
It’s a fact that gardening, or being out in fresh air surrounded by bird song, flowers and trees, can make us feel uplifted and brighter, as well as providing other health benefits.
Checkout the video for some great activities you can do at home. You might learn a new skill like gardening – great exercise! Or grow some vegetables or flowers from seed. You may like to grow something to plant in our allotment, and observe it’s growth from time to time. Have fun!
There is more info on the growveg website:
https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/fun-garden-activities-for-kids-during-lockdown/
A brilliant way to track the daily weather! We now know when we need to water the growing plants in our allotment.
Why not make your own weather chart to track the weather and the changing seasons?
Year 3 made some wonderful cartoon strips to highlight the pressures different habitats are facing.
We think litter picking, and supporting the environment, is a positive thing.
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Fantastic designs from our winners! The brief was to promote healthy eating, taking time out to enjoy the environment, exercise and wellbeing.
