the joint winners are Finlay and Margot, both from Primary 4 and representing the P4-7 category. Their winning designs are shown above. From Nursery to P3, the winner is Andrew, in Primary 3, whose design of flowers and trees will appear on the side of the sheds (see Gallery). Well done to all entrants! We look forward to seeing your designs come to life in the garden before too long.
0 Comments
We have had a fantastic response to the competition for the design for the garden sheds. We received 85 entries from pupils across the school. We were particularly impressed with entries from classes P4G, P2/3D and Nursery, who were given the chance to prepare a design within their classes. However we also recognise the efforts of the many pupils who were motivated to prepare a drawing in their own time. Well done to all! Of the 85 submissions, entries were shortlisted by pupils of the Garden Citizenship Group, along with Mrs Cameron, who currently leads the Garden Citizenship Group, and Mrs Cowie, Crown Primary School's Head Teacher. From the shortlisted entries, winning designs were selected by a committee of three parent helpers (Lucy Scaife, Melanie Mackay and Julie Macrae), who assist with the garden, and whom all have artist backgrounds themselves. The committee were most impressed with all the submissions. The winning designs will be transferred to the sheds, but other shortlisted designs will generate artwork for the school grounds and garden website. View the best of the shortlisted designs in the web "Gallery". Winners will be announced and prizes awarded at this week's assembly, on Wednesday 29 February 2012. We are currently running a competition open to all Nursery to P7 pupils at Crown Primary School to submit a design for one of the two sheds located in the school's community garden. If you are unsure what they look like then visit them on site, within the garden. Nursery-P3 pupils (or teams) need to think up a design for the smaller shed. For P4-P7 pupils (or teams) you need to design with the larger shed in mind. Your design can be as simple as a motif through to a full mural, and you can work on your own or in groups. You can also let us know if you would like to be involved in transferring your design onto the shed yourself, or have us paint it on for you. This will take place next term, weather permitting. Small prizes will be awarded to the best submission in every year, and the winner (or winning teams) from each category will be awarded a fantastic gardening related prize (one to suit younger children, one to suit older). What are you waiting for? All you green fingered pupils get designing and drawing now! Then submit your design, as a piece of artwork or a model to Room 2A. Closing Date: Friday 10 February 2012. Through the School's "Garden Citizenship Group" the children, as the main users, continue to evaluate the garden and influence its development. Together we have considered what we would like to see happen in it over the next year or so. To this end if you are looking for ideas, or future projects within the school or community, here's the top ten suggestions listed in no particular order:
1. Plant more colour in the garden; 2. Access to more musical instruments; 3. Roof the pergola; 4. Create a pond, or bring in forms of water plants; 5. Bring in slides and swings; 6. Erect a windmill, or weather instruments; 7. Grow more fruit and vegetables; 8. Make things with the fruit and vegetables as they are produced; 9. Look for and learn about insects and wildlife; 10. Make stories up to read in the storyteller's chair. ...and just in time for Christmas our much needed tool sheds have arrived from Novar Tulloch's Sawmill, Evanton. We'll need to add a painting job now to the 'to do' list for 2012! To encourage biodiversity in the garden, we have introduced a range of bird feeders around the school grounds, for winter. This compliments what was done earlier, in the summer, when insect towers and bird huts were positioned throughout this area. Most of the feeders were simple ideas, easily made by the pupils themselves, as part of the school's Garden Group (as one of the school's many 'Citizenship Groups').
The feeders include: Garlands of dried fruit, strung at high level from the pergola, and low level off the fence; Sunflower seed and mixed seed feeders, strung at high level from the pergola; Fat balls, strung at high level from the pergola and lower level off the wigwams within the raised beds; Plus a feeding tray, within the raised beds, which will be replenished by the cores left from the apple-eating P2/3 at breaks! Go on, have a go yourself at home, and bring more small birds into your own garden! In March 2012 we will take receipt of a Planting Pack from the Woodland Trust for the school, as part of the nationwide "Jubilee Woods" initiative. In return we will plant up the grounds of the school for future generations to enjoy. We have selected a hedgerow planting pack which includes hawthorn, hazel, holly, dog rose and dogwood, plus one Royal Oak sapling. The plants (and tree) arrive in March 2012, so yet another planting day will be planned!
As a primary school we had also applied to (and will receive from) the Woodland Trust, a seeds-to-trees pack. For this we are given all that we need to germinate and bring on 32 silver birch saplings. We are, of course, more than willing to give this a go! It will make a great school project. For both of these, our thanks go out to the Woodland Trust. See www.woodlandtrust.org.uk http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourenvironment/sustainabledevelopment/eco-schools/sharingpractice/School%20Grounds.htm Follow this link to the Highland Council site for Sustainable Education. Some more photos there!
Press Release of 31st May 2011 Crown Primary School Community Garden comes to Fruition The Crown Primary School Community Garden will be opened at the Crown Primary Summer Fête on Saturday 4th June at 12.15. Pupils Nikita and Jack, winners of a school speech writing competition will have the honour of declaring the garden open at the ribbon cutting event. Over a year in the planning and six weeks in the making, generous grants of £10,000 from Awards for All and match funding from Green Inverness, saw the architect designed garden come to life. Changing a barren, tarmacked area of the school playground into an exciting, interactive green space. The Community Garden has been a collaborative effort by the school and parent volunteers with huge support from the school community and the wider community beyond. Initial funding from Awards from All was secured by teacher Rachel Sutherland and parent Gilly Kirkwood in 2010 and after recruiting parent and architect, Julie Macrae to the project, it was apparent that additional funding would provide a sustainable garden that would stand the test of time, not to mention the rigours of playtime. To this end, further funding was sought from Green Inverness and this was granted at the end of 2010 allowing construction by Brandons to begin in April 2011. The garden consists of four generous sized raised beds. One planted with raspberries, one ornamental, one with edibles such as lettuces and strawberries and the final one with common and more unusual herbs. A further bed under the pergola is home to some more architectural plants and climbers. There is also a grass circle with seating and a magical storytellers chair for outdoor teaching, musical instruments, including chimes and a large wooden xylophone. A greenhouse sits in one corner and is accessible by the children so they can learn about growing plants from seeds. A curve of beech hedging forms a sinuous boundary and there are three fruit trees. Most of the planting was done on a sunny May day by a squad of parent, grandparent, child, teacher and community volunteers. Cost of plants was heavily subsidised by Greens Nursery in Nairn and Scotbark donated a large quantity of tools as well as topsoil and turf. The fruit trees were donated by parents of the school and many other businesses and individuals in Inverness helped out. All the materials used have been selected for their sustainability and eco-friendly credentials. Rainwater is harvested to nurture the plants and children will put up bird boxes, bird feeding stations and insect hotels. All of which will count towards the Green Flag award for the school. The garden is also fully accessible by wheelchair, so that no-one is excluded from the space. Mrs. Cowie, headteacher of Crown Primary, likes to wander around the garden daily and said “So many people have been involved in this project – parents, pupils, staff and the wider community. It is great to see everyone coming together – a real community effort that has resulted in a wonderful garden which will be an asset for many many years to come.” Provost and local councillor Jimmy Grey said “ The garden is a great asset for the school and the community which will assist children in learning and development so that they can more fully appreciate the wonders of nature” The garden is a haven for children at playtime but will also be used as an outdoor classroom and for more specific lessons in e.g. eco awareness, music and meteorology. Parents are also welcome to potter about in the garden, sample herbs or get more involved. At times the wider community will also be invited into this space, such as on Saturday at the Crown Primary School Fête. The fête runs from 12 until 4 on Saturday 4th June and will see the official opening of the garden at 12.15. There will be many garden themed stalls and entertainments, including a hat parade. All are welcome. The turf is now laid, and with this plus the planting, the whole garden has become green and vibrant. The circular area of turf, with it's storyteller's chair and horseshoe bench, visually connects with the existing playing field. We are waiting a week or so for the turf to bed in, and then the construction fences will be taken down and removed. Consequently we have been extremely grateful for the past weekend of rain! The current P7 (who amongst some of the other years were instrumental in getting the garden project started a couple of years ago), brought the first of the artwork to the garden in the form of handprinting. Using five colours of acrylic paint, including the two associated with the schools colours, they made individual handprints on the fence, to enliven the play area of the garden and record their involvement. Enjoy the garden whilst you are here, P7, and come back to see how it develops over time. You will always be welcome in it. An enormous thanks to Donald and all the staff at Greens Nursery, Nairn, who gave us fantastic advice on planting and kindly agreed to supply us with plants at wholesale cost. This enabled us to fill up the raised beds with perrenials, structural plants and herbs for a full to brimming display. See http://www.greensnurseries.com/ We also purchased a number of plants locally from the nursery at the Floral Hall, Inverness which supports the 'Adults with Learning Difficulties' project through plant sales. The strawberry plants, vegetables and many of the herbs were sourced from here. See http://www.invernessfloralhall.com/ We also need to give thanks to Alasdair at Ardfearn Nursery near Inverness, who advised us on and supplied all the fruiting trees and shrubs. See http://www.ardfearn-nursery.co.uk/ Finally thanks to all the children, parents and friends of the garden who have taken in plants and seedlings to date. It is, of course, lovely to have a little bit of everybody's garden in the community garden at the school. We continue to welcome plants from you all and will aim to get them planted within the garden, or better still come and plant them yourself! We are still seeking some rhubarb if anybody has some going spare. |
AuthorLike everything else, the website and blog is a team effort, and we are happy to keep you informed. Archives
April 2014
Categories |