Green fingered pupils get a taste for gardening

September 16 2011
Staff and pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School who have been digging in to grow their own food now hope to get a taste nof their success

The pupils have grown many vegetables and have particularly enjoyed growing a crop of organic potatoes. They hope that they will be able to organise a “Potato Day” at school where they could cook the potatoes in a variety of ways.

Through first-hand experience, pupils have been experiencing the outdoors and have been involved in a range of activities including planting the potato seeds, watching the germination of the plants, plant maintenance (weeding, watering, feeding) and plant harvesting.

Also, the staff has been focusing on promoting physical activity through digging and gardening.

"We want to get children interested in what they eat, while getting them out in the fresh air. What better way is there than showing them how to grow their own food?" said Mr Joe Richardson from Saint Paul’s.

“Pupils had been studying the germination and growth of agricultural plants and the effects of nutrients and light on plant health. The concept of photosynthesis has been explored and also plant adaptations to particular habitat.”

“Gardening and growing things is both educational and healthy for children and managing an allotment ties in with the school’s emphasis on healthy eating and healthy lifestyles,” explained Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “The project aims to give children a more practical approach to their food, a better understanding of where good produce comes from and a key focus is on raising awareness of healthy eating.”

Mr Daron added “A sense of ownership has been created and, because of the hands-on approach, pupils have gained an excellent recall of their learning due to their participation.”