Our “Kale trail to Kilmaurs” garden celebrates our local history of producing kale. The children tasted kale and  decided they wanted different varieties of kale as it was “yummy!” and because it had “really funny names”. A few of the children were worried that the kale might get lonely being the only leafy green, so lettuce, spinach, courgettes and tomatoes were also added to the garden which the children are all very excited to try!

In honor of John Boyd Orr the children have reused milk cartons to make planters, garden scoops and watering cans.  In 1927 John Boyd Orr proved how important milk was for children, which led to free school milk. He was born in Kilmaurs in 1880.  Today the children at Kilmaurs ECC still get to enjoy their free milk, thanks to John Boyd Orr!

They also loved being very creative and made fantastic silver cutlery sculptures after finding out that David and Alexander Biggart made cutlery in Kilmaurs. This was our silver thread to the design to celebrate Keep Scotland Beautiful 25 years as a Scottish charity.

Every vegetable and flower had been carefully grown from seed.  We explored seeds in depth, looking at them closely. The children learned that seeds need soil, water, and sun! And boy did we get a lot of sun!!!!! Which was a good job as our greenhouse had been destroyed in the storm.

We collected lots of milk cartons and plastic bottles which made great mini greenhouses. They worked beautifully, keeping our seeds nice and cosy which meant they germinated super-fast! The children had lots of exciting discussions around which variety of flower would sprout, grow and bloom the fastest. Every week they measured the growth of their plants, wondering what colour would be the first to appear. Yellow was the winner!

The children have shown great patience, perseverance, and worked incredibly hard caring for the Pocket Garden. Every day they have carefully watered their plants with their milk cartons which make the best watering cans. We had families volunteers to care for our seeds over the Easter holidays. They all did a fantastic job. The children made their own fertilizer from banana peels which really helped the vegetables and flowers grow.

To ensure the pocket garden is wildlife friendly, it features a bug hotel and Mr. Pickles the much-loved scarecrow, all made from reused materials to welcome local insects and pollinators. Mr. Pickles has done a marvelous job of looking after our Pocket Garden when we are not at nursery. It became a daily occurrence for the children to give Mr. Pickles a hug and tell him how much they loved him!

The children have been learning about sustainability, local history and nature along the way. They even learnt how to sew and made beautiful bunting and added it to the garden.

The “Kale trail to Kilmaurs” has been an inspiring and valuable experience for the children, staff and families. It has fostered a sense of responsibility, promoted healthy eating habits and deepened our connection with nature and the proud history of our local community.

The whole experience of designing, creating and growing the Pocket Garden has been fantastic! My personal favorite part is when the children roll over some logs and sit in front of the Pocket Garden and watch the bumble bees go about their business. Then you hear them say, “I love the Pocket Garden!”