Gorebridge Primary School
Gorebridge Pocket Garden
Gorebridge Pocket Garden reflects our celebrations of all things Scottish, nature related and the fact that it is the first year of our Eco Green- Flag journey. During this first year, we have celebrated by coming together after the Covid-19 pandemic through increasing health and well-being support, celebrated King Charles’ Coronation, explored Scottish myth (unicorns), succeeded in being selected as a winning entry for Eco-Schools Pocket Garden competition, explored the diversity of our garden, started to plant fruit and vegetable seeds from scratch, held our first Healthy Café, introduced a nurturing landscape in our garden and also received the good news that we have been awarded our very First Eco Green Flag!.
Cosy hideaway
Lots to do round the back
Messages from the children
Gorebridge pocket-garden has encouraged children’s active enthusiasm in helping children to take lead in looking after their environment, reducing, re-using and recycling not only boxes, packages, cups, wood but also food items too, including planting from fruit seeds that they had for snack/lunch, expressing their interest in sowing other seeds for both vegetable and fruit plants to have at snack, to be included in their One-Planet picnic (September) once they have grown and taking ownership for the care of plants both indoors and outdoors.
They have very much enjoyed the opportunity this year to go one step further in using our new I-pads to explore the outdoors and also to use the internet to fact-find information in answer to questions that they may have, with support from adults. The older children have used their STEM skills to resource, problem solve and produce models from recycled materials that replicate the various structures, sheds and planters that are part of their playground/garden. Requesting a variety of plants, it was great to see the children exploring and sharing their findings with both staff and each other. Staff also provided the children with necessary tools so they could examine creatures closely, by using magnifying glasses, torches and the I-pads that have helped to increase their wonder and curiosity around nature.
The children voted for different flowering plants, making their garden inviting to bees and butterflies, asked for fruit, vegetables and also little bushes to make their garden a diverse and interesting place to explore and seek out hidey-places for both themselves and ‘bugs’ (mini-beasts).
The children’s STEM skills were further tested when considering our growing roof, trying to find out exactly how the rain water gets carried from falling onto the roof and then ending up in tanks beneath the school, before being recycled to use as flush-water for the toilets. In addition to this, some of the children enjoyed making bird-boxes, a bug-hotel, decorated birds and made nests to add to the garden design to signify the care and protection afforded to the wildlife creatures that visit their garden.
Our garden has taken shape nicely, as the children have taken forth their enquiry on how food can make our bodies healthier, which foods we should/should not eat/drink and their benefits to be had. Looking at Scottish facts, the children were surprised to learn that ‘Unicorns’ are Scotland’s national animal! Unicorn a firm favorite was added to the pocket garden by special request. Other elements of our garden that are Scottish are a thistle and the Saltire, the children are aware of these that identify as Scottish symbols. Recently our eco green flag award was also added to our garden design in celebration of the conclusion of our first eco year.
Garden design
The garden – from design to reality
