We used the Jack and the Beanstalk story to make different places for wildlife.  The beanstalk in the story becomes a ladder to climb, so we are growing beans too.  The giant's castle is a nest box and Jack's house is a home for solitary bees.

We had a week were parents could come in and plant some seeds with their children, One of our parents who has a passion for planting came in and assisted the children and staff to plant whilst teaching us what they need to grow and how to care for them, Our parents and local community donated most of our resources that we used to build our garden, One of the mentors Jenny was extremely supportive and donated seeds and plants and soil to help start grow or garden.

We have beans, tomatoes, carrots, beetroot, leeks, Brussel sprouts, chives, mint and cress.  We reused the container the plants are growing in, the soil bag, bamboo sticks, the watering can, waterproofs, cutlery, bird house, egg container and shells, bee house, the wooden palette, and milk cartons.

Together in the ELC we have learnt about what plants needs to grow and how to care for them, the importance of having wildlife friendly spaces and how to do this, animals and the homes they live in, the importance of recycling and reusing materials, working together as a team and with the wider community, and why planting our own food is important.

We struggled to get soil, different seeds and materials so we spoke to the mentors and our parents/ community and asked for help. Between all of this support we were able to resource many different materials for our garden.

The garden will be a garden for children to access as it is in the nursery garden which children can access freely throughout the day. We will continue to care for our plants and watch them grow until we can harvest them and support children to follow recipes in the kitchen to make our own snacks.