Environment / gardens
Pop-up garden allows outdoor learning for students
A primary school will be taking learning outdoors for the rest of the term after installing a pop-up garden.
The garden was built by teachers and parents at St Bonaventure’s Catholic Primary School using reusable plant containers and straw bales for seating and will be used for lessons by students for the rest of the school term.
The space will be especially important after a year of disrupted teaching amid the pandemic, where home learning has proved difficult for much of the school’s community.
is needed now More than ever
Sarah Ballantine, headteacher of the Bishopston school, said: “It is more important than ever that pupil and staff wellbeing underpins everything that we do in our school.”
“The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us that slowing down and spending time outdoors is so important for our mental health and wellbeing. And has reminded us that it is the simple things in life that make us happy; family, friends and the natural world around us.”
“We want all our children, especially those who don’t have access to green spaces, to spend time relaxing and soaking up the sights, sounds and smells of the garden. We want them to enjoy the feeling of being outdoors where they can let their imaginations run free.”
“Our pop-up garden is a space where everyone in our school community will be able to come and find time to connect with themselves, their community and the planet.”
Thangham Debbonaire has visited the garden. Credit: St. Bonaventures.
The opening of the garden coincided with the start of the G7 summit, where world leaders have gathered in Cornwall to discuss climate change.
Since the garden’s opening many visitors, including Bristol North West MP Thangham Debboinaire, have made a visit to St Bonaventure’s and spoken to the school community about how we can all live more sustainably.
“We want our pop-up garden to be the start of our whole school journey to net-zero carbon emissions by 2030 so that we can play our part in Bristol’s response to the climate emergency,” said Sarah.
Main photo: St Bonaventure’s Catholic Primary School
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