Curriculum
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Mapping your carbon footprint
Project: Mapping Carbon Miles One of the fondest memories from my childhood is the trips my mother and I made to the local high street (Palmerston Road, Southsea) on an almost daily basis. To the local Clark’s for shoes, WH Smith’s for school stationery, Debenham’s for the odd fry-ups, and of course, Woolworth’s for the…
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Carnivorous plants
Here’s the thing: they never fail to get children excited! And when children are excited, they are fully engaged and ready to learn! At the BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair in May 2024 where World Garden Schools was conducting workshops for children (photos and worksheets here), our resident star, Ellen Bella Cheese the cheese plant,…
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Know your critters
Click here to download your Scavenger Hunt Sheet. We all know about bees and how important they are, because, well, they’re cute. But what about the brown and grey unloved little beings that live underground, that work very hard all year round to sustain the earth? So who are they, and what do they do?…
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Growing with the seasons
This is the question I get asked by schools: “How will this work? The students are on summer holidays when the flowers and fruits are ready for harvesting.” I get asked this question, too: “Should we start in spring?” Working with the soil is something you do as a part of your life all year…
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Pumpkins – World Garden Schools’ Global Plant
Pumpkins are World Garden Schools’ global plant, meaning that it is in the WGS curriculum and member schools strongly encouraged to grow pumpkins. From WGS textbook, Handbook for Budding Little Gardeners: Why have we chosen pumpkins? There are so many types of pumpkins (and squashes)! Pumpkin Feast: half a pumpkin, one squash, some apples I…
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Before You Go on Holiday
The holiday season is a time of excitement for us humans. But plants – living beings which I believe are sentient – worry and fear for their survival when their humans lock up the house to go away on holiday. Because we have taken plants away from their natural habitat, they are completely dependent on…
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Growing Plants from Cuttings
For me, there is nothing more satisfying than growing plants from cuttings, rather than buying them ready grown. There’s such excitement when you see new roots emerging from your cuttings. This is the roots of the cheese plant named Franky Big Cheese. He looks like a little man with tiny legs and a big face.…
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October Plant of the Month: Ox-eye Daisy
One of the lovely plants that is featured in Handbook for Budding Little Gardeners is the ox eye daisy (leucanthemum vulgare). Why it is important to grow ox eye daisies Many would consider ox eye daisies a weed because they grow everywhere and without anyone planting them in the first place! But they are very special wildflowers.…
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Gardening Activities for August
__________________________________________________________________ To purchase the book, Handbook for Budding Little Gardeners – Complete Guide to Container Gardening with Children, here are the options: E-book: £3.94 (introductory price) Hardback copy £15.00 + 3.50p+p (UK) Hardback copy £15.00 + £12p+p (Worldwide) Book website: www.cheeseplantbooks.com
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Growing Poppies (and other plants) from seeds
There are several different types of poppies, but the way to grow them is the same – SIMPLE. Poppies can be grown from seeds in spring (late March onwards) or in autumn (August through to October). I prefer autumn sowing as they produce a bumper crop next spring. They can be sown indoors (for a higher…
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