Children at St John’s C of E Primary School in Keynsham have played a big part in creating their very own nature area in their school grounds.
The Woodland Trust donated 200 trees of many different varieties, to allow the school to enclose an area of the school playing fields which will be left to grow wild. Then just before the lockdown, the children planted the trees by carefully placing them in holes with a supportive stick, putting compost around them and the wrapping them in a protective cover. Older children helped the younger classes in the planting process, working together to ensure their nature area will be a place that everyone can use to enjoy and engage with nature.
“We hope that the wild nature area will encourage many different varieties of plants and insects to inhabit the area which the children can then watch during their break and lunch, as well as use as part of their lessons,” said school governor Louisa Aldridge. “This will improve the biodiversity of the area and has already inspired some children to leave parts of their garden unmown to encourage more wildlife.
“The children will continue to watch the small trees, which include hazel, willow, crab apple and hawthorn, grow over time. The children have already used the trees and nature area as part of their outdoor learning experiences fitting in to the geography and science curriculum.”
“We loved being outside and planting the trees,” commented one student. “There were a lot of trees!”