Today was a brilliantly sunny day and we were visited by Lynne, Amanda and Barney from the Moray based charity, Rural, Environmantal Action Project (R.E.A.P.). to deliver a ‘Little Rotters Composting and Growing Workshop’.
The workshop was delivered by Barney, Lynne & Amanda from Reaps Grow Elgin project and they helped P5C to discover the world of compost and to plant some winter hardy plants to give our school garden a head start for Spring!
We were asked to collect some ‘greens'(Teabags/fruit from the staff room or fruit snack from playtime) and ‘browns’ (cardboard, egg boxes, paper towels, shredded paper small pieces). we then looked at the existing compost heaps and found out that they were very dry and full of soil. it was decided to start again and the pupils were split up. Other groups included making wild plant bird Bombs, a mixture of soil, flour and plant seeds in which we will place in the forest next week for the birds to eat ( and disseminate!). A group planted onions, thyme and beans while bird feeders were made from pinecones and peanut butter. Finally, a litter pick was carried out, tidying up the garden and surrounding area.
Evaluation and self reflection.
It was great to have the opportunity to engage with the agency REAP and have them come into the school to work with the pupils. it is always rewarding to find a really valuable resource such as this which can help deliver issues such as sustainability and ‘global’ shopping.
It was an invaluable workshop as it brought around ownership of the garden/ compost bin/ specific beds to the pupils and gave myself confidence to become more involved in the school garden and to follow up what was started here today. I know for sure the pupils are up for it!