Colourful flowers, a scarecrow, raised growing beds and an enticing sensory den greeted visitors at this summer’s RHS Tatton Flower Show held on a country estate in Cheshire.
Mere Nature Kindergarten in Knutsford, Cheshire is the first early years setting to enter a school border at the event, with many of the nursery children getting involved with designing and creating it, including growing the majority of the plants from seed in their own greenhouse. They were supported by enthusiastic horticulturist and deputy manager Sarah Sanderson.
‘The RHS is promoting an ethos of gardening from a young age and this is something that I’m passionate about, having grown up in horticulture and agriculture,’ explains Sarah. ‘I think it’s really important to embed a love of nature and growing from as early an age as possible. We were really excited to successfully enter the show and I hope the experience will inspire our children to continue gardening. As well as learning about the natural world, it is great for children’s mental health and wellbeing.’
their ethos
Mere Nature Kindergarten provides an outdoor learning environment where children can develop their interests while being immersed in nature.
It is one of Thrive Childcare and Education group’s seven ‘nature kindergartens’. The ethos derives from philosophies and practices including Forest School, Forest Kindergarten, Beach School, Nature School and Te Whariki, and is all about outdoor learning and being in nature.
what they did
‘From grey to green’ was the theme of this year’s flower show. Sarah encouraged the children to suggest what to include in their border to transform a bland area, which led to there being lots of flowers alongside a mud kitchen for the children to enjoy and bug hotel to house wildlife. The garden design followed the nursery’s sustainability approach by being created with recycled materials, including wooden pallets for the raised beds and mud kitchen. The bug hotel used old plant pots and sticks, and the sensory den was formed out of cane, twigs, sticks and loose parts found by the children.
Children helped to grow the plants and flowers used in the garden, which were planted in channels of compost in pallets laid on the ground. Some of the children took the seeds home to tend, while others cared for them in the nursery’s greenhouse. ‘It was very rewarding to see them learning and getting so involved,’ says Sarah. ‘We started the seeds in February so they had to be very patient, which is a hard thing to teach.’ In the end, around 60 per cent of the border was grown by the nursery from seed. The rest came from donations.
Sarah made growing journals for the pre-school children which included the life cycle of each seed. ‘We looked at the pictures and talked about the process that the seed needs to go through before it flowers,’ she says. ‘They were very excited when they could eventually see shoots beginning to appear.’ They also shared books about growth (see Book corner).
A scarecrow was included in the garden design to protect the plants from the birds. They stuffed it with shredded paper and dressed it in a blue staff T-shirt. Other fun touches to the children’s garden included their painted handprints on flat stones and plant pots, and flowers grown in some old yellow wellies.
When it came to actually building the garden, children were allowed onto the site to plant the herbs and flowers, set up the scarecrow and finalise the layout. Parents were invited to help too, and parents and grandparents were excited to take their children along to the show.
extension activities
Children have continued to show an interest in growing and are growing their own fruit and vegetables to eat at lunchtime. This is being linked to learning around healthy eating.- Some of the older children have learned the basics of photosynthesis – the chemical process that occurs in green plants when they are exposed to sunlight.
what they gain
Sarah believes that the Thrive ethos – my body, my brain, my world – was fully experienced by the children as they designed the garden and proudly showed it off to their families and wider community:
- Sensory development: stimulated all of the children’s senses, from touching the soil to smelling the flowers and seeing the different colours.
- Responsibility and patience as the children cared for the plants and waited for them to grow.
- Fine motor skills through activities such as planting the seeds, watering them, handling loose parts and painting the stones.
- Cognitive development: encouraged problem-solving and critical thinking as they observed the plant growth and asked questions about the process. Also through thinking about what they should include in the garden and how to incorporate it.
- Connection to nature: helped children to develop a respect for the environment, including animal habitats and an understanding of where food comes from.
- Emotional wellbeing through taking part in a calming, therapeutic activity.
- Creativity and imagination as children explored different ways to design the garden.
- Social skills: encouraged teamwork and co-operation.
‘The children have learned a lot about coming together to show their skills, share ideas and be involved in a community project,’ says Sarah. ‘The gardens are not judged, it’s all about working together as a team and producing something for everyone to enjoy.’
Above all, Sarah hopes the experience will have inspired children to share her love of gardening and the natural world.
Book corner
Sunflower by Igloo books
This picturebook follows a seed as it’s planted in the ground and grows into a beautiful sunflower.
Little Raindrop by Igloo Books
An introduction to the water cycle that follows a drop of water on its extraordinary journey from the skies, through the earth and back again.
The Extraordinary Gardener by Sam Boughton
Joe’s world is rather grey until he plants a seed on his balcony and it grows into the most beautiful tree.
Errol’s Garden by Gillian Hibbs
A heart-warming tale about how one small boy’s dream of a garden unites a diverse community.
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
The story of how a tiny seed travels from its parent plant and blows across seas, deserts and mountains.
A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Aston and Sylvia Long
A beautiful and factual book explaining the processes of the natural world with realistic illustrations.
A Good Place by Lucy Cousins
Four insect friends are looking for a place to live – one that has flowers for Bee, leaves for Ladybird, a pond for Dragonfly and dead wood for Beetle…
