Pond Dipping
Today the children enjoyed putting the first plants in the school pond. It was a great moment, signifying the first small steps in establishing the new wildlife area.
One of the parents at the school is an ecologist, so he lead today’s session. Armed with wellies and a net, he talked to the children about the eco system of a pond, why algae is so important and the role water snails play.
It was fantastic to see how life had already begun to establish itself. The children were very excited to spot tadpoles, and even more excited at the opportunity of trying to catch a few too!
As well as planting up the pond, work also got underway with the new tractor tyre planters. The children just loved rolling them across the allotment and into position.
It took the help of a few parents to lift the giant tyres into place. There are three in total and the aim over the coming month is to lay a membrane at the bottom of the planters, piled with stones on top for drainage before finally adding a good mix of compost and top soil to plant into. We hope to create giant lettuce ‘pizza wheels’ which will be a good exercise in maths as the children use fractions to work out how to divide the circle into eighths.
Last week’s session involved yet more planting and weeding, with the focus being on the wildflower area.
The children helped to prepare the ground for planting wildflower mats. Over the course of the next few months more seed mats will be planted so that eventually the whole strip will be bursting with colour and pollen rich plants.