Welcome to Kindergarten’s garden

1. Welcome to Kindergarten’s garden C.Heath 2012

2. At the very beginning… Last year, the foundation stage had to make many changes to the implementation of provision, in line with the new framework set out by OFSTED. This provided an opportunity to re-think and develop the outdoor provision. This prompted us to transform the spaceat the front of the building, which had hardly been used for play previously, creating different areas in which children could enjoy a stimulating environment to enhance their learning. C.Heath 2012

3. At the very beginning… As we moved more and more towards developing children’s independence through play, with an increasing focus on sensory stimuli, we realised that our fixed resources and surfaces outside were no longer fit for purpose. Let’s face it… This looks pretty boring They weren’t accessible to all children, especially those with disabilities or additional learning needs. The children were too dependent on adults when they played outside, and resources were limited. C.Heath 2012

4. Creative Partnerships We pride ourselves in providing children with high-quality – but not necessarily expensive resources to use. So we needed a plan. Mrs Nesbitt had a look around another setting to see what the outdoor provision was like there. She particularly liked the story chair in the outdoor classroom. Nikki Shaw (the designer from Creative Partnerships), came to visit with some exciting ideas to help us create the stimulating environment we want to provide for our children. C.Heath 2012

5. Children’s Ideas After all, it is going to be their garden… C.Heath 2012

6. Children’s Ideas C.Heath 2012

7. The hired help… • Obviously our garden wasn’t going to be able to build and plant it’s self so… The school won a bid for funding through ‘Creative Partnerships’ and a team of staff was organised to support the development. This included: • Mrs Nesbitt (Assistant Head/ Leader of Foundation Stage) • Mrs Heath (Teaching Assistant in Foundation Stage) • Nikki Shaw ( Outdoor Provision, Garden Designer for Creative Partnerships). C.Heath 2012

8. The hired help… And of course our wonderful team of volunteering parents, who, as always would prove to be invaluable. Keeping parents and carers informed and involved has been key to the successful development and use of our outdoor environment. C.Heath 2012

9. So now we have a plan and a work force… Let’s get started then! But first we need to find out what we want to grow… C.Heath 2012

10. What would you like to grow in our garden? brussel sprouts carrots peas strawberries blackberries onions tomatoes cauliflower leeks potatoes C.Heath 2012

11. 20th March 2012 Once the children had chosen their fruit and veg it was time to really get started. Lots of parents came to volunteer in our new garden. Building the greenhouse was a great way to begin the project. C.Heath 2012

12. 4thApril 2012 Mr Heath with his jigsaw. Does it matter if it’s 2mm out? To me- to you this decking board is heavy! Making Planters Ta-da! Assembling the first planter. Who knew we could be carpenters? C.Heath 2012

13. 5thApril 2012 We had to stay inside because of the rain… Only one more left. Building the end of the investigation area was a bit trickier… All hands on deck. Well… we made short work of those planters, next job please. C.Heath 2012

14. 17th April 2012 Students from Edgbaston High School, came to help the children plant seeds. What the children planted carrots beans Peas Corn broccoli onions cucumber They wrote the name of the vegetable on one side of a lolly stick and their own name on the other side. C.Heath 2012

15. 22nd April 2012 With all those little seeds growing in the greenhouse, we better make them a more permanent home. Come on Mr Heath… More bark chippings please! All lined up and ready to go Mrs Shaw… C.Heath 2012

16. 24th April 2012 And here we have the Ground Force team! Just kidding… but they do look pretty good don’t they? Everyone worked really hard. C.Heath 2012

17. 24th April 2012 At last the garden was ready for the children to plant. Even the little ones got stuck in! C.Heath 2012

18. 26th April 2012 planting potatoes and rasberries C.Heath 2012

19. 3rd May 2012 Steve was able to get some more bark chippings. operation outdoor classroom and den building area was complete. C.Heath 2012

20. 8th May 2012 At last the tiny seeds have grown big enough to plant outside. C.Heath 2012

21. 8th May 2012 8th May 2012 Everyone has been busy planting beans, peas, broccoli, onions, cucumber, courgettes, leeks and carrots. C.Heath 2012

22. 11th May 2012 The pallets are going to be an insect hotel. We can use the money we make from selling the left over seedlings to buy new seeds. C.Heath 2012

23. 15th May 2012 Parents came to help the children plant flowers and fruit bushes. Planting brightly coloured flowers will encourage the butterflies and bees to use our garden too. C.Heath 2012

24. 22nd May 2012 It was such a beautiful day, lots of jobs were finished. The flowers and shrubs were all planted and the sensory garden was completed. Even the ducks joined in! C.Heath 2012

25. June 2012 Watering the garden C.Heath 2012

26. 17th July 2012 The shoe boxes had been painted and been half filled with tissue paper as a decoration. C.Heath 2012

27. 18th July 2012 Mrs Heath and the children pulled up some vegetables, it was hard work! The children were very excited to see how much they had grown! C.Heath 2012

28. 18th July 2012 Building the stall C.Heath 2012

29. 18th July 2012 Market Day After the children had their graduation ceremony, they had a party and the parents were able to come and buy produce from our garden, we were completely out of stock in ten minutes. Well done Everyone! C.Heath 2012

30. Phase 1 is complete That is the story of Kindergarten’s garden so far, We hope you join us in our adventure as phase 2 begins. C.Heath 2012