This week our wild flower gardens have been in full bloom. Providing an experience for all the senses and a big talking point for the children.
Our bean stalks are now in full flower, with many bean pods now also developing.
Our cucumber plants are looking slightly forlorn, they have fruited but we are worried. The children have observed yellowing leaves…and we know our plants don’t eat breakfast or lunch like we do, their leaves must be green to capture energy from the sun.
We have many baby courgettes and we should be able to harvest in two weeks time…which will mean campfire cooking time!
The potato plants are thriving…hopefully this year’s harvest will be a bumper one and wont need to be supplemented by our friends at Tesco. Last year’s disappointment took some getting over…as cute as our marble sized potatoes were…
Having seen tiny creatures all over some of our plants, we had to find out who they were and what they were up to. David Attenborough taught us the aphids are put in place by the clever ants. As the aphids drink up all the sugary juice from the plants, the ants climb over them and give them a tickle, which results in a free drink of “honey dew” for those greedy ants. The ladybird may come for an aphid dinner but any ants nearby will push the ladybird away! This lesson from Mr Attenborough fascinated the children and led to even more in-depth, independent and adult guided observation of the aphids, ants and ladybirds in action within the garden; another fine example of our wonderful setting providing a practical, cross curricular platform for the scientists of the future.
Later in the week, Maria created a water run with a difference. A granite lined stream created a peaceful area for quietly cooling off. Another feast for the senses on offer as trickling water reflected beautiful patterns in the sunlight, produced a gentle babbling sound and gathered into clear, cool pools in which to dip and fill containers.
Friday saw an Olympics training session like no other. Few educational establishments are already training the 2036 generation, but we can safely state that several of our children may well be representing their countries in the 2036 Olympics. Coach Debbie has put together a set of sporting events for next week’s Olympics Inspired Sports Day and the children were in fine form; following instructions well and channelling their energy and enthusiasm like the athletes of tomorrow.
