RHS Show Tatton Park promotes active learning
Over twenty schools in Cheshire have joined forces to take on a horticultural feat by each designing a garden for the prestigious RHS Show Tatton Park (21-25 July 2010).
The Winsford Education Partnership is behind this project that provides children with an innovative approach to collaborative learning and a solid introduction to the environment in which they live.
The group of schools, who have been supported by Barclay’s Gadbrook Park, Northwich, are busy preparing a series of front gardens for their display at the show, and each school will adopt a different theme drawn from a nursery rhyme. Visitors can expect to see gardens inspired by Humpty Dumpty, Mary Mary and the Incy Wincy Spider just to name a few.
Children from each school have designed their space and are currently planting the contents of the garden ahead of the July event, providing focus for positive learning activity outside of the classroom and the opportunity to practice a range of skills.
Oaklands Special School is at the helm of the project and is well versed in effective, alternative methods of teaching designed to capture young imaginations, and this is no exception. The front gardens project allows children the opportunity to flourish in a team of their peers, each undertaking a specific role and working towards a common goal.
Oaklands School project coordinator Kevin Smith says: “The garden’s purpose is to bring together young children and school staff on a sociable and fun project, while using the curriculum to help develop children’s knowledge of garden construction, design and horticulture.”
Kris Hulewicz, show manager for the RHS Show Tatton Park adds: “The RHS, through its Campaign for School Gardening, is committed to championing the importance of gardening in schools for children’s learning and development, and it’s great that a project with those same beliefs can use the show to highlight its valuable work. This ambitious project will undoubtedly be a crowd pleaser at the show.”