Rodmarton students ‘cut the mustard’ at Christmas craft!

On Monday 13th December, we were delighted to welcome students and staff from Rodmarton Primary School to our beautiful organic garden. 21 children from years 4, 5 and 6 visited with their teachers for some festive fun and outdoor learning.

We began the day with a scavenger hunt around our Cut The Mustard Club site, which everybody completed in record time! We then enjoyed foraging for natural foliage by walking slowly through our woodland area, soaking up all the sights and smells nature has to offer at this time of year. We found an array of different tree species, perfectly tiny pine cones, and a great deal of twigs, leaves and berries. Once we had used wheelbarrows to transport our foraged goods back to the cosy poly tunnel, it was time for some well-earned free play on the lawn.

The second part of the workshop included a talk about plant anatomy from Bob, our resident gardener, and then it was time for the children to get planting! They sowed wild garlic seeds into our raised beds and also planted their own tulip and daffodil bulbs to take home in biodegradable pots. We can’t wait to see their beautiful flowers blooming in the spring!

After lunch, the students enjoyed an afternoon of festive craft. We used foraged twigs to create wonderful woodland stars; herbs from our herb garden were stuck onto Christmas cards; eucalyptus, fir and ivy were used to decorate candles placed in oasis to make stunning table centrepieces. By the end of the afternoon, everyone had 3 delightful treats to take home with their planted bulb pots.

Hana and Robyn had a super day with the Rodmarton students; they truly thrived in our outdoor classroom. Its was fantastic to watch their confidence and passion grow during the workshop and they certainly impressed us with their resilience in rainy weather, and tenacity to keep going when some of the activities posed a little challenging. They worked well individually and in pairs and small groups. Furthermore, they were polite, well-mannered and engaged throughout the whole day so they were a real credit to their school.

Their teacher, Mrs Scott, said: “Oak Class had the best day cutting the mustard with Hana and Robyn. The activities were well planned, brilliantly resourced and delivered in a way which was inclusive for all children. Hana’s delivery and the outdoor learning allowed the children to learn so much and build on essential skills. I was impressed by how highly-engaged the children were all day. What a fantastic experience!”

As we said our goodbyes, it was heart-warming to see so many smiles and to read such positive feedback on our student questionnaires. Thank you Rodmarton Primary School! We can’t wait to see you again soon.

Hana
Cut The Mustard Club – December 2021