The
Trust works on a small, peaceful site which is child-friendly and welcoming.
We have an indoor teaching space in a large polytunnel, where you will
find earth wall dividers and a flow-form water feature surrounded by plants.
A circular yurt provides a sspace for craft activities and story telling.
Our outdoor activity area includes willow arbour seating, eight raised
key-hole gardens, a small greenhouse and turf-roofed tool-shed. We also
have a willow labyrinth forest garden.
Whilst here you can visit Primrose Farm which illustrates successful organic practice growing fruit and vegetables on a small scale. On a farm tour, many children are surprised to see familiar food growing on unfamiliar plants. There are just a few friendly sheep on the farm who love apples!
We can enhance your school topics with a day of hands on activities that will inspire and engage. Our themes relate to topics including Celts, 'Myself', healthy food and healthy eating, plants, food chains, biodiversity, soil or environmental studies.
Booking a visit costs £3 per child (accompanying adults free, £60 minimum fee) and gives you…
- free admission to the gardens at the Trust
- organised, risk-assessed, practical, hands on, creative, curriculum-linked activities led by our Education team (see themes below). We can modify any day to suit your particular needs.
- access to our new Celtic roundhouse o sustainable solutions on show in our ecological toilet facilities (the building uses recycled and environmentally friendly materials)
- 'shop' selling pens, pencils, key fobs and other stationery goods made from recycled or natural materials, as well as seeds and plants
Activity days run from 10.00-14.30, Monday to Friday. Book now for visits from April to October. For bookings made before the end of February we will send you a free packet of organic seeds to start (or add to) your own garden at school!
Since
February 2004 we have been visiting schools for outreach projects. This
has included helping schools plan their gardens, a recycling day, making
bird scarers with an after-school gardening club and developing ideas
for using gardens throughout the curriculum.
Contact us:
by telephone on 01497 847634 and ask for Suzie.
or e-mail: info@primrosetrust.org.uk
Professional development for teachers
Build a stronger team and reduce stress using nature's inspiration When you are planning your CPD programme for 2006, keep this in mind. In this enjoyable session in the Trust's inspiring gardens, your team will work together to learn how to reduce their stress levels. Explore the natural world through all your senses, develop trust within the group, and discover some gentle meditation and voice exercises that can lower stress and help you focus. This experience could encourage you to think of new ways to use nature in your school grounds to enhance the emotional well-being of staff and students.
We can run this session on a day to suit you - as a whole or part day, or a twilight session. The cost will be £150 for a short session (up to 2 hours) or £200 for a whole day (10.00-15.00) - Bring lunch to share, or we can organise catering for you to your budget.
Programme for 2006
Focussed theme days
Choose from a range of carefully designed activities with defined learning objectives that support the National Curriculum. The options are listed below and make up the core of our programme. For 2006 we are adding a specially designed early years element to our programme.
We know that a day visit is a big investment of your time, money and effort and that you need to be sure of getting maximum educational value from the day. So, please contact us to discuss the details of the programme and let us know how we can adapt it to suit your particular requirements.
The minimum charge is £60 for a group of 20 or fewer; larger groups are charged at £3 per head. For groups with a craft content (such as willow crafts, felt making, clay) there is an additional fee of £10 per group.
Early Years (new!) |
|
We're going on a bug-hunt |
Through stories and roleplay games, we will explore the garden and find things familiar and surprising, useful and unusual. Using stories like We're going on a bear-hunt, The very hungry caterpillar, The bad-tempered ladybird, Oliver's vegetables, Leaf man and others. |
Go, go, go…garden explorers! |
Wiggle is a colourful worm who wants you to explore his wonderful garden. Discover what is happening in our garden today using all your senses. Gather some things that are good to eat and take home a card made with some of the interesting things you find. If you would like to borrow a topic bag of resources to prepare children for the day, please let us know. (Call Suzie 01497 847 634) |
KS 1 and KS2 (adaptable to suit the age and ability of your group) |
|
Surprise your senses |
Come and explore the gardens using all your senses, through practical activities and games. Experience the variety of plants in our Peace garden, Listening garden and Forest garden and think about the meanings of scent, sound, taste and colour in the natural world. |
Healthy plants make healthy food |
Collect different edible plants from the garden and identify whether the useful part is the seed, fruit, stem, leaf or root. Children have the opportunity to work in our garden - sowing seeds, planting seedlings, tending plants, weeding or harvesting - using sustainable and ecologically friendly methods. Find out how organic gardens like ours work in harmony with the natural world and provide a balanced environment that supports a rich biodiversity. |
Step back in time - live like the Celts! |
Our beautiful new Celtic roundhouse provides the focal point for this day of activities. We encourage children to take on the roles of people in a tribe of Celts - responding to the land around them and the weather as they journey from a summer camp to their winter home. Story-telling and crafts enhance the experience. This unforgettable activity highlights many differences between our life today and the life of the Celts which was guided by the seasons and sustainable in its impact on their environment. |
Dig deep - uncover the secrets of soil |
Explore the vital part that soil plays in the life of our planet and the vital role of worms in our soil. Collect soil and minibeasts from different habitats around the gardens. Discover how soil is made. Find out how we make compost and the surprising things that can be part of it. See how we care for the soil and how that benefits the plants we grow. Activities include gardening, or exploring how to build structures with earth, clay and willow. |
You sow it, you grow it…
...you eat it!
A special long-term project for a class, a year group, or an after school club.
Think of a delicious dinner, a fruity dessert, or a sensational soup. Then grow the ingredients to make it! We have a few spare plots in our keyhole garden and we are looking for schools to take them on for this project. We will kick off by visiting your school in the spring term to plan and design the garden to grow your chosen meal or dish. We will come back with seeds and pots to help you sow the plants you will need. Then you can visit PEAT to plant, care for and finally harvest your crops. (We'll look after things for you over the summer holiday.) After harvest, we'll come and help you prepare your feast. Places are strictly limited. Call Suzie as soon as possible to book your plot and confirm details.