Guest Bloggers

Do you have connection with a school garden? I so would you or your pupils like to be a guest blogger on this blog.

All it needs is for you to produce a short post with at least one photo on the theme of school gardening and I will consider posting it here or on my website here 

Email me if you are interested

Copyright: Original post from Copyright: Original post from The School Vegetable Patch http://msgmedia.blogspot.co.uk/ author S I Garrettt

Schools' Birdwatch

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When I was teaching I was often amazed by how few garden birds my class of eleven year old children could recognise. 

Each year the RSPB organise a series of Birdwatch events some of which are directed at schools. These events provide an ideal opportunity to familiarise children with the species of birds that share their local environment. 

This year, Big Schools' Birdwatch will take place in the two weeks from 21 January - 1 February 2013. You can carry out a Birdwatch in any hour within those weeks.

The RSPB provide a range of resources geared to different age groups from the under fives to fourteen year olds.

When working with younger children who may soon lose interest and would be unable to sit a watch for a full hour you could organise small groups of children with an adult to 'work' in short shifts.

Schools entering results of surveys will be entered into a draw and have the chance to win a prize for there school too.

If you are a parent and would like to take part in a Bird Watch event then you could enter the Big Garden Birdwatch with you child. This takes place on the weekend of 27 and 27 January. Again you just need an hour to spare. 

If you start observing the birds now you may be able to judge when the birds are most likely to visit and time your activity for the to ensure that the children have something to record.

Copyright: Original post from Copyright: Original post from The School Vegetable Patch http://msgmedia.blogspot.co.uk/ author S I Garrett

Planning a sensory garden

Edible plants can be incorporated into a sensory garden design.

A sensory garden incorporates plants that stimulate all five senses, taste, touch, sight, sound and smell. This type pf garden is ideal when working with children especially if some children have some sensory impairment.

To whet your appetite I've written an article on my website here to provide some ideas as a starting point to creating your own sensory growing area.

If you have a sensory garden or are going to create them , then I would love some photos and information to include in the example school gardens pages on the website. IN fact I'd love to include examples of any type of school garden. Don't be modest or think your garden has to be perfect to be included - we can even learn from one another's mistakes.

If you think you could help by adding your school garden to the website than click here for more information.

Win a Vegetable seeds Field Guide

On my Gren lane Allotments blog, back in October, I wrote a review of The Pictorial Guide to Seeds of the World by Terry Woodger 

Well Terry has now produced a series of five field guides:

Each field guide focuses on one of five groups of seeds - vegetables, fruit, herbs and spices, garden flowers and trees, shrubs and vines and is basically an abridged version of the book I reviewed previously which covers all these seed groups. To read the complete review click here

Like their big brother each guide contains information on collecting, cleaning and storing seeds and each guide has 100 or more colour, scaled photographs  of seeds just like the ones in the larger book.

If you read the main review then basically the same applies to the smaller field guides so I don't want to go over the same ground and repeat myself here.

So why am I mentioning these guides - well, Terry has sent me a set of the five guides which I have decided to offer as prizes in five different competitions. I'm going to start with the Vegetable Seeds guide as I think that will be the one that will most appeal to most of my blog visitors.

Each of the field guides is available on Amazon at at cost of £19.95 so these are prizes well worth having.

I'm going to run each of the competitions on both this and Our Plot on Green lane Allotments blog and each competition will focus on the group of seeds featured in the prize guide.

So what do you have to do?

Look at the edited pictures of vegetables and try and identify each one. Although they may not all be technically vegetables we use them all as vegetables. The photo may be of any part of the vegetables not always the part that we eat. The closing date for the competition is 31 March 2012 The winner will be chosen at random from the list of those who get all the answers correct. In the unlikely event that no-one gets all the answers right the ones with the most correct answers will go into the 'hat'! You may only enter once!

Don't post your answers in the comments area as if you do everyone will see them, I've set up an entry form here

To enter the competition click here

The competition form is a bit of an experiment and so to make sure that your entry has registered can you leave a comment on this post to tell me you have sent in an entry so I can check that it has worked - don't want you to miss out!

The School Vegetable Patch website has moved

Just to let you know that The School Vegetable Patch website has moved to 

http://theschoolvegetablepatch.co.uk/

I have had no option than to make this move which has involved a great amount of work but the web management system that I was using is being discontinued. This is the second time this has happened and so I am now moving away from the web management idea and I will now have more control over the website location.

Whilst carrying out the removal work I have also taken the opportunity to make some changes and to add some information. Additional ideas have also been added to the curriculum links section.

Please take a few minutes to browse and also let me know if you find any broken links or errors which I will be happy to repair.

Would you also pass on this information to any teachers that you know as I don't want them to lose access to any classroom resources they may regularly use.

Thank You

PS My other website is also currently on the move. It isn't completed yet but is here

Free Raised Beds for Schools from WoodBlocx

For a second year and to help promote School gardening,  WoodBlocx are giving away £2500 worth of free raised beds to schools.

If you are interested email schools@woodblocx.co.uk before 29th February. 

Enter  "We want WoodBlocX”  in the subject line

10 schools will be chosen at random to receive £250 worth of free WoodBlocX.

To find out more visit here

Let me know if you are successful!