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Saturday 18 October 2008

IWB Resources


Resources to support school vegetable gardening projects

Plant families and life cycles of plants:

These Smart Notebook and PowerPoint resources are rich in photographs showing every stage in the life cycle of the vegetables that the children may grow in their vegetable patch.

There are four separate resources each focusing on a particular plant family. Each resource is provided in three formats:
· PowerPoint version 2007 – linked to a series of Smart Notebook activities

· PowerPoint version 97 – 2003 - linked to a series of Smart Notebook activities
· Smart Notebook - contains the content of the PowerPoint versions and activities · Original high quality photographs, (over 120 in Peas and Beans resource), that can be used when making worksheets or within children's work

All are fully editable using the appropriate software allowing teachers the freedom to simplify or edit the resources for younger or less able children. The PowerPoint formats are each linked to a series of Smart Notebook activities.

All resources can be used freely within the purchasing organisation and by teachers at home, for the purpose of lesson planning for use within the purchasing organisation.


The vegetables are grouped into four different 'families'

1) Peas and Beans (pea, broad bean, French bean and runner bean) - available end of November 2008
2) The Onion family (onion, leek, garlic, spring onion and shallot) - available January 2009
3) Root Vegetables (potato, parsnip, carrot, beetroot, radish, swede and turnip) - available January 2009
4) The Cabbage Family (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, sprout and kale) - available 2009
5) The Cucumber Family (cucumber, squash, courgette, marrow, pumpkin, melon) - planned
6) Salad Crops - planned

Sunday 5 October 2008

Friday 5 September 2008

Creating Raised Beds

Raised beds can often be a very good system to use in a school garden especially if the soil in your area is heavy clay or suffers from waterlogging. The use of raised beds with children also means that soil isn't being trampled and compacted and also that children's shoes avoid being caked with mud. The size of the raised beds should be appropriate to the age of child for which they are intended. Children should be able to comfortably reach into all parts of the beds without stepping onto the soil. Raised beds can be constructed using railway sleepers, old wooden scaffolding boards or gravel boards. Alternatively many gardening suppliers sell raised bed kits made from timber or plastic. Click here for some examples.

Celebrate your schools success

If your school has a vegetable patch and you would like to share some information and photos to celebrate your achievements then email them to us by clicking here.