St Bernard’s kids get green fingers!

Students will grow plants from a seed in school, to then be moved to the allotment.

Before the pandemic, St Bernard’s students were planning on becoming regular visitors to the allotment in London Road to help with general maintenance and looking after the plants.

However, when the pandemic hit, Ashley from the Lincolnshire Outdoor Learning Autism Support Network was still keen for students to be involved.

He contacted the school and offered to set up some growing kits for students to use to grow plants from seeds in their classrooms, meaning students will still get the experience of growing plants from a seed, and enjoy the responsibility of looking after plants in a Covid-secure way.

All students will be able to take part in growing the plants in class, then when they are big enough, they can be transferred to the allotment.

Hopefully, by the time the plants have grown, students will be able to take trips out of school and be able to plant them themselves.

There is a range of benefits for the students of St Bernard’s gardening, including improving their motor skills in a natural, calming environment, giving numerous sensory experiences with a focus on the tactile system, and encourages pupils to try new food by eating what they grow.

Trish Hughes, the Moving On and Community Engagement Officer at St Bernard’s, said: “We are so excited to start growing some seedlings in class. What a wonderful opportunity for students to learn both responsibility and teamwork looking after the plants in the aim to transfer them to grow more at the allotment.”