Model pupils reap a harvest after holidays

CHILDREN at the Model Primary returned to school recently and were delighted to see how well their new school garden had grown during their summer holidays.

Project coordinator Avril Coyle commented: “We began this project in the spring. All the children in the school were involved.

“Some of them helped to establish our wildlife garden. We planted a hedge which we hope will be a refuge for birds. “There are buddleja bushes and different climbers to attract butterflies and other insects.

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“We have a log pile where the children can find a variety of mini-beasts. I am particularly pleased that the wildflower container has done so well. The other aspect of the garden is the vegetable and fruit plots.

“Some of the children worked to clear weeds and plant seeds. We have always known that this is a long term project but I am very pleased at our first season’s efforts at growing our own food.”

Ms Coyle said the garden has managed to produce three kinds of fruit: apples, strawberries and blackcurrants and seven kinds of vegetables: potatoes, onions, leeks, lettuce, carrot, rhubarb and beans.

“Our herb pots have done very well. We have all learnt a lot in our first year of the project and look forward to developing it further in the future,” she said.

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School principal, Paul Sheridan, added: “There are many links to the curriculum. At the most basic level, it gives the children an opportunity to see where the food on their plate actually comes from. There are obviously many links to our science work.

“It also increases their understanding of historical events like the Great Famine. We do a lot of work in the school about the Third World. Children there are completely dependent on subsistence farming. For them ‘growing your own’ is a matter of life or death.”

Mick Conway, who helped the school staff with the design and development of the garden, said: “The garden is situated just outside the main entrance to the school. Since the spring of this year, the children, staff and parents have been able to watch the garden grow.

“I think the most pleasing aspect of the project has been that it has inspired a number of children and their parents to begin their own gardens.”