The Benefits Of Gardening For Children
In the Foundation Stage we have decided to grow our own little class gardens in planters outside our classrooms. Gardening offers so many fun and interesting opportunities for the students and teaches them invaluable lessons.
They learn about the different types of flowers, vegetables and herbs and what they need to help them grow. It also offers an opportunity for the children to learn about different shapes and colours, etc.
Gardening engages all sorts of senses. They can feel the texture of soil, seeds, flowers, etc. They get to smell all the beautiful flower scents and see all the colourful petals. It also helps develop hand-eye coordination as well as physical strength.
If children grow their own vegetables, they gain a keen interest in eating them. Growing vegetables not only teaches them the hard work that it takes to grow them but also a sense of achievement! Growing any sort of flowers or vegetables requires daily attention and care. The students take turns to water their little gardens. They quickly learn if they are not watered regularly and taken care of they won’t flourish.
We have seen here at school, gardening is a good way to teach responsibility. The students are learning to be patient while waiting for their flowers and vegetables to grow. They need to remain engaged in the process and keep looking after their flowers and vegetables even when there are no clear results, but the anticipation makes the moment their flowers or vegetables sprout even more exciting!
Cindy Nunan
Nursery & Pre-Reception Teacher
Year 5 Boot Camp 2020
ATTENTION!
♪ ♪ … Baaby shark-da-doo-do-do-do-doo, Baby shark… ♪ ♪
♪ ♪ … cut banana, cut, cut banana. Eat banana, eat, eat banana… ♪ ♪
ATTENTION!
An amazing time was had by all the Year 5 students who embarked on the fun filled, adventurous camp to Buffalo’s Drift run by the spectacular, experienced and energetic camp leaders of Boot Camp Cape Town.
The students were put through thought provoking, mind boggling and physical strength tasks. Each and every student braved these activities with great tenacity and commitment. Through 38 degree temperatures, no one failed! They supported, helped and motivated each other along! As a teacher, it was a special moment to have observed.
The Green team had a slogan… “Lose to Win” They decided on this slogan after a few activities through the course of the first day and it epitomizes a powerful message of team work. They had decided that they will complete as many tasks as they can, to their best ability, leaving no team member behind. Everyone was a part of the team and everyone was going to assist each other in accomplishing the tasks set out. The concept upheld the visionary of losing as an individual to win as a TEAM!
Even though the students had to partake in obstacles, to complete tasks, the true success came not from the completion of these obstacles but rather from the realization of “ACHIEVEMENT”. This was by far more valuable of a lesson to learn as it outlines one’s self worth and value.
The camp turned out to be a success as we all took something of importance from the experience. We challenged ourselves and extended our ‘ability’ boundaries.
“Strength does not come from physical capacity.
It comes from an indomitable Will.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Nadia Mahomed
Year 5 Teacher