Schools Garden Project 2008

All schools in the Borough are invited to compete for the Best School Garden Project of 2008.

Entries will be judged in July, and we have three fabulous prizes to award.

You may have had your own project ongoing for some time, or already have some idea of what you'd like to do.  But if you need some inspiration read about our 2007 winning entries, and here's a few more ideas:

• Create a wildlife pond, a wildflower or herb garden, a rockery or drought tolerant 'Mediterranean' garden, a sensory or picnic area

• Make a sculpture or mosaic

• Plant native hedges or trees in the grounds

• Install a network of paths or a maze

• Create an organic vegetable garden - and perhaps use the produce to work with pupils to make soup?

• Start a composting project using school garden and kitchen waste, and perhaps introduce a wormery to produce a useful rich compost

...whatever you feel would best suit the available space and your pupils.

To enter please download, print and post an entry form (pdf file size 50kb, or simply email Denise with the name & address of your school, together with a contact name & telephone number and brief details of your project.

Entries are required by Monday 30th June; we will contact you shortly afterwards to arrange judging.

We're especially interested to hear how pupils, and even parents, will be playing a central role in the development and delivery of the project.

	Our 2008 Schools Garden Project prizes are donated by Bulldog Tools, from their range of high quality garden tools designed for young people - find out more from their website
	A new project called The Edible Playground is being launched in June 2008, aiming to encourage young children to grow and nurture edible plants in their playgrounds. Mike Burks of The Gardens Group, which is sponsoring The Edible Playground project, explained; “This project is a really practical way to get children to connect with the food they are eating – they’re not simply being presented with a pile of food and then cooking it.
	School Wildlife Gardens, A Teacher's Guide - a 34 page guide available to download from the link on the left (pdf file size 1.1mb)
	The Growing Schools Garden project - a teachers resource pack is available
	Nature in the Garden - lots of tips, information and booklets to download at the English Nature website, including What to See & Do in the garden this month
	Space for Nature - Garden Biodiversity Forum packed with features, news and tips
	Wild About Gardens - a joint project between The Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society, bringing together the worlds of gardening and nature conservation