+ A
A -
Lezima Gomes
Goa
Doha British School, (DBS) Ain Khalid, recently organised a garden project on their campus for primary level students in order to give them an opportunity to learn where their food came from, as well as the importance of including fresh vegetables and fruits into the diet.
"We had plans to start the outdoor garden and this is aimed at the Key Stage 2 pupils (ages 7 11). This group will be the Garden Squad and it will have similar numbers tending and managing the garden," said DBS Ain Khalid Primary Head Kate Cliffe, who prior to coming to Doha, worked in Oxfordshire, UK as a class teacher, Ofsted inspector and Literacy Consultant.
Cliffe said that she was waiting for the right time to kick-start her vision of having a garden and the project finally kicked off when the weather cooled down."I approached a mother at school, Kim Wyatt, a food editor and food contributor to Doha Family Guide, to help me run the project along with Karim, who is an expert local gardener, and I received a very positive response, which helped propel the project further," she said.
Parents were also involved in the initial setting up of the garden and are fully supportive of the project."Many of the parents are keen to be as involved as possible and have given suggestions, time and provided resources," said Cliffe.
Speaking about the project, Wyatt said,"With limited garden space in many houses, the garden project is a valuable hands-on experience for children, as they are able to plant, dig, sow and harvest the garden."
The children have planted coriander, lettuce, eggplant, tomatoes, basil, cucumbers and parsley. Some were planted as seedlings and others as seeds.
The planting day saw a great deal of excitement, as many children from across the school visited the area. The site staff, teachers and teaching assistants also visited. Children were spotted discussing the garden and chatting about the plants and smelling the basil leaves.
"We have just seen the first shoots push through the soil, which caused a great deal of excitement. As the weeks progress, the children are busy watering the seedlings and ensuring the conditions are the best they can be," explained Cliffe.
Speaking about the project, parent Naithan Keeping said,"My children certainly enjoyed the practical learning and were very proud to be part of this initiative and to have the chance to contribute to their school community. I think that it is excellent that the DBS team are looking to augment the primary school children's learning with such a valuable real life experience. I look forward to hearing how the garden progresses and we would welcome the opportunity to further get involved if we can be of any help."
Another parent, Andy Robinson, said, 'With three primary aged girls at DBS, I was delighted when I got the chance to work with our girls and other parents and children on the garden project. The girls really enjoyed the gardening, even the tidying up at the end. As a father, seeing our children develop and grow, like a beautiful garden, brings great joy. Keeping them safe and making sure they are happy is really important - just like the plants in the garden. It is sometimes hard work, but the effort is rewarded ten fold."
The caretakers of the plants is a group of pupils called the Happy Diggers (ages 5 7) who take turns to tend the garden. The Happy Diggers are now busy creating information signs about each plant, so all the children can learn from the project.
Speaking about future plans, Cliffe said,"Our aim is to sell the produce to parents in a market garden and then, start again!"
