Inspired by the Chelsea Flower Show and Chelsea in Bloom, an annual festival of flowers, Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School in Kensington have been holding their very own ‘Prince’s Gardens in Bloom’ with every pupil and parent taking part.
The front of the school was adorned with beautiful flowers throughout the latter half of May and recently parents of the school were treated to a flower-themed summer party, ‘A Night in Bloom’, which featured botanical cocktails, evening entertainment and beautiful floral displays. But Prince’s Gardens in Bloom has been more than just a celebration. The initiative has been designed to increase the quality of the classroom environments and teach the children (from Nursery to Year 6) about the importance of plants and biodiversity.
Students have been working together as a class to grow plants and there has been a fantastic response to Prince’s Gardens in Bloom, with many pupils working both in school and at home to grow plants from seeds they find in their food and seeds found in the local environment. The progress made by students is recognised with awards across different categories which include Sustainability, Progress and Teamwork.
So far Year 2 have been awarded for their sustainability, creating plant pots from recycled materials, while the Early Years have been awarded for their teamwork, with both Reception and Pre-reception working together to grow their plants. Year 4 have been presented with an award for their progress, managing to grow the greatest variety of plants in their classroom, as have Year 5, who ambitiously started to grow bonsai trees. Year 6 have received a special mention for making the most of our large outdoor space, growing both peas and potatoes in our garden, which have made tremendous progress as the days have become longer and warmer.
Across the curriculum there has also been a focus on how to keep plants alive and the animals that make these plants their home.
In the Makerspace, a collaborative room with a focus on STEAM, classes have spent time researching different methods of displaying their plants and how to build watering systems. Prototypes of watering systems have been developed by groups of children in Years 5 and 6 and have proven to be an excellent way to learn about the importance of design. Developing these prototypes was a great opportunity for the children to learn about teamwork, with each student in the group assigned a role, such as ‘technician’ and ‘head designer’.
In art, Year 2 have been creating nature-based mixed media prints. This follows on from their ‘plein air’ painting lesson, where they took their class outside into our 2-acre garden. It was the perfect way for our children to get creative, and instead of being bound by the edge of an image or photo that they are copying from, they were given the opportunity to find a piece of the garden they were drawn to and paint it.
Across science pupils have been learning about plants and how they grow. The Lower School (Years 1-3) has been learning about different parts of a plant while the Upper School (Years 4-6) has been focusing on photosynthesis. To enhance their practical skills, the pupils have been testing different leaves for the presence of starch – an indicator that photosynthesis has happened. This was a long practical investigation spanning three lessons, involving the use of lots of equipment and various chemicals which had to be handled very carefully! The children did a fantastic job developing their practical skills during this session, as well as applying their knowledge of photosynthesis to explain their results.
The children across Pre-Reception and Reception have been learning about all kinds of insects, big and small, as part of a ‘Mini-Beast’ topic. Watching the transformation of caterpillars into butterflies, who have been guests in the classroom, has been the most exciting part. Reception shared fresh fruit with them to ensure they had all the food they required and have studied them under magnifying glasses. Recently, the butterflies emerged from their cocoons and were ready to be carefully released outdoors. When it was time to say goodbye, the children sang the Prince’s Gardens goodbye song and waved happily as the butterflies flew away onto their next adventure!
It’s wonderful to be able to nurture the children’s curiosity in the natural world as it develops, as well as see how quickly they are able to understand the important role plants and insects play in our eco-system.
At the close of the academic year, there will be a grand Prince’s Gardens in Bloom prize, presented at our End of Term award ceremony. Until then the pupils will continue to develop their ‘green fingers’, finding new plants they can grow, exploring methods for keeping them healthy and learning more about the world in which we live.
If you’re interested in learning more about Prince’s Gardens Preparatory School, visit their website www.princesgardensprep.co.uk or contact their Admissions team: call 020 7591 4620 or email admissions@princesgardensprep.co.uk
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