Crosthwaite Primary School

Crosthwaite Primary School are helping to raise the next generation of nature lovers with their outdoor learning sessions. 

Here's more from them: 

'In 2021, we embarked on a project to develop our outside space for the benefit of the whole school - staff and pupils! To do this, we invested in more staffing and equipment to give every class one afternoon per week of outdoor learning. 

The lessons centre around our school farm and garden, with a focus on caring for animals, growing food and supporting nature. Our aim is to promote a love of the great outdoors, and for children to develop an understanding of how small efforts can have a huge impact on improving our environment.

Here are some examples of what we get up to: 

Tree planting - In spring 2021, we planted 450 trees on a piece of land neighbouring the school. The children enjoyed learning about the different species of trees and working as a team to plant them all in one afternoon! Over time, the newly planted trees will form a wide hedgerow. 

Growing food for our lunch! - We were lucky enough to add a polytunnel to our school garden his year, funded by our PTA. Our first growing season was an opportunity to learn about growing our own food and we had some successes, enabling us to put some homegrown produce on the school menu!

Keeping happy bees - We have our own apiary and a bee-keeping club, which is attended by children in KS2. The children learn all about honey bees, as examples of good pollinators, and their importance to the natural world as well as our own food sources. Our young beekeepers are involved in regular hive inspections as well as harvesting and processing the honey, wax for candles and eco-friendly wax food wraps.

They also learn that honey bees are just one group of pollinators and the great importance of preserving our native bees, such as bumblebees and the many solitary bees. We have little homes for solitary bees set up in the Early Years outdoor area. We often discuss the other pollinators and the roles of wasps and hornets.

Growing flowers for pollinators - Our pupils now have a great awareness of nature and the environment. Climate change is an important issue and we are keen to make improvements in our school that contribute to the wider world. Soon, we intend to plant a larger area of our garden with a wide variety of flowering plants to offer food for pollinating insects from as early in the year to as late on as possible. We will also improve our composting system in order to produce our own compost and plant a sensory garden for the younger children to enjoy. Staff are encouraged to visit the garden each week and to use this time to switch off from hectic school life and reap the benefits of being outdoors. 

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