School Visits
Roots and Shoots is keen to involve children in environmental education by hosting school visits to the wildlife garden. Teachers can discuss their needs and arrange a visit by telephoning the Environmental and Educational Resources Manager on 020 7587 1131 or by contacting us by email.
The majority of the regular school visits tend to cover a few specific aspects of the curriculum — 'mini-beasts' (including pond life), food chains, habitats, the parts of plants and plant growth, the seasons. Occasionally a school will ask for something on history, change and the local environment.
Teaching Resources
Resources — worksheets — have been devised for these areas of the curriculum; they are updated or redesigned for particular school requirements when necessary. In addition there are visual resources displayed in the garden showing invertebrates and their life cycles — they are rotated according to season and the displays are close to relevant habitats. New interpretation sheets for particular natural spectacles are designed on a regular basis.
Wildlife Garden Study Centre
The new Wildlife Garden Study Centre provides new opportunities for expanding environmental education, such as studying the micro-organisms from the ponds under the video microscope, and children's workshops with visiting artists.
Bee Hive visits
Bee Hive visits have been possible since 2000 when a collection of protective bee clothing was begun. A group of up to 8 children and 8 adults (of varying sizes) can now be taken into the apiary to observe the opening of hives. This is a very popular activity, though it needs a fairly lengthy session or one devoted entirely to the bees. It also needs suitable weather conditions. Hive visits are also run during Open Days and evenings.
Special Programmes
Another approach to education for schools has been through more extended 'Special Programmes' which ensure that the children participating develop a more intimate relationship with the garden. From Autumn 2000 connections with national environmental programmes have been established. These include:
- National Apple Day (Common Ground, October),
- National Science Week (the British Association, March),
- the National Gardens Scheme (Open Weekends and Evenings on our own dates plus Vauxhall Festival),
- National Moth Night (spring and summer),
- National Insect Week (Royal Entomological Society, May).
External funding for several of these have enabled extended work with children from local schools including Walnut Tree Walk, Johanna Primary, Archbishop Sumners Primary and Vauxhall Primary schools. Examples are "The Universe in a Grain of Sand" 2001, "The Fountain of Life" 2002, "Lambeth's Living Waters" 2003, "The Wren and the Drop of Water" 2004, "Beastly Visions" in 2006 and "Sounds of Spring" in 2007.
Provision for Special Educational Needs (SEN)
A further important role of the Wildlife Garden has been for children and students with Special Educational Needs and from Special Schools. Repeat visits from Clapham Park school for children with visual impairment and from Shelley School (now Michael Tippett School, for secondary age students) developed close relationships between individuals and the garden. They were able to engage in gardening activities as well as experiencing plants with particular sensory impact.
The weekly work led by the Wildlife Outreach Worker with students from Michael Tippett School contributed to their records of achievement. The impact of this work can be seen throughout the site and in the neighbouring public open space.
Students with Special Educational Needs often work at Roots and Shoots on placements for short periods. Some of these have worked with the Wildlife Outreach Worker directly, others work more generally across the site.