Thanks to funding from the Fonthill Foundation, we’ve been working with primary school children across the city at our newest outdoor space in Stanmer Park, the Pond Garden, where they’ve had the opportunity for a day of nature-based learning and exploration.
Ruth Smart, one of our project co-ordinators, describes her day at the Pond Garden. If you’d like to book the space for a children’s gathering or party, or for some adult connection time with nature, find out more here about hiring the space, and find out more about what we get up to in the Wellbeing Gardens here.
Bringing the classroom outdoors
Finally, the rain had come. It had been weeks without rain, but arriving into Stanmer on the morning of this session the air was deliciously fresh and pregnant with the smells of thirst-quenched nature. The earthiness of the ground, dampness of the pond, the sharp stabs of cow-parsley from the woodland: this felt like exactly where I wanted to be. The pond was looking topped up with much-needed water, a (very important) snack table was set up, and all the adults were ready to greet the 25+ children about to spend the day exploring the Pond Garden and surrounding areas.
The day started around 10am, marked by the distant sound of laughter and excitement filling the air. A sound that drew closer and closer as a line of children wound their way down the path towards the Pond Garden, all wearing fluorescent vests and looking very ready for a day of fun.
Proceedings started off by sitting together in the parachute at the Pond Garden, learning all about the space and what they were going to get up to there for the day. It soon became clear that we had a group of enthusiasts amongst us – teacher and teaching assistants included – and hands shot up ready to answer our questions about ponds and wildlife.
The groups split up into two, ready to take part in two immersive activities aimed at providing nature-based education, but in a playful and engaging manner. I certainly witnessed how, when it comes to learning about biodiversity and nature, learning-by-doing is the most effective way.
The first session I helped at was the pond-dipping session, learning a lot myself in the process about the incredibly rich and biodiverse habitat of the pond garden – including learning about the pond insects ‘Water Boatman’ and ‘Water Skater’ – insects I didn’t know existed, and now am enamoured with. The session was brilliantly facilitated by Sharon, who rounded it off by sharing some frog themed kids stories.
We were all impressed at the amount of tadpoles in the pond, and can’t wait for the day they mature into frogs and set off into the world. Kids and adults alike got the opportunity to cast a net into the water and plop their findings in a bowl of water, where we used magnifying glasses to help us identify what we’d found and learn new names for lots of insects.
Lunch was then shared under the atmospheric canopy of the pond garden parachute, with (I’d argue) one of the best views in the city out over the pond. The light reflects off the water making the area incredibly bright – which is emphasised even more with the contrast of the surrounding woodlands. Of course, we weren’t still for long. Once lunch had been gobbled and bellies were satiated – and the compost toilet explained to the children, to a mixture of disgust and interest – the groups swapped around, and I joined the group on a nature hunt.
The session started with Ree, the leader, showcasing ten different plant and tree leaves to the children and giving them their names. The class remembered the leaves and trees impressively quickly, meaning they were ready for the next step – to go forth into the woodland around us and find the trees the leaves belong to.
We identified sycamore, beech, ash, poplar, birch, holly, rowan, yew, and more. Every group did a fantastic job of scoping out the correct trees to which the leaves belonged, with buckets of enthusiasm. It was really touching to see the excitement amongst this class; to look at the woodland around me through the eyes of a child, and see one giant playground. Naturally, there was some time for tree-climbing and playing after the hunt, which was thoroughly appreciated by the class.
Finally, we got artistic, making flower prints. The process involved picking flowers and leaves, folding them into a piece of cloth, and then (to much excitement) bashing them with a mallet. The result: some beautiful flower prints that I would have paid money for myself at a craft market. After the art was made, it was time to go, with myself, Rob, and the teachers accompanying the kids back to the coach, where they headed off back to school.
I returned to the Pond Garden with Rob, and sat in the stillness for 5 minutes before getting on with the packdown, enjoying the contrast between bubbling kids and sudden tranquillity in the garden. For adults and children alike, this space offers something magical.
