Outdoor classes open for Bushey children

Hertsmere Borough Council has converted part of its garden into an outdoor classroom for the benefit of young people in the area.

With the help of characters like Winston the worm and Bert the bee, Key Stage One and Two pupils will be able to learn important facts about nature in Bushey rose garden, which will support their science and nature lessons in more conventional classrooms.

The rose garden dates from the early 20th century, and was created by renowned artist Sir Hubert von Herkomer and landscape architect Thomas Mawson.

The council’s environment portfolio holder, Jean Heywood, said: “The rose garden is a real treasure, often described as the jewel in Bushey’s crown. It is open to the public all year round and the local community are encouraged to get involved, whether it’s volunteering in the garden or coming along to one of our events. But it’s such a fabulous resource for outdoor learning, we want schoolchildren and young people to make the most of it as well.”

To ensure children are engaged with the sessions, there will be interactive demonstrations, along with fun activities and games. The workshops will be focused around a brochure full of animal characters, which will explain things like the life cycle of butterflies and other important natural processes.

The sessions will be led by gardener AMI Cowley and recycling, environment and sustainability officer Gemma Paris. Ms Paris said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for local schools to use the garden as an outdoor classroom which will enable children to discover and learn new things.  It will bring topics to life from identifying flower parts and classifying minibeasts to using decorated pebbles to construct poems.”
The sessions will be open to local junior and infant schools, as well as youth groups from the area. A number of schools and other organisations have already signed up to visit the outdoor classroom during the summer term. These include Ashfield Junior School, Bhaktivedanta Manor School, Bushey Heath School and Merry Hill Infant School.

Published 17th March, 2015

© 2015 Estates IT Limited