A Reflection..

What an amazing opportunity we had as individuals to go into schools in London and help them to improve and advance their school gardens.  The experience at each school was different, and rightfully so. Not only were we interacting with children of different ages, but with schools that were in areas with different populations entirely, whether that be due to financial difficulty or cultural background.

The first school we visited was Brandlehow Primary school in East Putney, a short tube ride from our home base in Earls Court. The school garden was well developed with a pond for observations as well as many different beds housing a wide variety of plants for the students to work with. Our group presented to a class of young children, year 1 I believe, about Minnesota grown or originated crops such as Honeycrisp Apples and Native Rice. The students were engaged and excited to learn about what we had to present.

Our class with the students at Brandlehow Primary

The second school we visited was Hampton Hill. We also had the pleasure of meeting a representative from the Royal Horticultural Society, Jim Bliss. This was the beginning of a more structured interaction with the schools, as we were able to help students in the classroom, as well as directly make an impact on their school garden buy helping students plant and work in it. I had the opportunity, along with Aaron to help students plant a pear tree in an area just past their playground, where students can sit and visit. 

Myself with a selection of student from Hampton Hill with the pear tree they named "Fred"

The third school we visited was one that serviced children in a more impoverished area of London. Christ Church School has come an incredibly long way in the success of education for their students in the last decade, and a huge part of their success can be attributed to their garden. Students were incredibly excited to show us the work they had done, as well as explain the future plans they had for their beautiful garden. We helped these students plant tomatoes, and some of the group later helped to prune fruit trees. Jim Bliss also was present at this school to help facilitate the students work in the garden. It was obvious that the students recognized Jim, and were overjoyed to get to listen to his plans for the afternoon. 

Myself with Shae, Harry, and the tomatoes we planted for their beds

The fourth and final school we visited was a secondary school in an impoverished area as well. This school has also made great strides in its ability to reduce violence and give children a quality education. Their garden was by far the largest and had the most undertakings. They also had chickens and rabbits as a part of their project. While we did not work directly with students at this school, we did have the opportunity to visit with educators and discuss the challenges that their school, and England as a whole faces when it comes to gardening in the schools and encouraging students to pursue career paths in this important industry. We also had the pleasure of meeting four students from Phoenix that were interested in gardening and taking horticulture classes. 

Our group with educators from Phoenix Secondary

I had such a wonderful time in England and feel blessed to have met so many wonderful people and had the opportunity to make an impact on the lives of so many students. 

More next time on some of the more "touristy" things I did, as well as different sights I had the pleasure of visiting! 

Love, Heidie