“Green Class” project
A school garden that is also a classroom – run jointly by students, teachers and parents.
Project goal
We want students to learn about nature through observation and their own work, not just from pictures in a textbook. In the garden you can see how a plant grows, where pollinating insects come from and what happens to waste in the compost bin.
The project also teaches responsibility. The garden exists only because someone looks after it every week.
Who it is for
All classes, the pre-school classes and the after-school club use the garden. Classes take turns looking after the beds according to a rota, and in the summer holidays volunteer families help.
What's in the garden
- six raised beds with herbs, vegetables and perennials;
- a wildflower meadow of native species;
- a compost bin for green waste and plant scraps from the kitchen;
- an outdoor teaching area with benches and logs for a whole class.
A year in the garden
September – October
Harvest and tidying up
We harvest vegetables and seeds, dig over the beds and start a new compost heap.
November – February
Planning the season
In class we plan the planting, work out how many seeds and how much soil we need, and feed the birds.
March – April
Sowing and planting
We prepare the beds, sow plants and renew the wildflower meadow.
May – June
Observations and first harvest
We observe insects and plant growth. In June we draw up the summer duty rota.
July – August
Summer duties
Volunteer families look after the garden according to an agreed rota.
The garden in lessons
- Science and biology – plant life cycles, identifying species, studying soil, observing pollinating insects.
- Maths – measuring beds, calculating how many seeds and how much soil are needed, plant growth charts.
- Art – drawing from nature and photos showing the changing seasons.
- Early primary education – sensory activities, sowing, watering and simple observations.
- After-school club – weekly gardening on a fixed day of the week.
Who looks after the garden
During the school year each class has its own week on the rota and specific tasks: watering, weeding and recording observations. The rota is posted at the garden entrance and in the staff room.
The garden in numbers
Plans for the coming years
We are developing the garden in stages, as time and resources allow. On the list are:
- fruit bushes along the fence;
- an insect hotel;
- a rainwater tank for watering;
- a path with signs describing the plant species.
How to join
Students can sign up with their form teacher or the project coordinator. We ask parents to get in touch through the form teacher or the Parents' Council. Help with spring work and summer duties is most needed.
On Mondays I run first to check what has grown over the weekend. Our radishes were ready after just a month.
We built the boxes for the beds with a few other parents over two Saturdays. Now my daughter shows me what her class has planted in them.
Beata Sowa, science and biology teacher – project coordinator
We reply on working days, within three days.
Would you like to help with the school garden?
Parents' Council – how to get involved