Have you ever wanted to see nutritional knowledge improving in your local school, as children pick up new skills in a fun learning environment? How about an increase in parental interest and enthusiasm for outdoor environmental pursuits? What about a reduction in school waste levels or an increase in the wildlife value of your school? More birds, beasts, bees and butterflies!
Well, Let’s Grow Together is a new environmental organisation offering all of the above amongst a range of other services. Let’s Grow Together is primarily concerned with the establishment of educational, enjoyable and illuminating environmental projects within schools. Much of their work is aimed at establishing food-growing as a centrepiece to the activities of schools. The aim of this being to educate children about the value of food-growing with a view to bringing about environmental, health, social and financial benefits to stakeholders. Let’s Grow Together’s activities extend into practical garden construction and maintenance work as well as outside of schools and the time-tabled school day.
At present the organisation is operating regularly in primary schools across Birmingham delivering food-growing projects to hundreds of Birmingham children. The enthusiasm of these children is limitless! The pleasure and learning potential from becoming involved in food-growing within the school week is immense. Not only can pupils readily see the connection between their outdoor environment and the food on their plates but they can see how these aspects of life connect to the wider world in weather patterns, in wildlife (both wanted and unwanted!), in waste production and management and, importantly, in their own physical well-being.
The staff at Let’s Grow Together have worked with children for many years in a wide-range of settings both in and out of schools. They have cajoled, encouraged and enthused parents to become more involved in looking at the local environment as both a source of pleasure and a resource to be used respectfully and sustainably. They have brought parents forward in understanding how their choices impact on their children and how these choices can reflect a greater level of understanding both of our own needs and the needs of our planet.
Alongside food-growing activities Let’s Grow Together offer support to teachers in setting up food-growing projects in schools, they offer audits of grounds aimed at wildlife, composting and garden feasibility and they offer practical hands-on work which can be delivered alongside parents. Not all project work is aimed at food-growing and the team are currently preparing to lead canalside exploration days in the Spring.
If you’d like any information about the organisation or if you’d like to start an environmental project in your school then contact: info@letsgrowtogether.org.uk or on 07895 692446 .
