Lindow Community Primary School have begun an exciting project to transform part of their school grounds into a Forest School, to help teach pupils to care for their environment and allow them to play, explore and learn in an outdoor setting.
Working with Dr Dave Armson of Mersey Trust, the pupils got started on the task of planting over a hundred native British trees in their school grounds on Thursday, 23rd November - with cherry, beech, holly, spindle, oak and field maple all included.
Class teacher Miss Oakes said "Planting the trees was such a special opportunity for our children to think about how their natural environment changes, grows and is shaped, and to be a part of witnessing this as they move through the school. This helps give our pupils a real sense of belonging and inspires a desire to nurture and explore their environment.
"We feel very lucky to have such a large amount of space for our children to enjoy and this will allow opportunities in the future for the outdoors to be used year-round, whatever the weather! Some of the Year 6 children especially are disappointed that they won't be at school when their tree comes into maturity but take pride in knowing their Reception buddies will continue this legacy. We hope the addition of a forest school will enhance our personal development surrounding our Lindow Life Skills, specifically 'Being Responsible', 'Making Decisions', and 'Having a Sense of Community', which the children strive to develop in their time at Lindow."
Headteacher, Mr O'keefe, added "It's wonderful to get the children out of the classroom, rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty doing something practical to improve the school environment for all of us, and for wildlife. There was a real sense of teamwork as the older children supported the younger children and the whole school community have been able to see the progress take place. We can't wait to watch the woodland grow and to add wildflowers in the Spring for the many insects that we hope to support too."
