OWWL blog:

This week we enjoyed spending time outdoors in the sunshine, using the opportunity to talk about our emotions. We discussed what makes us feel happy, what helps to cheer us up, and practised calming breathing techniques — breathing in through our noses and out through our mouths. While relaxing together, we watched the clouds drift by and shared what shapes we could see. We even spotted the moon still visible in the sky, along with aeroplane trails overhead.

We worked together to give the chickens’ home a thorough clean and refresh. The children were enthusiastic helpers during the big clear out and took great pride in caring for the chickens and showing them gentle attention.

We also put our strength to the test by using wheelbarrows and large spades to move compost to the middle garden. This physical work helped build our muscles and teamwork skills. The compost was then used to create a new planting bed using a no-dig method, where we carefully laid cardboard first and added compost on top.

We revisited the peas we previously grew in bags and planted some more peas out in the allotment area. The children enjoyed seeing how their earlier planting had developed and were excited to help continue the growing process in a new space.

To support our understanding of caring for the outdoor space, we revisited our garden rules before going on a spring walk. We talked about where we can and cannot dig, noticed the signs of new growth, and reminded ourselves that plants and flowers stay in place for everyone to enjoy. We reinforced our key messages: we do not pick plants unless an adult says it is time to harvest, and we remember not to lick or kick anything growing in the garden.