Now that the good weather is around (for a bit anyway), here are a few garden activities that are going on:

School garden and P1 playground
Kate O’Brien and family and friends have been busy digging over the flower beds in the school garden. They have got a few pots together they will put down in the P1 playground and then plant up so that it is a bit brighter for the P1s when they are outside.

Pots around the playgrounds
We’ve had a few volunteers helping with planting some bedding plants in the P2 & P3 playground pots.

Adopt A Pot
Would you like to help out with the school garden but don’t have much time? You could adopt a plant pot. This would not take up much time (a bit of planting and then just watering). Just pick one of the many pots around the school (big or small), paint the pot, choose a plant and watch it bloom!

If you’d like your child to experience some outdoor learning (and have some fun), please feel free to take them up to the school garden after school. There’s lots to do in the garden such as digging over the soil, finding bugs and putting them in the bug hotel or just sitting in the sunshine (there is a nice bench at the top of the garden!).

At Hyndland Primary we are keen to promote outdoor learning. The school garden is currently maintained by green fingered parent Helen Rolph, but she needs help. Would you be able to volunteer some of your time? She is always looking for volunteers to help out not just in the school garden, but with the playgrounds too. You could water the gardens and pots, help with planting, digging and preparing plants and seeds for classes.

If anyone is available to help out that would be great.

Helen will be looking for parent volunteers to help her with the gardening projects, so whether or not you are good with a trowel or can tell the difference between a plant and a weed, all-comers are welcome. If you are interested, please email Helen at hjrolph@gmail.com.

The annual playground spring clean will take place on Sunday May 31st from 10am to 2pm.

Everyone is welcome including children and wider family members, the more the merrier!

The types of chores you might be doing include:

• painting the boards on the bin shelter with chalkboard paint
• painting the mushrooms in the open air classroom area
• sowing some wildflower seeds
• fixing the outdoor chimes in the P1 playground (by using old metal cooking utensils – donations welcome!)
• help running a second hand uniform sale (sorting and washing clothes)
• cleaning the bike shelter

What do you need to bring?

Brooms, bin bags, gardening equipment (we have lots of child size things but need adult sized spades and forks), paint brushes and any spare paint (outdoor).

Donations of homebaking to keep all the volunteers going would be great!

CAN’T MAKE THE 31ST BUT STILL WANT TO HELP OUT?

If you cannot help out on the 31st there are general chores which can be done in the garden at any time:

• Digging over the raised beds in the school and afty garden
• Giving the worms in the wormery some food
• General tidying and sweeping up in the garden
• Sowing sunflower seeds

If you are free at school pick up, please take your children into the garden – we have plenty of “child size” gardening tools and gardening gloves. There are also waterproofs and wellies in the outdoor learning area in the glass foyer of the school – please feel free to use.

Helen would be happy to show people around the garden and let them know where everything is. She can do this at school drop off (Mon-Fri) or school collection (Mon, Tues, Thurs).

Email her at hjrolph@gmail.com

At Hyndland Primary we are keen to promote outdoor learning. The school garden is currently maintained by green fingered parent Helen Rolph, but she needs help. Would you be able to volunteer some of your time? She is always looking for volunteers to help out not just in the school garden, but with the playgrounds too. You could water the gardens and pots (especially the pots at the main door, which is now covered by scaffolding), help with planting, digging and preparing plants and seeds for classes.

The school garden has also been opening up after school one day a week to encourage the children to do some gardening, and if anyone is available to help out with that it would be great.

Helen will be looking for parent volunteers to help her with the gardening projects, so whether or not you are good with a trowel or can tell the difference between a plant and a weed, all-comers are welcome. If you are interested, please email Helen at hjrolph@gmail.com.

We would also like to say a big THANK YOU to Amanda Storey, who has moved on as her daughter left HPS in the summer for secondary school. Amanda did a fantastic job with the school garden and numerous gardening projects with pupils at the school over several years, and we’re very sorry to see her go, but are reassured that the garden is in Helen’s very capable horticultural hands Thanks for all of your hard and creative work, Amanda!

Please note new time – 10am to 2pm – we’re aiming to keep it short-ish and sweet… to enable Janny Joe to enjoy some of his Sunday in peace!

Sunday 18th May

10am – 4pm

It’s that time of year again. Our fabulous garden organisers have a list of tasks they need help with and the playground has some new and exciting projects which need willing volunteers. We have a wonderful group of regulars who come along en famille every year to join in the effort on the day. If you could help and fancy being one of them this year, please sign up by letting Jane know.

It’s always helpful if volunteers can bring along their own gardening gloves (though we’ll have some to lend) and if you have a drill kit, tool kit, gardening spaces, secateurs or a broom… they will all come in handy. We’ll be hanging planters, trimming hedges, building sheds and lots more.

Lunch and tea and coffee breaks will be in the Afty. Many thanks to Fiona Ansdell for organising someone to open up and let us use the facilities.

Children are welcome to attend (it’s fab to join your family and pals in sprucing up your school), but remain the responsibility of the accompanying adult at all times.

We would like to make an excellent outdoor learning experience for the children at Hyndland Primary and at the Afty.

We are always looking for volunteers to help out, not just in the school garden, but with the playgrounds too. So you may not have green fingers, but if you are good at fixing stuff / building things (e.g. planters, benches) or would like to paint some murals to brighten up the playgrounds we would really like to hear from you.

You can contact Helen Gibson for further details.

If you’d like to see some general info about the garden, take a look at our website at hpaschoolgarden.wordpress.com

If you fancy meeting up with Helen, our new Head Gardener, for a cup of tea, a biscuit and maybe a spot of light gardening (nothing scary!), why not catch Helen in the garden, in the playground, or by emailing her hjrolph@gmail.com to find out how you can get involved.