Guest blogger Marnie Rose
Marnie Rose is the Chief Executive and Company Secretary of The Garden Classroom, which she set up in 2008. The idea of engaging urban communities with nature by offering creative, exciting and high quality workshops, events and courses evolved from her volunteer work creating London’s Best Community Garden, King Henry’s Walk Garden where she is Vice Chair. The Garden Classroom, Islington's non-profit organisation dedicated to outside the classroom learning, is delivering a seminal pilot project using Whittington Park's new community building for education.
Since the spring, The Garden Classroom's Education Officer has been delivering a series of two hour workshops to local primary school children within a 30 minute walk of the park. Pupils from Pooles Park, Yerbury, Montem, Ashmount, Drayton Park, St Joseph's, St Mark's and Pakeman Primary Schools have been enjoying nature learning using their local park which they normally associate with playing sports and with their friends.
Yerbury - whose rear gates open directly onto the park - has been using the entrance for the first time in many years, making a direct connection between the school and the park and using it as a learning resource.
The programme of workshops has been designed to create interest in the flora and fauna found in Whittington Park and to encourage awe and wonder about the natural world. As well as the science workshops, curriculum learning activities in the autumn will also include literacy, numeracy and trees. The programme is a partnership project with Islington Council.
To book a workshop, which is free to schools in 2011, please email schools@thegardenclassroom.org.uk or call 07704 238655.
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