You will know by now that I am somewhat obsessed with the weather. It stems from years as a PE teacher and being at the mercy of the elements for lessons and fixtures as well as a lifetime of loving the outdoors and nature. Being outside brings me great joy and this is a particularly exciting time of year for my other obsession, fishing, again linked to my weather watching habit. I won’t bore you with the specifics of why this time of year is a piscatorial highlight, but it is all associated with nature and wildlife awakening. The blossom is on the trees, everywhere is lush and green, and flowers are brightening even the darkest corners as the sun tries its hardest to make a positive impact on nature and our mood.
I find it very heartening when the children are passionate about nature and share and enjoy these observations too. Within 20 minutes of starting this blog I had experienced several examples of this across the school. During a regular chat about all things nature, Jacob informed me that this was apparently “No Mow May” – slightly poorly timed as we prepared our cricket pitches – but my guilt was limited knowing we have plenty of Bee friendly spaces around our school. Miss Perry shared with me that many of her class had been commenting on how beautiful the tulips at the front of the school were. Our nursery pupils have been growing flowers for their living wall and are sowing flowers. Year 2 are taking things to another level with their classrooms rapidly filling with growing plants and vegetables as part of their STEM curriculum.
Bringing learning to life is a key ambition of ours and this is such a wonderful example of the power of this approach. The knowledge and passion shown was inspiring and life long; it is essential for us that we set an example for, and inspire, the BPS children to be the difference when it comes to our wildlife. Perhaps one of the greatest advocates for the natural world, Sir David Attenborough, celebrated his 97th birthday this week and we look to the leadership of him and others to inspire us as we continue to make a difference. This quote from him sums up perfectly the magical learning opportunities nature provides:
“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living”.
This is all rather perfectly timed with our Coronation Seed gifts last week which we hope everyone will plant, bringing some colour and life to somewhere special for them. The final planting of our outdoor learning area this weekend will be a wonderful moment to celebrate, and we are very proud of this collective project. The site team have done an incredible job with support from pupils, parents and staff, and with our final planting and finishing touches the space will welcome pupils from Monday.
A huge thank you to Stella Clark for her leadership and we look forward to inviting you to join us and enjoy this space in the coming weeks, months and years.
