“I SEE moss growing over there. It must be sucking up all the water.”
“Mud goes squelch.”
“I love nature. We need to protect our world.”
A few observations by inspirational pupils from St Mary’s PS in Newtownbutler who are taking part in a ‘What’s Growing’ environmental initiative.
The Co Fermanagh school had already developed a number of environmental projects with their students over the years and found them becoming increasingly aware of the climate and biodiversity crisis the planet is facing as green issues move up the news agenda.
Teacher Therez McGuigan said this prompted her and her colleagues to consider what the school could do to help tackle these issues and prepare students for the significant challenges ahead for our planet.
They contacted Belfast-based The Paul Hogarth Company who had previously donated plant material to the school for Outdoor Classroom Day and with their help embarked on the ‘What’s Growing’ engagement process to help the children see, understand and love the natural world around them.
“What’s Growing is providing opportunities to bring nature into many lessons and helping the children see and value the nature close to the school and their homes,” Ms McGuigan said.
“In P3 we have been incorporating nature into all areas of the curriculum where possible.
“We started during storytelling week by retelling the stories of Finn McCool and using his words ‘My favourite music is the music of what happens’ as our inspiration for going on a sound walk and creating pebble poems.
“This activity helped develop the children’s vocabulary of nature words and encouraged them to focus on what is happening right under their noses.”
Among the responses from the St Mary’s pupils were:
“Birds sing when they are happy and squawk when they are cross. I wonder what that bird is cross about? Maybe someone stole his nest.”
“I heard rustling in the bushes. I wonder if it is a squirrel.”
Ms McGuigan said a visit from a member of the Paul Hogarth Company created much excitement and helped gauge the children’s knowledge of nature and spark a further interest in investigating the natural world around them.
This week the pupils studied artist Andy Goldsworth and used his sculptures as inspiration for making their own natural art. They also have plans to go into their community and assess how they can help improve it and promote a community approach to appreciating and protecting our planet.
"I feel that this project has really enthused the children about the world around them. They are more observant when they are outside and are asking lots of questions about how and why things happen in nature. I have also seen an increased care for the environment," Ms McGuigan said.
Among the observations recorded by the pupils were:
"Some trees loose their leaves but others don’t."
"Snowdrops are growing in my garden, that must means the bees are coming out soon."
"My Lenten promise is to pick up rubbish when I see it."
School principal Mrs Kelly said the What’s Growing project fits in well with the school development plan and she welcomed the contribution of The Paul Hogarth Company.
"In our recent ETI [Education and Training Inspectorate] visit, the children were commended for their extensive knowledge about climate change and how they were able to carry what they have been learning home and make changes," she said.
The Paul Hogarth Company director Anthony McGuigan said What’s Growing is an "emergent engagement process to develop awareness, understanding and love of our natural world locally".
"St Mary's understands the scale of the global issues which our planet faces and that the solutions appear distant and somewhat incomprehensible but they are keen to know what they can do and the students are enjoying being part of the solution," he said.
