How can you help? - Friends of Sutton Lower School

There are so many ways you can help us help the school and at the same time have some fun!

Gardening project

One of the ways you can help create an even better school environment for our children at Sutton is to support the gardening project run by one of our lovely Lime Class mums'. The best way to support the project is to donate something from the list which will be posted right here shortly. In the meantime please see some of the pictures of the garden as it was and as it is now (below) and click on the image above to go to a study by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) on the benefits of gardening for children.

What I have done to date

Weeded and planted up the front of the school which is now complete
Worked with Lime class to put bulbs and winter annuals in pots for the spring with teaching on bulbs
Worked with Lime class to plant up their border with lots of sensory plants, such as lavender, lemon balm, lambs ears, salvia from the sage family, ferns, primroses, clematis to climb which is now complete
Provided gloves for the children to use
Provided trowels for Lime class which they have painted and are being varnished ready to use in their garden
Provided wooden labels that the children have decorated and written their names on
Weeded the vegetable trug ready for the spring
Provided a pot to Larch class with bulbs and winter annuals in
Dug and prepared the raised bed in the sensory garden
Dug and prepared borders in sensory garden
Worked with Lime class to sow basil, cress and sweetpeas, the cress they took home to grow and eat

What I have planned in the sensory garden and with the children

Bark chip an area for quiet mindfulness and story time, outside space for children to use at lunch and teachers to use with their classes for yoga/mindfulness/ story or reading time with an added bench and a cross for worship
Revamp a border to be a beach border with sand, beach stones and grasses and a bamboo (although not a beach plant, the way bamboo moves is similar to sand dune grasses and feels “beachy”)
Revamp a border to be a woodland border with ferns, slate, woodland plants
Revamp a border to add wildflowers and sensory plants from the wishlist
Add to the raised bed more exotic looking plants and sun loving plants
Revamp herb area and add new herbs
Work with Lime class to grow potatoes in sacks, plant lettuce seeds, marigold seeds and chives
To start working with the older years to help plant up the sensory garden and grow vegetables and flowers with guidance from their teachers on how to compliment the curriculum

Why am I doing this?

Educational, follows the schools values and will hopefully provide a sanctuary for the children
Attract wildlife, help with current climate issues
Add texture, smell and colour
Add a pretty garden for all to enjoy all year round
I love gardening, I am passionate about this project and teaching children to love their world, love being outdoors, care for the planet, care for the animals and plants in it
Its excellent for anyone who is having a bad day to raise their spirits

How can you help?

If you can donate anything from the list (click button below to view) that would be great
Alternatively please feel free to donate cash

All donations (cash or physical) to be given to the school office and marked ‘Garden Project’

Conscious Shopper scheme

So how does it work? We have a UNIQUE SHOPPING CODE (SUTTON01) for parents, colleagues & friends to use with Seasons Fruit & Veg either on their online shop, via Facebook or by phone. Customers choose their Drop Off / Collection point: a. Sutton Lower School - earning 99p for every order placed (delivery on Mondays & Wednesdays for Sutton) b. Individual Home Delivery – earning 50p for every order placed (delivery days & locations can be found on the Seasons Fruit & Veg website). Why not support our school & show your support for eating seasonal, locally grown, plastic free produce & do your bit for the environment at the same time.