Transition Town Tooting

Tag: Gatton School

  • Insect Hotel Wk3 – The Rising!

    Often with our work with Gatton, we’ll augment the sessions with the students with extra hours to maintain momentum as well as keep us on track. These augmenting sessions usually happen during normal garden hours on a Sunday, 11am to 1pm. So come down if you specifically want to contribute to this project. Send a message via transitiontowntooting@gmail.com

    Week 3 saw the Insect Hotel rise-up from raw timbers to an upright structure – a great moment. Luckily, we had a couple of load testers to immediately make sure it was suitable for grubs to climb up!

    1. Preparing the ground  
    2. Building the frames
    The timbers used were the
    ones Gatton School had
    cut in preceding weeks
    3. Laying flag stone foundations

    4. There she rises! With two eager 
    climbers waiting in the wings

    5. Bang on level…

    The timbers used to be a fence that passed across the site – a  priority for us is to re-use as much as possible.

    The team on the day was Diana (with the level), Gerard (with the sideburns) Benji with the yellow coat and Dominic with the smile! Jenny is on the camera and that’s me in the hat!

    6. Here come the load testers

    Click below to read about how Gatton continued the build…

    7. Shelf building

     The following Tuesday, Gatton returned and the  students cracked on with making the shelves  that will go into the structure. 

     For us, having these two sides to a project is  very interesting and valuable. The sense of  teamwork is palpable. With the three Year 6  projects of the Rainwater Catchment, the Cold  Frame and now the Insect Hotel, we really do  achieve more than we could on our own through  sharing the project.
    8. What do you think??
    Meanwhile, our experiments with insect habitats continued. This week, we looked at habitats for the solitary bee, as well as other critters. Using an old oversized drainpipe, we cut up some old bamboo and stuffed it full. The solitary bees crawl in there and make a nest for their young, stacked along the tubes – pretty cool and very easy to make… they like a sunny, warm, dry spot – which they’ll get in the final hotel.
    A first home
    Meanwhile, for the solitary bees…

  • 100 children in the Garden: hunting for minibeasts and for bears in mid-November

    In the past fortnight we have hosted two year groups of 50 children each with staff and parents from Gatton School for two special mid-November outdoor learning sessions, Tooting style.

    Year Four actively searched the garden’s diverse habitats for minibeasts as part of a curriculum day on the natural world. They found worms, woodlice, centipedes, snails, spiders, beetles, and more.

    Year One went step-by-step through an active version of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – a super experience of literacy, creativity and using their imaginations outdoors.

    What did Year 4 do?

    They dug energetically
    They peered under the roof

    Clipboards came out with the sun
    They inspected everything

    Year One’s Bear Hunt was thrilling…..
    …click below to read on

    50 Year 1 childen singing ‘We’re not scared..’ was great to hear. The children walked through the Long Grass, they crossed the Deep River, they dragged themselves through the Mud, they went through the Forest, they battled the Snowstorm…

    Crossing the Deep Cold River

    Battling the snowstorm

    Through the Forest


     
    …and they found the Cave. 

    In the Cave….was the BEAR!


    Was the bear real? Some children thought the best thing to do was to hug the bear..and others ran back to the Forest.

    How did the visit end? 
    With more songs, and with snacks of carrots and pears – and all the cores went straight into the compost. Nothing left but footprints and good memories.

    It was a privilege to host both year groups in the Community Garden, and to see the children being so adventurous, responsive and positive, and the sessions so creatively prepared.
    And if you don’t know the story, click here to see Michael Rosen performing his poem..and try it out yourself.

  • Week 2 of the Insect Hotel

     On Tuesday 11th November, we enjoyed the second session of our Insect Hotel Project at the Community Garden, with Year 6 from Gatton Primary School in Tooting.
     Each week there is a new group of 10 students from the two classes of Year 6, so it’s always good to welcome them to the garden before cracking into our project work. Charlie showed the 4000 yr old flint tool and the sea urchin fossil – found when the original veg beds were dug, only 3 years ago. Come along to witness them yourself.

    Can you spot the eco-system Engineer?

    It’s always good to ask the simple questions for any TTT project we undertake and our schools work is no different.

     So why build an Insect Hotel? This week’s group thought it would help the insects, give them protection and shelter and be a place to hibernate – all good, thoughtful points we reflected on for the rest of the session.

    Cutting the corner posts for the Hotel

    The measure…
    …the cut…
     Each group of 3 students figured out how to mark out before cutting. In the session, we completed work on our 4 main supporting posts, made from re-purposed fence posts. 
    …success!
      This engages maths, logical  thought and, of course, safe tool  use with every child using the  saw.

     Our group were brilliant –  engaged and enthusiastic  throughout.

    St.Bug’s Hotel!
    Exploring Insect Habitat 
     Each week, we’re playing with habitat by making a quick and dirty floor level hotel to inform the habitats we will place in the final structure. This weeks theme was crevices – nooks and crannies to encourage invertebrates and ladybirds – and was mostly built with tiles, twigs and an earth mound for our master ecosystem engineers – the humble worm. 
     So come along to the community garden, see the Insect Hotel emerge and explore the temporary accommodation the students of Gatton are creating! The Garden is open every Sunday, 11am to 1pm at 5 North Drive, Tooting, SW16 1RN.

  • Our exciting outdoor programme with Gatton School continues

    Since September we have had Year One groups coming every week to the Community Garden. It was a great run of sessions, and we didn’t miss a day because of bad weather. 
    All credit to the children, staff and volunteers.
    Now we have Reception and Year Six children coming each week until the end of term. We’ll share much more detail from both classes.
    Meanwhile, here’s a picture during last Tuesday’s short window of sunshine with Reception. Isn’t this an amazing leaf –

    See the post below for news from the new Year Six programme.

  • Construction Begins on the Insect Hotel!

    This week we embarked on our next garden-based project with Year 6 students and teachers from Gatton Primary School in Tooting. This follows the Rainwater Catchment and Cold Frame projects of last year, as reported in this blog and on the education page of Issue 6 in the Transition Free Press.

    What is an Insect Hotel?

    Over the next 7 weeks we will be making an Insect Hotel! Why? This particular project is interesting to us and the school because it turns our attention to creepy crawlies, master pollinators, mini beasts, ecosystem engineers! Essential members of the garden food chain, both up and down!

    We’ll be encouraging solitary bees, worms, ladybirds, invertebrates, centipedes and millipedes to move in – still doesn’t tickle your fancy? How about spiders and wood lice, lacewings and stag beetles not to mention fungi and bacteria. All essential for enhancing biodiversity in the garden as well as the health of our wider ecosystem – something we all need.

    It might look like this!

    How will we do this? We’ll focus on creating the habitats that they love to make a 5 Star, concierged, en suite bug palace. Who wouldn’t want to move in!

    The project engages carpentry skills, exploration into bug habitats, study into ecosystems, recycling and re-using of materials and will be an ongoing learning resource at the garden.

    This first week, our main task was to start cutting the uprights for the structure of the hotel, defining its height. For this, we’re re-using fencing timbers donated from our site at 5 North Drive.

    You can find out more at Inspiration Green’s Insect Hotels article and The Wildlife Trust Building an Insect Hotel Habitat

  • ‘Brightside’ article including Gatton School project in Tooting Community Garden

    Wandsworth Council’s May 2014 Brightside magazine has come though our doors, and the eagle-eyed will spot the nice short article with photo mentioning our Tooting Community Garden project with Gatton School. See it on page 8 of Brightside by clicking here.
    Here’s the photo:

    Year Six children planning how to construct the cold frame

    The article is about Project Dirt’s Wandsworth cluster for local projects: to have a look at over 90 projects, and join in, click here!.

  • “An experience none of us will forget…”

    Celebrating the Community Garden & Gatton School rain water catchment project.

    In November and December 2013 we posted blog reports about the ‘Big Build’ project that we’ve been doing in the garden with Year Six children and staff from Gatton School, and with TTT volunteers. 
    We ran this for seven weeks, and today we managed to get all the main parties together to celebrate the successful completion of the project, and thank everyone who contributed.

    Wow!
    YES it rained a lot in January, and the water butts are full: with a theatrical flourish we lifted the lid off one of them and gazed admiringly at the beautiful water.

    NO we don’t need the water now! But last summer we ran out completely, and we want to garden within the natural limits of the place. Accommodating unpredicatable weather is going to be a key growing skill in the future!

    And as well as creating a tangible result with the project, we went through a fascinating process over the series of sessions with the children and volunteers. To see all the past TTT blog entries for highlights and pictures, click on Gatton School in the menu bar at the top, below the blog title.
    And we’ll share our learning as a practical case study.

    Today, eight children combined to give a speech they wrote themselves about the project (and also said a bit about the whole experience of coming to the garden). If you would like to read the whole speech by the children , please click here. Here are some of their delightful words:

    “Our newest project, to build a ‘state of the art’ water shelter, was an experience that none of us will forget. We helped to saw the wood, make concrete (not cement!) and build the structure. I doubt if any other experience we have will beat this one.” 

    “All this has been a phenomenal and amazing experience for us. We have not only benefited by learning to make a difference to the community that we live in but also how to be worthy citizens who are aware of what being eco-friendly really means.” 

    “For some of us, who have only seen vegetables in the supermarket, we were amazed to find out that potatoes grow underground and that sunflowers grow as big as our heads!”   

    We were also very pleased to welcome Naseem Aboobaker from Mushkil Aasaan, the local social care service which owns the garden site. In 2011 she talked to us in TTT about using the land for a community garden. Thank you, and we appreciate that trust!
    Thanks to Malik Gul of the Wandsworth Community Empowerment Network for joining us, too.

    More thanks to Richard who designed the structure – without his energy (and tools), the project would have remained just another nice idea.
    And respect to all the volunteers – twelve of us – who have been flexible and amazingly cheerful!
    Gatton School funded the water butts, the new timber and roofing materials: thank you! Special gratitude to the school kitchen for making the delicious tiffin today.

    Most thanks are due to the 60 Year Six children who were so involved with this. 
    Now we’ll aim to develop something together for the spring and summer which will catch all our imaginations in the same way – and link with the School’s Eco Project. We’re continuing to offer outdoor learning with the Reception classes, too.

    If you would like to contribute to this school project, or join in with other Community Garden activities, please email us

      All welcome!

  • Update 4 – Gatton School Garden Sessions

    Gatton School’s Year Six classes have had two more amazing sessions, on the 3rd and 10th December. While the rainwater catchment in the Tooting Community Garden – ‘The Build’ – has been growing fast, children have been trying out some of the skills involved.

    The pictures can tell the story:
    Year Six were practicing cutting timber joints on 3rd December, to copy how the roof supports are fitted together:

    

    Four timbers complete with two lap joints each
     
    On December 10th they made a pop-up roof with hand-held gutters to show how to collect and store rainwater from a roof. It worked!



    The pop-up roof takes shape
    
    No problem! From watering can to storage without any spills

    On both days, we explored how teamworking makes a better and stronger construction.
    As of today the roof is up, and next week sees the completion of the Build – with several linked projects planned for 2014.

    

    Sorting garlic before planting
    Year One classes have continued to visit:
    Garden activities can be solo and
    reflective, or social and active!
    Can maple seeds fly? Yes!






     

  • Update 3 – Gatton School Garden Sessions

    During this week’s session, the Year Six children caught up with the progress achieved by the previous school groups: raising the six main uprights for the rainwater catchment build, having set the posts in concrete (see earlier Updates below in this blog).
    

    Spot the socket wrench

    What was the next job?
    Making the roof trusses to support the roof itself. So..in four small groups, the Year Six children designed sets of models of the trusses, complete with an angled pitch to ensure rain-water runoff. The children measured lengths of timber, drilled them to fit their designs, fixed them with bolts or screws, and took them back to school to experiment further: co-operating to use brand new skills.

    We made these models! The real thing is behind us.

    And what did Year One do?
    They prepared the ground, marked out rows, and planted some jerusalem artichokes: plants which will grow much taller than they are next spring and summer.

    Covering the tubers with earth – job well done!

    Next stage in the Year Six Build project? Three more sessions to go: building the trusses..and then roofing, then the guttering and water butts. Look out for the next Update!

  • Late November: Six ‘new beginnings’

    Even though the year is moving into winter, there’s six ‘new beginnings’ to share with you below.
    We hope to see you at these events – all welcome to come along and maybe try something new..

    1 On Tuesday 26th November we are starting to plan for the 2014 Tooting Foodival.
    Do join us and suggest some new ideas, or become a new participant for next year.
    We’re meeting at The Selkirk, 60 Selkirk Rd, Tooting Broadway from 1900 to 2100 (details on Events Calendar opposite).

    2 On Wednesday 27th November there is a SMArT Meet and Make workshop at Sprout in Moyser Road, Furzedown from 1830 to 2030. All welcome (details in the Events Calendar). The meeting will also start to look forward to the Christmas making and craft event on December 7th at Mushkil Aasaan – details to follow.

    3 Also on Wednesday 27th November, along with the Furzedown Low Carbon Zone, we are co-hosting ‘Community Responses to the Energy Crisis’ at the Furzedown project from 1930. The meeting will help participants make sense of saving energy and reducing costs now, and we will start to explore developing a local renewable energy project.  Plus refreshments from Naked Loaf…please come along. See the complete flyer here

    4 Naked Loaf made creative use of the bread flour we grew in the Tooting Community Garden this summer to make sourdough starter for dozens of delicious loaves at the Tooting Foodival in September. The new beginning for Naked Loaf is the exciting opening of their new organic bakery and deli at 70 Moyser Road, Furzedown, SW16 6SQ. They are finishing the decorating now and expecting to be fully open from Thursday 28th November, all day from 8:00 am. Best go and visit soon and try some of the great produce!

    5 The ‘Big Build’ with Gatton School in the Community Garden is beginning to take shape, building on the children’s enthusiasm and energy.
    There’ll be a celebration at the end of term to mark the rainwater catchment completion.

    6 Not quite a sign of spring, but the broad beans planted a few weeks ago are beginning to show through – a very encouraging sight as the weather turns colder.
    Do come and join us in the Community Garden every Sunday from 1100-1300.





    For more info on any of these ‘new beginnings’, contact us on email at transitiontowntooting@gmail.com