My Mini Growing Space is a small woodland and/or edible teaching garden that we help you build for your own group or community.
We want you to get started straight away! And the steps are simple.
We have put together a comprehensive step-by-step plan so that children and small communities are empowered to kickstart their own and unique Mini Growing Space: all with fun & confidence, and even if you are complete beginners! We teach you everything!
The process has 5 steps:
This idea is open to small schools, churches, libraries, communities centres or groups that have available a small unused or derelict outdoor space that they would like to transform into an attractive & educational space for their community.
We want to encourage any nature lover to take part and apply so they can grow healthy food, improve the wellbeing and mental health of young people, meet their group/organisation sustainability goals, learn the basic skills on how to use and maintain their new space successfully all year round!
Once you get your funding approved (which will mainly cover the cost of material and equipment), you will receive the following:
With your 'Growing Space' expert:
There is more!... You will also receive a tailored and comprehensive digital tool kit with:
My Mini Growing Space is a small woodland and/or edible teaching garden that we help you build for your own group or community.
We want you to get started straight away! And the steps are simple.
We have put together a comprehensive step-by-step plan so that children and small communities are empowered to kickstart their own and unique Mini Growing Space: all with fun & confidence, and even if you are complete beginners! We teach you everything!
The process has 5 steps:
This idea is open to small schools, churches, libraries, communities centres or groups that have available a small unused or derelict outdoor space that they would like to transform into an attractive & educational space for their community.
We want to encourage any nature lover to take part and apply so they can grow healthy food, improve the wellbeing and mental health of young people, meet their group/organisation sustainability goals, learn the basic skills on how to use and maintain their new space successfully all year round!
Once you get your funding approved (which will mainly cover the cost of material and equipment), you will receive the following:
With your 'Growing Space' expert:
There is more!... You will also receive a tailored and comprehensive digital tool kit with:
Bousfield Forest School: Action Plan
Timeline:
We aim to have the space fully open to children (via ChangeX funding) by January 2024. Later additions will be added following further grants e.g. The Tree Council’s ‘Branching Out’ project, (closing date 3rd December 2023) and so the Forest School should be complete by April 2024. It is important to note that the area will never truly be ‘finished’ as it will evolve according to the various projects it contains, much like a museum’s exhibits. A higher budget would increase the speed of the rollout, but in order to cut costs, most of the ‘labour’ is to be done by the team during free time. We plan to have half-termly meetings to update each other on progress.
Budget:
The Forest School, which already houses the greenhouse, will work in conjunction with the raised-bed- allotment that was constructed during the Easter Holiday. Materials and funding were scarce at the time, and the project could not be fully completed. A jumbo bag of sand is required to complete the paving around the beds - all other materials are in-house.
The main learning space will feature an all-weather ‘basecamp’ with a parachute-style tarpaulin that can be strung up when lessons are ongoing. Carabiners, cables and pulleys will also be required for this to operate. Log seating and bark chippings will be added for free, as and when they can be found/donated
The sensory area will begin life with a Waterwall and Mud Kitchen. Basic building materials are required for both, along with various bits of equipment e.g. watering cans and ‘baking tools’. A hammock and/or nest swing can be installed given a suitable branch location
The ‘campfire’ area (on the upper terrace between the London Planes) will require a tripod BBQ fire pit and basic wooden gazebo to give shelter, these can be purchased at a reasonable price and put together by the team.
Finally, the existing greenhouse area will have additional facilities added, including compost tumblers and a worm farm.
Estimated cost breakdown:
Sand for Allotment £50
Parachute Tarpaulin £250
Tarpaulin cabling etc. £100
Waterwall £100
Mud Kitchen £100
Kitchen accessories £50
Hammock/Swing £100
Fire pit £50
Wooden gazebo £450
Compost Tumblers £150
Worm Farm £100
Grand Total: £1500
Impact:
The success of the project will be monitored and judged according to two factors - the number of lessons being conducted / time spent in the space; and feedback from children and staff. We hope for the project to enable a different style of teaching/learning and open up opportunities for alternative types of lessons.
Location:
The location of the forest school is an existing part of the playground that has fallen into disrepair.
Additional Questions:
Dear all, well done for completing so far the beginning of the challenge. This is a gentle reminder of remembering to post a picture of your site (with sun) on the platform, with a team picture (even if not everyone is on it) . This can be a zoom screenshot too. Plus your action plan. Just answer the question as much as you can and we can revisit once we get to see each other in person for the site visit and get you started. You are nearly there! a few days left before the challenge ends you need to submit everything in time.
Good luck!
Lovely to see the progress here! One more step to go! Please remember to add a picture (zoom or in person) of your team, pictures of your outdoor space with sunlight, size of your space (approximately) and also answers for your action plan! Looking forward to seeing your site!
What a lovely site your have! Congratulations for completing all the steps! Once the funding is approved and paid, I will be in touch to organise a site visit and help you during the process.