Growing Children Growing

The Let’s Grow School Campaign ...
I remember back in the days of ‘slate & chalk’ growing plants at school – I must have been about 9 and I can still remember after all these years the Sensitive Plant which I got to take home – and whenever I have a new Sensitive Plant it takes me back to those school .

Diarmuid Gavin and the Lets Grow scheme with Morrisons

Growing Schools ...
The government has now put a new initiative in place ‘Growing Schools’

“Every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development. “

“I welcome the efforts businesses are making to support Learning Outside of the Classroom Manifest and Growing Schools initiative by encouraging young people to get actively involved in outdoor learning activities such as growing or gardening. I hope young people and their teachers use these resources to grow their own food at school and at home.”
Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners

Morrisons Sowing The Seeds For Schools To Grow ...
If you watch television I’m sure you’ll have seen the new advert by Morrisons, fronted by Diarmuid Gavin (gorgeous – he can do my gardening any day of the week!) in which parents, friends and families are encouraged to collect ‘Let’s Grow’ reward vouchers when they spend over £10 at Morrisons. Available between 15th September until 6th November all you need to do is hand the vouchers in at your local participating schools.

Morrisons supporting schools, Lets Grow vouchers

In January 2010 schools will then be able to exchange these vouchers for seeds and gardening equipment so they will have everything they need for the start of the spring growing season in March.

With over ten thousand schools already registered to take part in the ‘Let’s Grow’ scheme thousands of packets of seeds will be given free to schools – that’s enough seeds to grow around 1.5 million salad leaf plants for six million salad bowls!

Angus Maciver, Morrisons Director of the ‘Let’s Grow’ scheme said
“This is something children can really get stuck into and by getting their hands dirty planting, growing, pruning and picking, develop a real passion for produce. ‘Let’s Grow will get thousands of children out into their school gardens, learning about where fresh food comes from, how to grow their own and, hopefully, enjoying some tasty fresh fruit and veg as well, What could be better than that?”

Growing Annually ...
This is the second year Morrisons have run their ‘Let’s Grow’ scheme – in 2008 more than 15,500 schools across the country took part.

“The phenomenal success of last year’s ‘Let’s Grow’ scheme shows that our children love to get their hands dirty and grow their own product. It’s a terrifically fun but effective way to teach them how fresh food is produced.”
Angus Maciver, Morrisons Director of the ‘Let’s Grow’ scheme

The range of gardening equipment has grown this year to include biodegradable pots, soil testing kits, smocks and sun hats, together with the most eagerly anticipated piece of equipment – a Wormery! These are in addition to the existing range of seeds, spades, trowels, hosepipes, wellington boots and even greenhouses.
This year the scheme has been extended to include nursery schools – so getting children involved from a really young age.

Expert Support ...
A team of gardening experts provided by community garden specialists, Federation of City Farms & Community Gardens will visit many of the participating schools to give hands-on support.

Diarmuid Gavin and the Lets Grow scheme with Morrisons

Growing Knowledge ...

“By encouraging school kids to get green-fingered, we can help them learn more about fresh fruit and veg.
Planting seeds and tending them to spring up and sprout is great fun and very rewarding.
Who knows, having grown and picked their own, they might even get a taste for eating their greens too!"

Diarmuid Gavin, garden designer and TV presenter

It’s quite scary looking at the results of research into what school children know about growing / gardening and crops.

25% of children between the ages of 4 – 13 years have never grown anything at home

8% of children think that bananas grow in UK gardens

75% of children are not getting their five portions of fruit and veg a day

10% of children didn’t know you could grow your own potatoes or carrots

After these scary results we can only hope that by encouraging children to grow their own plants they will learn that vegetables aren’t just available from supermarkets and encourage them to try new vegetables.