Eco learning

🌱 Teacher Top Tip: Sustainability in the Curriculum 🌍

Integrate sustainability into your lessons by covering key topics like climate change, renewable energy, and biodiversity. Teaching students about real-world environmental challenges helps them understand the importance of conservation and the impact they can make.

Explore more ways to incorporate sustainability into your curriculum on our website: https://f.mtr.cool/helbevrfgx

Simple ideas for autumn

As the new school year begins, why not turn a corner of your school into a space for growing? Whether you have an outdoor space or just a spare shelf in a classroom, check out these simple growing activities for the autumn term:

🌱 Try apple tasting
🌱 Multiply herbs using division and semi-ripe cuttings
🌱 Plant bulbs in pots
🌱 Make bug hotels or bird feeders
🌱 Sow broad beans in pots
🌱 Make willow stars

Find instructions and more ideas: https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/school-gardening/resources/gardening-club/simple-gardening-club-ideas

Free resources

Whether you're exploring life cycles in science, measuring plant growth in maths or writing nature-inspired poetry in English, school gardening is a powerful teaching tool 🍎

Our free eLearning courses are here to support you every step of the way, with quick modules packed with practical tips, curriculum ideas and downloadable resources.

Check out our courses and spread the word! https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/school-gardening/training-courses

Can you help shape our future programme? 🏫🌱

Following our school survey findings, we’re developing a Plants for Wellbeing programme focusing on a whole school approach to gardening and growing for mental wellbeing. We’d like to hear what teachers in a range of settings think of the content so far.

Register your interest in sharing your thoughts: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/S362XD6

September transitions can be tricky for pupils and teachers alike. Support your class to settle into their new classroom by letting nature lend a helping hand 🍂

Creating a sensory nature box (or bag) is a simple, calming way to bring the outdoors in. Filled with natural objects like feathers, pinecones or twigs, it gives children a chance to explore textures, scents and shapes that fascinate and soothe. Keeping them close by in the classroom provides a tool for self-regulation and an ongoing link with the natural world.

If you're looking for a grounding activity to ease into the term, this is a great way to begin: https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/school-gardening/resources/wellbeing/create-a-sensory-nature-box

🌱 Congleton Hydro and Solar Community Grants are back! 🌞

Applications open 1st September – 1st October.

"We’re a non-profit project with one big aim: to give back to our community. Each year, we generate funds from our hydro and solar schemes and put them straight into local projects that help our environment, promote sustainability, and inspire learning.

Are you a green champion, a curious engineer or scientist, a passionate environmentalist, or simply someone with a clever idea to solve a local “green” or educational challenge? 💡 This could be your chance to bring it to life!"

Every year, they set aside a pot of funding to support local projects —so why not apply?

Visit - https://zurl.co/5Sv2l

Get set for September by slotting some of these creative activities into your autumn term plan:

🧚 Make a mini fairy hideaway or Jurassic jungle: https://bit.ly/4mD6LFN
🐞 Use corrugated cardboard to make a mini bug hotel: https://bit.ly/47ovvwY
💜 Make a calming no-sew lavender bag: https://bit.ly/45d8gVm
🫘 Use recycled paper to make an origami seed packet: https://bit.ly/4li8vDb

Do you use your growing space to teach pupils about the importance of caring for the environment? 🌎

Florence Melly Community Primary School in Liverpool have updated their curriculum to include a term of eco lessons and a term of gardening lessons, for each year group to learn about how to care for the environment. As a result, they have introduced wildlife habitats, wildflowers for pollinators, compost stations and water butts to their school grounds.

Learn how to develop and maintain features to enhance the natural environment in your garden: https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/school-gardening/resources/planet-friendly/encouraging-wildlife-in-your-school-garden

How can you create a space that works for people AND wildlife?

Join us for a live event at 12:30pm on 7 August with RHS experts:
🦋 Helen Bostock, Senior Wildlife Specialist, on how to best support pollinators
🌻 Claire Davitt, Community Outreach Advisor, on turning unused space into community hubs that boost biodiversity
🪴 Get your questions answered on everything from bee hotels to planting plans

This webinar is part of , a national programme offering year-round growing support. This year, we are inviting you to grow a small space with BIG impact to benefit others in your neighbourhood - from people to pollinators 🐝

Sign up here: d719cb74-1939-4b35-b837-57bc1c70bf74@eae15775-7b4a-4187-bf0c-667a72884479" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/d719cb74-1939-4b35-b837-57bc1c70bf74@eae15775-7b4a-4187-bf0c-667a72884479

From pebble painting and den building to terrariums and fairy gardens, there's plenty to keep children and young people entertained during the summer holidays.

Check out these eight simple family gardening activities: https://www.rhs.org.uk/education-learning/children-young-people/family-activities/8-activities-this-summer-holidays