lunchtime sessions

[jackyspratty]

if you were running lunchtime sessions at school what activities would you do? Im thinking especially autumn winter time and not necessarily with access to outdoor growing space!

Thanksyou x

[Jeanied]

I am dreaming up some arty crafty type things - maybe gift ideas.

So far I have come up with:-

Making plant labels from wooden blind slats, decorating and varnishing
Making bird boxes / seed boxes with wood offcuts
(the materials for these have been the result of some successful skip diving )
Making pinwheels
Making bird scarers

In the plant line I will be teaching taking cuttings in september, and root cuttings of some perennials. Then they can go in a cold frame on the plot at school.
Also we may have enough money to get the materials for bulb planting for xmas pressies. If not I may try and source some moss and they can plant up lily of the valley pips for winter flowering indoors.
The kids are really keen on little seed packets (now I wonder where they got that from ) so I may get them into designing and printing these on the computer.
How about making xmas decorations from pine cones etc?
Oh and we are looking into making a recipe book of all our favourite recipes using what we have grown.

[jackyspratty]

You little belter jean! There is a possibility I may apply for some work at other schools with an after school club at different schools. Im not sure yet! But I dont know if they have access to a garden area or whether its all indoor stuff. Im a bit stuck if they want more than a garden/craft theme!

Whats a pin wheel jean? Plus how would you make your bird scarers?

We would like to do a recipe book too, there are over 30 languages present at our school so it should be a truley international cookery book!

Thanks lovely x

[CaroltheCarrot]

I thought you were inviting us to the pub
Sorry, coats on!

[Jeanied]

Pinwheels are those little whirly things kids put in the ground - or run around with them...

Assemble Your Pinwheel


And I was remembering Alice Fowler's bird scarers that she made with some youngsters using feathers and potatoes.

[jackyspratty]

Perhaps we should make this a sticky craft thread in this section/ We had so many rany day sessions this year!
And carol, I am childfree this week so Im up for it it you are chuck! First rounds on me

[Snadger]

I used to like lunchtime sessions but can't get away from work these days.

[CaroltheCarrot]

Yer on, see you at 12

Throw a sickie Snadger

[Feral007]

Our local school made a school recipe book - the asked all the local community to submit recipe's (especially those ones that are 'Kerry's Mother's.........' or 'Auntie Dot's........'
Each recipe had to have at least one item that was a fruit or a veg.

They sold them to fundraise for their kitchen garden.

[marchogaeth]

I did cuttings from things like Rosemary. Did beans sprouts (but I was there everyday to keep on top of watering etc.) and peas shoots which they loved eating. This time around I'm going to take in some PSB seedlings which they can put in grow bags. Just before Christmas we sowed Broad Beans also in grow bags. I've got a collection of cat shaped pots (cat treats) so they can have fun melting holes in those and trying to grow cat mint for the bazaar. Might also do some berry collecting and grow hawthorn/holly. Teaching germination tests is also good fun especially if you have old seeds lying around and you can also do things around seed size and germination rates as well (obviously depends on the age range you are working with). Spider plants/tradescantia (?) are good value. In the spring we got pots ready one week ready to plant up flowers seeds the next. Old catalogues can be used for maths type activities - what could I get for �10? Get the children to bring in packaging and see where their food has come from - food miles etc. Last year (my first with the club) I really went with the things that came up from the children with just fall back ideas from me. Anyway, hope some of this helps although I'd have preffered to wait at least another three weeks before having to think about it!

[Jeanied]

I'm now mulling over some windsock ideas in my head - I saw some lovely fish ones somewhere recently on telly - so it will need me to be finding a sailmaker with loads of spinnaker offcuts I reckon...