Well the kids came yesterday - the first 30 arrived at 9.16 on the dot. I stayed on the roof and the otherone vanished. A bit of a relief as he would distracted the kids with his 'butting and looking cute' act.
She (who had 15 of them) thoroughly enjoyed their visit (especially the first lot because their teachers did not keep an eye on the time and they had 45 minutes!!! the second lot had to hurry along and get done in 25mins) what she was not told and completely forgot about, was that they would want to take something away with them! Fotunately she had some bean seeds from last year.
They ate the goosegogs (most of them had never had a ripe raw goosegog before!), scoffed some raspberries (He said they weren't ripe to try to stop them! but She was not party to the game and so the bush was cleared!) they wanted them to pull up some carrots (She said they were too small - but He (who had the other 15) was a trifle quicker off the mark and pulled up some of the gone-to-seed carrots) and HE dug up a potato which they washed in the new self-filling water troughs. (They were told this was not a toy, so come the summer hols they were not to play in it!)
When the last lot left they took EVERYTHING off the table - bean seeds (4 kinds), sprouting bean seed and all. He would not let them take the bean plants nor the 3 remaining runner beans he bought from W'rose - he said they were for his tea! (I never knew he had tea, but there you go!!) But my golly, was it hot! She had to go and get her hat at half time. If She had been more organised She could have given them some blackberry cordial (homemade!) to drink. Oh well, never mind. Next time. they all want to come back!
Several of the boys asked about chilli peppers. Perhaps the HortSoc could have a display of her peppers in pots at the show if they have fruit on them?
Mr C was on his plot and they asked his permission to visit him - he was delighted and the kids thought this was cool, particularly as one of his kids was in our group.
They were told them allotments were not a playground, but people would be pleased to show them round if they asked. A couple asked if the pumpkins could be cut into Halloween masks (ominous!?). Some asked if it was very expensive to buy an allotment. Told them it was £11.50 for 10 pole so she may be helping some 8 year olds rent a plot. Shudder - they will probably soon lose heart when the weeds threaten them!
She gave them a talk about the life cycle of the runner bean - showed them a bean seed, a germinating bean in some kitchen towel, a few beans in a seed tray, some beans about 9 in high ready to climb up a pole, some beans from the supermarket and a dried bean pod. They also looked at the ravages made on a bag of hazel nuts by some woodmice.
A very good PR exercise was done today, I think.
(PS - MrsB, one of the teaching assistants who has a plot nearby has just brought her a card made by the kids to say thank you. It has some lovely drawings of all the things they saw! Cool.
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September 22, 2008, 22:26