GREEN-fingered youngsters are learning how to “grow their own” in Golcar.
Pupils of Wellhouse Junior and Infant School are among 11,000 schools nationwide planting potatoes as part of the national Grow Your Own Potatoes (GYOP) project.
And they hope money won in an Examiner project will help them grow still further.
Organised by the Potato Council, the project offers children an exciting and hands-on opportunity to see at first hand what it takes to be a potato grower.
Around half a dozen children from the school’s gardening club led by Patsy Haigh are taking part in the project which is linked to the national curriculum.
Children from the school have taken part in the project for the last few years and have also grown runner beans, daffodils, hyacinths and strawberries in pots.
The school was the winner of the Examiner’s Schools Collect for Cash competition in 2008, scooping £3,000 and last year came fifth netting £1,000.
This money is being used to transform an overgrown piece of land next to the school and create a garden which pupils can be proud of.
Once completed it is hoped to give even greater home growing opportunities for children.
The nationwide project includes lessons on potato growing under the headings of: Growing Potatoes; Knowing Potatoes; Healthy Eating and Potatoes; and Cooking Potatoes.
Sue Lawton, of the Potato Council said: “Since the project was launched, we have had extremely positive feedback from the education profession. Teachers are always looking for classroom ideas and our new-look website means we can now help more teachers than ever before. We’ve always had resources available that support the curriculum but now we have made the site more user-friendly and interactive.”
Visit: www.potatoesforschools.org.uk.
