This week, we
really had to pot on the competition sunflowers - you can see how big they have grown!
They were all needing more space to grow so we potted them up into larger pots where they will stay for the rest of the competition.
It was a special week too because our Forest School Group who are working to achieve their
John Muir Award welcomed Tarradale Primary School's Eco-Group children to see a slide show and accompany them to Evanton Woods on Wednesday morning. Several DiGGers are members of the Forest School group - can you spot Danielle and Connorhan in the picture?
On Tuesday afternoon - Danielle helped cook Potato and Leek soup (home grown potatoes of course) for the whole group - 26 people!
Simon talked about the Evanton Woods project when we arrived...
...then we carried all the kit down to an area near the river.
I think Danielle has gained a "friend for life!"
Simon split the group into three teams (our Forest School group were the team leaders) and set them their first challenge - to collect the correct sized wood to build a fire.
The pieces were a certain thickness for each group (matchstick - pencil - thumb width) and the length of the palm of your hand.
It must be DRY which means collecting it from OFF the ground.
Cutting the wood to size with loppers (thinner pieces snap easily by hand if dry enough)
Simon sorts the wood into size-piles
We then had a demonstration of fire-lighting. Tarradale Primary school's teacher was given the challenge: "Can you light the fire with the flint and steel?" Click the link below to see a video clip - did she do it? ("No pressure Mrs Boardman!")
Simon and Danielle took charge of the fire (and soup) whilst the teams were set a shelter building challenge: "Build a shelter (for one) with no more than 5 pieces of string and incorporating triangles and rectangles in your design. It will be tested by throwing water over the structure whilst one person is inside!!"
Some groups used the saw horse (in the background of the picture above) to cut larger wood to length. At midday, we were all called to have soup, baguette and cake (thanks Mrs Lynch!)
Alexander (left) was this group's team leader. He looked after them really well.
We all sat round the fire to eat. The "Fire Circle Rule" is that no-one must walk across inside the log circle - you must step over the log and walk round the outside!
There was enough soup to have seconds!
Next it was time to judge the shelters...
...luckily there was not enough time to test them with water!!!
Some children wanted to sleep the night in their shelter! It was time to head back to school however. Everyone had a wonderful time and Tarradale Primary hopes to arrange regular visits to the woods in future.
Whilst all this was going on, there was a real sense of teamwork up at the cabin area - with the extension and cladding being prepared.
Meanwhile, back in the garden lots of crops are coming on well in the greenhouses. These are runner beans...
...pumpkins and squashes...
radish and salad...
geraniums for colour...
...peas...
...wild flowers and hellebores...
...more peas...
...more pumpkins (hope all Dingwall Academy's primary schools are doing well with their competition pumpkins? Let us know by leaving a comment!)...
...and cabbages!
It's all looking very productive...
and outside we have lots of fox-gloves and poppies to plant out. These will attract the insects as well as looking lovely and colourful.
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