April 2025
by Laszlo
The Spring Break has finally arrived! A well-deserved vacation for pupils after a long term, but there is no rest here at the EATS Educates project. The team organised a School Family event for each primary school taking part in the project. The weather was kind to us and the participants for the first three days, but unfortunately, on the very last day we arrived at Camdean PS in pouring rain and had to cancel the event.
The aim of these events was to tidy up the school grounds, create new wildlife habitats and improve the looks of Rosyth Primary Schools by planting new native flowers and shrubs around the buildings while clearing those areas from the accumulated litter. It was a good chance for parents and families to see all the amazing work the pupils have been doing during EATS Educates sessions.
The first event was held at St John’s Primary School, where we had a fantastic turnout of parents and families! We focused our activities in the Quad, planting herbs and flowers. This quad is used by the youngest pupils and the idea was to help them learn about senses by having lots of nice-smelling and looking plants. The attendees on the event also tasted some of the herbs – parsley, coriander and basil – which was a new experience for some. Other herbs we planted – rosemary, thyme and lavender – produce beautiful flowers which the bees and butterflies love.
At Park Road Primary School we focused on improving the aesthetic of the school grounds and growing areas, which are susceptible to littering. Attendees got straight to work, with litter pickers and bin bags in hand to take on the challenge. In just an hour, they had collected 7 bin bags of litter from the shrubbery, and it was clear to see the improvement.
Next some gardening tasks, including weeding the raised beds and cutting back bushes to allow for flowers and new plants to grow. Everyone was happy to get stuck in, including the headteacher Mrs Anderson!
King’s Road Primary School got lucky with a warm and sunny day, but this was a reward for the most labour-intensive tasks of the week! We first focused our efforts on the front of the school – doing a litter pick and planting bedding flowers to brighten up the entrance area of the school. We then moved on to the growing areas, which needed some essential maintenance, such as cutting back tough jaggy shrubs, planting native flowering bushes and the hardest of all transporting 2 tons of compost through the school to top up the raised beds!
As a natural side effect of an intensive outdoor activity, loads of calories were burned during these sessions and everyone got very hungry by midday. Luckily the dedicated kitchen staff in the EATS Living Room Café provided a delicious selection of freshly-prepared sandwiches, hot soup, fruit platter and bakes goods everyday to refuel the depleted energy levels.
All of this work has made such an improvement to the school grounds and everyone will see the difference once the school doors open again!
The Educates Team has seen a lot of smiling faces, muddy hands and heard lively chatter, but the best thing is that everyone has gained some extra knowledge during the time we spent together. Learning while having fun, do we need more?