Green Adventures at Southsea Infants School

Aim

Green Adventures: Empowering Southsea Infant School to Explore the Outdoors

Green Adventures: Empowering Southsea Infant School to Explore the Outdoors

We are the Green Adventurers from Southsea Infant School, and we're bursting with excitement as we embark on a mission to transform our school's outdoor space into a vibrant haven of greenery and exploration. And guess what? We need your help to make our dreams come true!

So, what have we been up to at school, you ask? Well, in the 2022 and 2023 school years, our PTFA has been hard at work raising money at lots of school fundraising events. Thanks to their efforts, Phase 1 developments of our environmental area are already underway. But we're not stopping there; we now have even bigger plans for Phase 2, where we'll turn our ideas into reality.

[Phase 1 Development pictured below]

Before

After

Our Green Adventures project aims to transform the outdoor area along Albert Road into a place where learning and fun go hand in hand. 

We want the space to:

• Be an exciting outdoor classroom where we can have fun while learning
• Create a thriving natural space filled with plants and wildlife
• Provide us with tools to learn how to care for and nurture living things

To achieve all of this, Phase 2 involves developing and expanding the existing beds and borders with an array of beautiful plants and flowers.

We envision a space that seamlessly integrates with our classrooms, complete with cosy reading areas, wildlife explorer stations, and a tool shed stocked with all the necessary garden supplies. There's even potential to transform the woodchip area into an awesome adventure space!

Our children are already using the area

Our ultimate goal is to inspire a deep love and appreciation for nature in the hearts of us and future children joining the school. The space presents an opportunity not only to enhance the school's premises but also to align with the broader green initiatives of the City of Portsmouth.

These efforts aim to boost biodiversity and combat the climate crisis. Our objective is to gain a better understanding of the significance of the natural world, recognise the effects of climate change, and foster a passionate drive to safeguard wildlife and our environment.

After all, the future stewards of our planet are right here in our classrooms!

Those faces!

Now, let's talk about how we plan to care for this incredible outdoor area. We're eager to start a school gardening club, where we'll learn how to nurture and tend to all the plants and trees in our green haven. It's not just for us, though —we're inviting parents and carers to join us too!

It's a fantastic opportunity for them to learn about environmental care alongside us. We're fortunate to have some expert gardeners among our grown-ups who are more than willing to share their enthusiasm, skills, and knowledge.

We aim to raise £5,000 and potentially have it matched by available funding to total £10,000! Rest assured that every single penny will be spent wisely; our PTFA will see to that.

Below is a breakdown of how we plan to allocate the funds:

• Buying plants, seeds, bulbs, climbing plants, stumps and trees to beautify the space and attract local wildlife
• Provide multisensory learning with a water feature, wind chimes, information boards and other immersive activities to experience in this urban outdoor space
• Equipping the school with a shed, wheelbarrows, and gardening tools, so we can easily care for our Green Adventures play space
• Enhancing the wildlife area with cosy bat boxes and bird boxes, inviting our animal friends to become part of our vibrant community
• Introduce forestry education to encourage the children to cultivate a love for the outdoors.

A final word from the PTFA:

The Green Adventures Crowdfunder is our ticket to complete this project. Your support means the world to us, and we genuinely appreciate any contribution you can make.

Let's come together as a community and empower the children at Southsea Infant School to explore the great outdoors, foster a love for nature, and create a lasting impact on our environment. Together, we can make a difference—one adventure at a time!

Please donate if you can. We have a number of amazing rewards available, and additional ones will be added each week the Crowdfunder is live. We also have several 'Wish List' items that you can donate towards.

Thank you all for your support!

This project successfully funded on 9th October 2023