This will allow us to furnish the area with sensory items including planting of scented flowers, a willow den for imaginative play and musical wind chimes all adding to make this area a calm peaceful sanctuary for the children. It will also mean we can surface some of the area with an artificial turf to help the drainage and safety of the area. We will also be able to put some MUCH NEEDED turf into the climbing area currently restricting its use but the school has no money to repair!
Wickhambreaux Church of England Primary is a small village school going into its 150th year. It’s mission is "to provide a memorable childhood for all".
Due to funding cuts the school has been unable to use around a 1/3rd of its outdoor space but we are starting this project to convert this wasteland into an environmental wonderland. The current playground is a small tarmac area used by the entire school which has to act as the football pitch, site for packed lunches and there is no safe, quiet areas for children to be creative or for calm reflection. The site is prone to flooding and has become dangerous for use by the children so we need to sort this first to make it a safe and low maintenance area.
We asked the children of Class 1 what they would like to have in this new space and they replied with ‘a place to explore’, ‘a bug hotel’, ‘lots of ladybirds’, ‘a place for picnics’ and to be ‘full of rainbows’.
To satisfy their clear love for nature we want to make this the ideal place to learn about the environment. We are going to build an Eco- Hub, an outdoor classroom, where the children will study the ecological systems around them. This will also include being able to access the adjacent river for river studies, which Class 4 are really excited about. The Eco Hub will be equipped with a wind turbine and solar panel to demonstrate how we can source energy from the sun and wind. This also comes with an educational display unit so the children learn how much energy we use.
We hope our new 'wonderland' will not only enhance the daily school experience for the children but embrace their love for the outdoors and encourage us all to work towards a greener future.
The school has a very active Friends of Wickhambreaux, parents and teachers group who are constantly raising the everyday funds for the school so we have set up this as a separate project so not to detract from the essential funds for the school. We have started fundraising initiatives with tea sales, an upcoming Race Night and BBQ but we are reaching out to the kindness of parents, families, the local community and businesses for their help in making this happen.
As a thank you to all donations we will be displaying a "Thank You Tree" next to our new play area where you can choose to have your name, business or a message on a 'leaf'.
We are also running a competition in the school for the best drawing of our new wonderland and the winning design will feature on our Thank You cards and reusable cotton shopper bags (example below)