Pick Your Own

The recent sunny weather and heat has helped our garden to grow and bloom.
At Rachel Keeling children are part of the routines of school life and caring for our garden and the flora and fauna there is central to that. On Tuesday children noticed strawberries were looking red and juicy - ripe to be picked. Children worked collaboratively to harvest the strawberries. There was much excitement and more and more strawberries were gathered in the colanders.
As the children noticed the amount, Conor estimated "There's over 100 strawberries!" Together, with support, they counted a whopping 80!
The children washed them and checked for holes where worms might have had a nibble. Layla commented "This one is not cooked yet" - a lovely way to refer to an unripe strawberry!
The children decided they would like to share the fruit on the hill in the shade. A fine reward for a busy morning where children sustained concentration, used language, noticed and commented on their environment, cooperated with their friends, counted meaningfully and experienced the taste of a locally-grown, organic, Bethnal Green strawberry!