Nature Features

As part of BBC Breathing Places children, parents and staff at White Laith Primary School in Whinmoor have worked to make wildlife-friendly areas by planting roses and herbs, starting a compost heap for the children to learn about recycling, and building bird tables and a pond.

This is the smaller of the gardens

The work has taken up part of the school field, and the children have carefully planned how to make the garden work for a wildlife habitat. Many of the pupils may not garden at home so this is a great chance to see at first hand some of the 'creepy-crawlies' in the grass. The school is now hoping to grow its own vegetables in this newly laid out area and they will be inviting a chef to come in and teach the children how to cook.

Helen Driscoll is a teacher at Whinmoor primary and she helped with the Breathing Places wildlife areas. Helen believes that “this is a great opportunity for children who aren’t gardening experts, to have a go at seeing new plants and becoming more familiar with wildlife”.

Children will enjoy searching for bugs

Whinmoor Primary School pupils Amy, Emily, Lucie, Morgan and Kavan showed me their favourite areas of the garden. Eleven-year-old Kavan, who says the best bit of the garden is finding new bugs, was lucky enough to get his granddad involved with the planting of trees and shrubs.

The BBC has launched Breathing Places across the UK and the message is to try and do one thing to help nature flourish. Schools are being encouraged to find an enjoyable way of helping local wildlife thrive.

Celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh has also been involved and visited a Breathing Places project on the Isle of Wight to do his bit.

The scheme will also help bird life and Brian Reid, from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds says “It’s never too late to get involved and new projects are being started up every term”.