THIS term, Year 3 pupils at Castle Park Primary School Monmouthshire, have had the pleasure of taking part in a Creative Schools Project.

Partly funded by the Arts Council for Wales, the project was an opportunity to introduce and develop creative skills with the children.

The project aimed to combine a combination of drama, poetry writing, art and outdoor learning to re-engage learners on their return to school after a term of remote learning.

Re-building relationships, communication skills and reigniting a passion for learning. The project achieved this and more. The pupils were totally engaged with planning and building a wild space, ‘Butterfly Garden’, with the help of creative practitioner Lynn Clausen and garden designer Emma Gardner. With live visits to the Eligro Nature reserve in Brecon, via Teams, the children became wildlife experts and developed a passion for gardening and nature.

Turning a patch of the school field into a butterfly garden and wild space was no easy task.

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The children did absolutely everything, from clearing the land to making pathways, to building hedges and structures. They researched, planned, ordered and placed plants and trees to build a garden that will be a valued part of the school for years to come.

An important part of Lead Creative Schools is the legacy that it leaves for years to come and the garden will certainly do that. We are very proud of what the children have achieved and they are already looking ahead to possibilities for next year’s project using their motto ‘Together we can’, in the words of one of the pupils, ‘If we can build a garden, we can do anything!’.

Year 3 Blog (written by pupils)

Creative Schools Butterfly Garden Project

Year 3 have been taking part in a creative gardening project. It started with marking out the garden with sticks and rope. We worked together and were able to mark it out quickly. We dug holes for plants.

We made an entrance out of willow and bamboo and we made a path as well. We seemed to be doing a lot of exercise and hard work. We built a dead hedge and the shape was like a semicircle to frame the garden. Next, we weaved in willow and bamboo to make the exit. After, we made a wigwam with willow and bamboo. Under the wigwam there is a little log that you can sit on, so basically, it's a little shelter that you can relax in whenever you want to, or even read a book. It’s a place that is peaceful and makes you feel happy.

Then we made a hedgehog house. We started by digging a big hole we used flipped over grass and piled it on the edges and into a domed shape. We’ve tried to make homes for animals and insects.

We really enjoyed it and we were out of the classroom for three days while we were doing the actual garden build - ‘The Big Dig’. Some things we learned were; how to work well in a group, how to use gardening tools (shovels and forks), also we learned how to use natural materials to make things. We have used many different plants to attract different insects. We researched which plants would attract butterflies and bees and included these in our garden. We can’t wait to watch our garden grow and see the animals and insects make their homes there.