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The
children of the primary school in Markranstädt
The happy apprentice gardeners of the allotment garden association „Ost“
e. V.
The new generation of allotment gardeners of Markranstädt
A
school is looking for a garden
Our primary school was first established on a temporary located site,
on the outskirts of the local park in Markranstädt. Then, in 2001,
we moved into a new building in the town centre. During celebrations,
the schoolyard is used as a parking lot. As a consequence there is not
much space for greenery. Therefore we wanted to have a garden for our
school to be able to continue to be called “school situated in a
green environment”. The town council and the allotment garden association
“Ost” in Markranstädt have accepted our request. The
association offered us a plot of about 400 square meters on its own grounds.
The latter had been unused for one year. We laid it out together.
Sponsoring
In 2002, our sponsoring circle widened and we signed a sponsoring contract
between the district of Leipzig, of the allotment garden association of
western Saxony, the association Markranstädt „Ost“ e.
V. and the garden centre Klee of Leipzig. Our goal was to get the children
closer to nature and to make them discover nature and environment, to
stimulate their interest, their attention and to make them act in a responsible
way. We won the fifth contest of school gardens in Saxony, the theme of
which was “preserve the ancient, design the future: school gardens
are a bridge towards the world“.
On the occasion of this contest we have created a humid biotope with a
pond, a path of the senses based on natural materials, a border composed
of herbaceous hardy plants, a flowerbed of herbs and an hotel for insects.
The
school garden is a bridge towards the world
Our school garden is the first garden located at the main entrance of
the association. On one hand it looks like an allotment garden, but on
the other hand one notices that it is a school garden. Situated at the
entrance of the allotment garden association, its setting catches the
attention. It is part of the circle of green spaces in Markranstädt
and invites to rest and to observe.
The highlight of our work in the garden was the doing up of the shed.
We have created a new open-air sports hall and also an indoor classroom.
This “green classroom“ does not only serve for gardening classes,
but also for German, music and painting classes, all of which are particularly
appreciated by the schoolchildren.
This year, we took part in the 6th contest of school gardens of Saxony,
the theme of which was „our school is a garden“.
Furthermore we try to create a close relationship between the school garden
and the school with the aim to integrate it in the school programme.
The most important projects are the border of herbaceous hardy plants
turned into an educational circuit and the creation of a sun dial made
out of flowers.
Besides those specific activities we try to respect the conception of
the school garden of our school, which integrates pedagogical targets
like local geography and general teaching but also interdisciplinary targets.
In this way the schoolchildren cultivate beetroots, they sow and plant,
care for their plants and harvest.
They also
acquire knowledge about the cultivation of the ground, about the growth
of plants and the harvest of fruit. In this school garden the schoolchildren
can make experiences and they learn to observe and sharpen their senses.
The open air and the physical activity allow the student’s quality
of life to improve and are part of the education promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Conclusion:
The teaching in the school garden corresponds to the objective „to
learn with the senses“ and to the principles of Pestalozzi, which
are „to learn with the head, the heart and the hands“. The
work in the school garden realized up to now in Markranstädt was
only possible thanks to the close cooperation with the allotment garden
association, the town, the association of the district, the garden centre
and the support of the parents and the school.
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 „Let’s go and see if there is someone in this insect house“ |
„Together is always better“ |
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Elke Rosch
Assistant director of the primary in Markranstädt, Germany