West Downs Day Nursery children celebrate Eco-Week

Green-fingered children from West Downs Day Nursery in Winchester were delighted to breathe new life into the garden as they took part in initiatives to mark Eco-Week.

At the award-winning setting on Romsey Road, pre-schoolers started by learning about child-safe plants that are native to the United Kingdom, before researching ones they could plant in their garden to help give a boost to threatened species. Following this, children used their tools to spread new soil in the bedding areas, before planting an array of seeds.

As part of the experience, children learnt of the steps they could take to help the seeds grow, as well as how to tend to the other plants in the garden. Meanwhile, families were delighted to be given their own seed bags and growing cards as part of the nursery’s parent partnership initiative, enabling children to continue the learning opportunity at home.

At West Downs, children take part in sustainable activities all year round, from creating habitats for animals to crafting with natural materials, leading them to earn a prestigious ‘Green Flag’, the highest accolade in the international Eco-Schools programme, which is awarded for exceptional environmental awareness and conservation practices.

West Downs Day Nursery Team Leader, Danni Markwick explained;

“We had a fantastic time planting in our garden and the children were thrilled to be able to share this experience with their families back at home. Our nursery parents are sending in pictures of their progress and we have been using this to link back to the topic. This has created lots of excitement and has really engaged the children in the Eco-Week festivities.”