LOOKING forward to a flash of colour in the spring of 2017, pupils in Years 3 and 4 at St Joseph’s School planted huge numbers of flower bulbs in the school grounds on Friday, November 18.

These flower bulbs were generously provided by Bulbs4Kids, a programme that is allowing children to become familiar with flower bulbs and the world of nature in way that is also a lot of fun.

When the tulips, crocuses, daffodils and grape hyacinths start blooming early in the spring, the school garden will be bursting with colour. Each child created a design as to how they would like to see the bulbs growing and the most creative was chosen. Then the fun began with the planting of the bulbs.

Mrs Skerry signed up last spring to receive a flower bulb kit and so St Joseph’s joins 600 other classes in the United Kingdom by participating in the Bulbs4Kids programme. The flower bulb kit contained 600 flower bulbs, ten gardening trowels, 15 plant markers, 35 workbooks and one teacher’s guide.

To make planting flower bulbs even more exciting, the Bulbs4Kids programme also included a competition. The grand prize is the 2017 Golden Flower Bulb and an inspiring lesson about flower bulbs for the winning class. More information is available at www.bulbs4kids.com.

More and more studies are confirming the beneficial effects that the natural world has on our health. Playing in a natural environment and having hands-on experiences with plants contributes to the healthy balanced development of children. It has been shown to make children smarter, fitter and more creative.

With the wonderful outdoor areas available to St Joseph’s pupils, this project was perfect and totally in tune with the ethos of the school.