PLANT YOURSELF Amazing Parent Led P1-S1 Planting Project

Runner beans grown from seed and planted in tyres

"The idea is the p7's to grow some at Sciennes to be a happy welcome  for the new P1's starting, and to have some planted in  the high schools to welcome the new S1's as they get  rooted in their new schools."

 Kirstin Unger, Parent ECO Group

Parent Kirstin Unger has successfully led an extraordinary and ambitious project enabling all our 655 pupils to plant throughout the year.

Kirstin Unger, Parent Council ECO Group

Sciennes' Parent ECO Group  is a dedicated subgroup  of our Parent Council  which supports pupils, staff and our Pupil ECO Group, in close liaison with Business Manager Angela Christie.

An ambitious whole school aim this year to provide an opportunity for each of our 655 pupils (22 classes from P1-P7) to experience planting and tending for plants throughout their school year has been realised, thanks to the tireless dedication and efforts of our Parent Council ECO Group and most particularly parent Kirstin Unger. Kirstin has in fact also managed to extend the project to S1, by passing on sunflowers grown by P7 from seed to James Gillespie's High School, putting down roots to help them establish themselves as S1s in August.

For several years our Parent Council ECO Group has supported a project whereby each of our new P1 pupils has an opportunity to plant something soon after they arrive, to 'make their mark' on the school and feel an immediate sense of belonging. This year the Parent Council ECO Group has managed to extend this to all our pupils as part of a planned, seasonal programme, to build a school career long love of and interest in the environment and to improve our school grounds. A main theme has been 'Giving Nature a Home' and P6 pupils recently planted some of the sunflowers P7s grew from seed to encourage more bees and birds into our school grounds. In January, Kirstin kindly spoke at our Assemblies to promote participation in RSPB' s Big Garden Birdwatch which stimulated a great deal of interest in our pupils.

Raised beds have already been introduced as well as pallets for our school grounds with inbuilt watering facilities which allow pupils to tend plants in school time and to maintain plants in the summer holidays. 

The Parent Council ECO Group also work throughout the year with our Primary Three pupils in a programme of planting, tending and harvesting. Produce from the ECO Garden is harvested by pupils and used within curriculum healthy eating and cooking lessons. This year has also seen potato chitting and cultivation in the Meadows by P2s and P3s.

We are extremely grateful for the ongoing support of Kirsin and our fantastic Parent ECO Group, who continue to enhance pupils' practical experience and environment at Sciennes.

P6s and some of their parents helped plant strawberries in pallets

P5A planted this lovely display

Lavendar tree planted in Quiet Area by P5A

Growing from seed

P2 potato chitting

Planting in the Meadows

P3 planting in the ECO Garden at the rear of the school

P3 potato planting with parent Laura Bird

Thank you parent Cath McCormack and all the other parents who have supported the Parent Council ECO Group with an extraordinary amount of planting!

This visitor also enjoyed the ECO Garden!

We also thank parent Colin Sim for submitting a successful bid for funding and Gus and his team from Earth Calling for planting fabulous willow structures

Thank you very much, wonderful Kirstin, for all your time and efforts!