Education
Through a working partnership with an increasing number of schools in Andover and surrounding villages, it is our aim for every young person in our community over the 10 years 2012 – 2021 to have planted at least one tree in Harmony Woods.
Every year over a two-week period in November and December since 2012, we have welcomed 1000 children and young people, their teachers, families and friends to plant the trees that have been growing in their school tree nursery beds.
How do we do this?
We source 1000 tree whips annually and between December and February deliver them to our 25 tree-planting schools
We deliver ProGrow, donated by Veolia and bagged by volunteers, to the schools to enrich the soil in the nursery beds
Pupils and school staff plant the trees in their school nursery beds and look after them until they can be lifted the following winter for planting in the wood
We provide transport over planting fortnight in November and December to bring the children and their trees to the wood
Supported by teams of volunteers we help the children and their teachers to plant the trees in the wood. Each year the wood grows a little more as anything between 600 and 1000 trees are added.
Building on this, we will work with a core group of schools over the coming years to embed the shared tree planting and creation of community woodland into teaching programmes, offer support to develop Learning In the Natural Environment (LINE) and develop Harmony Woods as a field study and education centre.
Six Trees and Six Flowers
Children leaving primary school will be able to identify 6 British native trees and 6 chalk downland wildflowers. This is to be achieved not only through planting, but through art and archaeology, science and storytelling.
Once we get to know something we learn to value and respect it;
Once we value something, we want to protect it.
Something to Inspire...
FutureLearn - a website offering online courses led by university professors on a wide range of topics.
Interesting Podcasts:
Interesting environmental and scientific websites:
Interesting people and organisations:
Common Ground: Common Ground is an arts and environmental charity based in Dorset
The Children’s Forest: A network of outdoor places dedicated to connecting children to nature
The Sylva Foundation: helping forests thrive for people and for nature
Flora Locale: Promoting the restoration of wild plants & habitats for biodiversity, landscapes & people
Plantlife: Plantlife actively campaigns on a number of issues affecting our wild plants and fungi
Richard Shilling: Landart – Richard makes sculptures from natural materials.
BugLife: An organisation devoted to the conservation of all invertebrates.