Pancakes and Poo 17th February

On Tuesday we had our ‘Pancakes and Poo Morning’ as part of our ‘Arthur Hollins Centenary’ celebrations. We had lots of very enthusiastic young scientists from toddlers to 11 years of age ready to play and learn about the magic and science of ‘organic’ soil and it’s very important little inhabitants, ‘the worms’.  The weather was super kind and the day started with making bird feeders out of fir cones, mixed seeds and lard. The children were extremely busy and incredibly happy mixing the lard and seeds together, then pushing the mixture into pine cones ready to take home so the birds in the garden would have a little feast.
We then had a super time with the adults and children dancing and singing the ‘worm song’ beautifully, charming the worms up to the top of the soil. The children with spades at the ready, began to further explore the realm of the worms. Carefully lifting the small amounts of turf and then digging with garden forks the children discovered lots of worms which were then placed into the palm of little hands.  The children were either a little nervous or squealed with delight as the worms wriggled and tickled their hands. While Becca and Mike explained to the children the importance of worms in the health of the soil, the children peered at the little creatures through little magnifying glasses. Some of the children wanted to spend all day digging holes and exploring the soil.

Our next activity was using some of our organic soil and organic compost to plant seeds in pots, so the children could take them home and investigate how the sunflower, bergamot and lettuce seeds would sprout and grow into healthy plants with a little nurturing from them. The children loved the feel of the warm sandy soil and the rich, damp crumbly compost.
With a few moments to spare the children made little clay figures such as worms, snails and little pots. They then went to take a look at our ‘Gloucester Old Spot’ pigs. The children were delighted with the antics of the young pigs that were described by one child as “like big puppies wagging their tails.” The children were given small balls of dry grass to feed the pigs with; they thought this was great fun.
The morning finished with some hot and tasty pancakes made by Becca. The children thought these were delicious and ate them with great relish. A great time was had by all.