Working with Young people: 

​

North Berwick Playgroup: This year NBIB volunteers helped the playgroup staff redesign the outdoor area into a colourful educational environment. We built a pallet bed and made an initial planting which the staff and children will tend and replenish.

​

North Berwick Nursery School: The nursery has been awarded its third Green Flag for the EcoSchools programme (the top level of the award).  Their playground is a wildlife garden, outdoor learning space and playground all in one. It is home to a native wildlife hedge, a wild corner, a water butt to collect rainwater and a log pile. A bird-cam allows the children to follow the progress of their nesting box, and they feed the birds daily. Garden waste is composted whilst a wormery deals with food waste.  The children plant, grow and tend their own fruit and vegetables. NBIB volunteers join in with these activities and are available for encouragement and advice.

 

Law Primary School:  School: Many of the classes use the outdoors as a context for learning. The P5s have been able to use a wooded area as a woodland classroom and three of our volunteers joined them for walks as part of the John Muir Award, which is an environmental scheme focussed on wild spaces. They also litter pick the beaches with the countryside ranger. Prior to Covid restrictions two NBIB/Gardening Club volunteers helped run a primary six gardening club at Law Primary with the aim of encouraging the pupils to learn about the practical side of gardening. The Club planted bulbs, hung bird boxes, tidied up leaves in the sensory garden and went online to find new plants for it. These volunteers are now organising an after-school club with the same aims for Primary 3 pupils ​.

In December NBIB, Marie Curie volunteers and council ground staff helped pupils plant 500 daffodils in an area of the school grounds.
​
In June 2019, the P6s held a climate change conference to which NBIB were invited. Our participation in the group, discussing trees, resulted in three of the pupils raising funds to buy sorbus trees for the Lodge which they helped to plant.

NBIB gives the primary and nursery schools, also the local playgroup and Brownies, miniature daffodil bulbs to plant in pots and enter the Caley spring bulb show in March. In 2022 all were awarded silver or gold certificates and Law Primary was the overall champion. The bulbs are then planted out in the school grounds.

​

North Berwick High School was the first High School in East Lothian to achieve the Green Flag award. NBIB volunteers have helped tidy an overgrown sanctuary garden and will meet with staff and pupils to plan its redevelopment. In the extra-curricular Duke of Edinburgh's Award horticulture is a skill and/or volunteering activity. Pre Covid a NBiB volunteer attended the S6 leavers fair to promote volunteering opportunities for senior pupils with NBIB and we plan to start this again

​
We are happy to get involved in any aspect of gardening and environment with our local schools.