Bloomin’ Brilliant

By Alice Gall

Little Blooms UK is a local nature and gardening class for children aged two to six.  With so many activities available for our wee ones, this is a class that to me sounded quite different, and I was keen to try something new with my little boy, James.  As my own horticultural knowledge and experience is sadly lacking, I had some concerns that James might be missing out on a green-fingered education.  Our garden is the size of a postage stamp, and our only house plants tend to be herbs, destined for the dinner table. 

Avril has given both James and me the confidence to get our hands mucky and get stuck in. Thankfully Avril Fulton, the owner and founder of Little Blooms UK, is a dab hand with both gardening and children.  A former primary school teacher, she now runs her educational and fun classes in both Glendoick Garden Centre, and Active Kids in Stanley.  James and I signed up for a four-week block at Glendoick and made the short journey by bus from Perth.

Locals will need no reminding of the attractions of Glendoick – suffice to say that James and I were a little early, but passed our time very pleasantly in the new playpark, indoor beach and café.  When we arrived at the conservatory, Avril handed James a watering can filled with rainwater, and he promptly began watering the herb and flower gardens as if he’d been doing it all his life.  Any worries I’d had about James and I being ‘beginners’ quickly disappeared.

GALLERY

Once inside, the class started with a welcome song and an introduction to the activities on offer that day.  A different theme is explored each week, and I soon realised that Avril isn’t just encouraging children to admire pretty flowers.  Her classes are a broad introduction to connecting with nature, planting the seeds (pun fully intended) for a lifelong respect for the natural world.  She highlights the link between what we grow in the earth, and what we eat from our plates, but always keeps the class fun, light and relaxed.

James particularly enjoyed ‘farm’ week, where he went straight to the craft table to create a colourful cockerel, and then found the playdough to cut out some animal shapes, before becoming completely enthralled by a tiny toy tractor.  The highlight of his morning was undoubtedly planting his very own viola.  When we started Little Blooms my only real hope and expectation was that James might get his hands in some earth, and I wouldn’t have to clean up the mess.  However, he surprised me by digging in with his trowel, filling up a flowerpot with compost, and patting it down around the flower without hesitation.  Turns out this gardening malarkey comes pretty naturally to a two-year-old!

The class size is kept small so Avril is always on hand to assist with planting, and to answer any queries.  The children (and carers) can take things at their own pace, which is helpful for little ones still working on their fine motor skills, and relaxing for adults needing to recharge their batteries! The conservatory at Glendoick really feels like a little haven of peace; it makes a lovely change from the noise and bustle of playgroup, or bouncing off the walls at soft play.

The group comes together for a story, chosen to fit the theme of each class.  Our farming theme prompted ‘The Little Red Hen’ and Avril takes special care to ensure she holds the attention of each child.  Then ‘Belinda Bee’ appears.  Belinda is a class mascot who is sent home at the end of every class with one of the children.  Her adventures are then written down in a notebook and shared with the class the following week.

We finish up with a song and a sticker, and of course the children get to take home their completed craft and newly-planted flower.  After a couple of weeks, I scoured our ramshackle little garden to find a big old tub of earth, and James planted out his Little Blooms flowers with care.  Over the last couple of years, with all my attention on nurturing a child, I haven’t felt capable of feeding and watering anything else! But Avril has given both James and me the confidence to get our hands mucky and get stuck in. I figure if a two-year-old can do it, anyone can.

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