Tockington plants the Seeds of Learning with new Nursery Garden  

Tockington Manor School and Nursery was thrilled to unveil its new revamped garden for the Nursery in the summer term. Far from being just a simple outdoor area for the little ones to play in, the project saw the garden transformed from simple grass and beds to a veritable feast of activities and learning opportunities for the 2-4-year-olds who attend.  

Tockington Manor School and Nursery has very much an outdoor ethos, so turning the garden into a place where children can learn was a fitting improvement. Head Gardener in charge of the project, Joe Lloyd, created a plan that saw the space zoned into different areas.  

“Things have moved on when it comes to children’s learning spaces outdoors,” says Sally Pearce, TMS Nursery Manager. “We had this tremendous opportunity to revamp the garden with different zones to promote communication, motivation and physical skills, alongside very important social skills.”  

A largely unused area at the bottom of the garden featured old concrete slabs. These have been replaced with astroturf and peppered with wooden huts, built on site, to create a mini-village. Here children can play shop, look after their teddies and find toy resources to tend the garden.  

“Alongside the new Mud Kitchen, the village helps the children’s language development and creative expression and promotes a bit of independence,” says Sally.   

Joe wanted to make the most of a long stone wall on one side of the garden and created discovery spaces for the children to have fun whilst learning and playing. “For the music wall, we made some dowels which the children can use to bang and crash as much as they like – an old saucepan never goes amiss!” he laughs, adding that it’s a great way for the children to learn how different things make different sounds. “Next to it we created a water play area because what child isn’t fascinated by water?” The water wheel and chute is one of the most-loved features of the garden and is great for encouraging teamwork, not to mention providing a brilliant opportunity to teach the tots about gravity.   

Whilst the water area contains a few bits of necessary plastic, sustainability was high on the agenda for the Nursery Garden project. Everything supplied was sourced from the local community, or at least within a three-mile radius, with much of the garden materials being crafted on site.  

“The nature area is formed by a fence that has been made from natural materials and we’ve used fallen trees to carve up logs for the children to sit on, so there is zero footprint,” explains Joe. “We’ve created little areas for them to sit and discover nature – it’s an invitation to explore.”  

The natural canopy of the trees gave Joe and the estates team a cue of what to plant here including grasses and greenery, although there are plenty of flowers elsewhere in the garden to attract wildlife. An abundance of tactile plants and vegetables encourage touch and smell to stimulate the children’s senses. An old bug hotel has been smartened up and the children enjoy investigating what’s made a home inside.  

“The new Nursery Garden is just spectacular.” Says Tockington Manor Headmaster Stephen Symonds. “We make a concerted effort here throughout the school, from Nursery right up to our Year 8s, to spend time outdoors every day – wellies are nearly part of our uniform! This area allows our youngest children to really embrace that right from their start here as part of the TMS family. It’s very much in keeping with our school ethos to embrace the outdoors completely.”  

The Owls (age 3-4) and Woodpeckers (age 2-3) are used to their Welly Walks every day and enjoy bringing back what they’ve found and telling their families what they’ve learnt. If the weather is good, they can can come back and read books independently in the cosy space that has been created under the new pergola, closer to the Nursery building itself.    

The Nursery Garden project was made possible through a donation from the school’s ‘Friends of Tockington Manor’. The FOTM raise money throughout the year by holding events like fun runs, balls, cake sales and fun days. These funds are allocated for specific projects and initiatives for the benefit of the children attending the school and nursery. TMS Nursery children for years to come are going to enjoy this fantastic space, which proudly wears both a sustainable and educational hat, whilst still being loads of fun. 

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