Our feel-good Friday story this week is all about the brilliant work our Hereford team has done creating an allotment to give our foster families and young people opportunities to meet and connect with other families whilst offering a great way of spending time with nature and being able to encourage, observe and enjoy wildlife.
Children are fascinated by the process of how things grow and are even more excited by being able to taste what they have harvested. Growing vegetables requires gaining knowledge and new skills and the satisfaction gained from eating their first grown vegetable makes them taste even more delicious– which is why allotment gardening is perfect for curious minds and mouths! And with the cost of living increasing a few free fruit and vegetables can’t go a miss!
Kayleigh our Social Work Assistant, who leads the allotment project often offers support to our Foster Carers by taking their young people out for activities, which often involves a trip to the allotment. An activity to encourage children to lead a healthier lifestyle, allowing them to grow healthy foods and engage in extra physical activity along with many other benefits.
Children who have planted seeds and watch a crop grow are much more likely to eat vegetables routinely and establish healthy eating habits. This year we have strawberries, mint, potatoes, pumpkins, leaks, carrots, swede, beetroot, cabbage, and lettuce growing as well as lots of flowers.
The proven mental health benefits of spending time outdoors are increasingly being noted with studies showing that nurturing plants and observing nature makes people feel calmer. Whilst gardening is educational it also allows our young people to develop new skills including responsibility, understanding, self-confidence, teamwork and communication which is something many of our young people who come to us struggle with.
Gardening encourages our young people to stimulate all five senses. We have lots of flowers planted for sensory purposes. Sensory play by feeling the texture of the soil, the flowers, the petals, and seeds can be very beneficial for a young person’s development. It provides emotional regulation by providing a calming effect on children’s angry or anxious feelings. Develops fine motor skills through tactile play and handling tiny seeds and helps our young people understand how their actions affect what’s around them.
Having our allotment also allows us a place to occasionally host our Coffee and Craft Mornings for our foster carers, where they made a bug hotel and bird feeders. We hope to have lots of residents in our bug hotel as identifying butterflies, going on bug hunts and listening to bird songs are all things which can capture a child’s imagination while helping out on the plot.
Working our plot year- round means we experience the seasons, witness the behaviour of birds, insects, and other animals, and gain an understanding of the eco-system. This appreciation of the natural world also has the potential to inspire more environmentally aware behaviour by our young people as well as giving us a chance to reuse a few household or garden items and reduce our waste.
Not only does our allotment benefit our foster families and young people but it gives our Hereford team a space where they can go for their staff wellbeing sessions and allows a little team building as they get together to help rake, weed and maintain the allotment all year round.
