The document outlines a plan for an interactive learning environment at St Anne’s Community Allotments, focusing on conservation education for Year 9 students. It includes a vegetable patch to teach about healthy eating choices and the environmental impacts of meat consumption, as well as a litter area demonstrating the decomposition rates of various waste. Additionally, the program emphasizes observational learning through wildlife spotting to engage students with the natural ecosystem.

1. LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
St Anne’s Community Allotments

2. THE SPACE
• Oldest and largest area of Victorian detached town gardens in the
world.
• Grade 2* by English Heritage.
• 75 acres in the heart of Nottingham.
• Rare historical plants including 120 species of apple tree, 50 varieties of
pear.
• Thriving fauna, with over 59 species of bird spotted in the area.
• Species of moth, newt and others that have not been seen in
Nottingham in many years are being found in the area due to
conservation.

3. MY LEARNING RESOURCE
• St Anne’s Community Allotments are a unique outdoor space, therefore I
thought it was essential to make use of that.
• There is already a natural learning environment for conservation in the
allotments. They are attracting wildlife and providing a place for trees.
• Conservation of the planet is one of the most pressing issues facing
humans at the moment, and future generations are an essential part of
saving the planet.
• Therefore, my learning environment will be a trail around the allotments,
where children will learn about conservation and the environment.

4. ….CONTINUED
• The age that I would tailor my learning environment to would be
children in year 9.
• At this age, they are old enough to start to make lifestyle choices for
themselves, such as what food they eat.
• However, they are still very young, and it is important to instill values
and habits for conservation early on in children. This is particularly
important as they are moving through secondary school at this age, and
can have influence over friends or family members.

5. VEGETABLE PATCH
• Eating meat is extremely bad for the planet. Animal methane, water and
land consumption and use of fossil fuels are all reasons that excessive meat
eating causes damage to the planet.
• My first learning space would be a vegetable patch. At this vegetable patch, I
would label the different vegetables that are growing in the patch. The
children would be able to interact with the area, and examine the way the
vegetables are growing.
• Next to each vegetable, would be a small sign stuck in to the ground with a
fact on it about how choosing vegetable options when eating food.
• For example, a sign would include information that eating red meat
increases your chances of diabetes and heart disease. The children would be
able to take time over this area, reading and engaging with writing and the
vegetables.

6. LITTER AREA
• Following on from this, I would lead the children to the next area of my
pedagogy. This area would be focused on littering. Year 9 is an age where
children are starting to have more freedom to go places without potential
positive influences. This could potentially lead to more behavior such as
littering, which is bad for the local environment.
• In stark contrast to the vegetable patch, in this area I would take a bare area
of soil and place pieces of litter in the area. Next to each piece of litter, I
would inform the students of how long it takes to compose. For example, an
apple core would compose very quickly. By contrast, a plastic bottle or a
chocolate wrapper would take an extremely long time to compose in a
natural environment. This visual element of the negative impacts that
littering can have will encourage the children to think about conservation
and keeping their local area clean.

7. INTERACTIVE LEARNING
• It is very important to make certain aspects of learning interactive, in order
to keep students interested.
• Due to conservation efforts at the St Anne’s community allotments, certain
species of animals have now made a comeback in the area.
• I would take the children to the pond area, and encourage them to observe
the life that surrounds the space. There are many species of dragonfly, moth
and butterfly in the area, as well as numerous amphibians.
• I would ask the students to spot the animals that they see in the area over a
certain amount of time, and note down what they see on a sheet which
contains pictures and descriptions of the animals.
• Encouraging children to spot the wildlife themselves will keep them
engaged.