On Wednesday 23rd May 2024, it was Outdoor Classroom Day and 4D pupils had a special lesson with Mrs Tollit learning about Roman gardens, Latin plant names and the Greek myths behind some of common plants.

Narcissus was a Greek hunter who was punished by the gods to fall in love with the next person he saw. Stopping by a pool of water he saw his reflection and instantly fell in love with himself. Unable to pull himself away from the sight of his beloved, he wasted away until, on his death, the gods took pity on him and transformed him into a beautiful flower called Narcissus – a daffodil – and the derivation of the word narcissistic, excessive admiration for oneself.

Armed with the planting plan for our wonderful new Forest School and Science Garden, the pupils had fun in the sunshine, identifying (in Latin!) the many plants which we had just studied, then returned to the classroom to write up their learnings. One said, ‘I loved smelling the mint, and learning that it was used to disguise the smell of dead bodies’; another, ‘Before I didn’t know what a daffodil looked like when it wasn’t in flower.’