On October 1st we went on a trip to "Le Potager", a private estate in Chambesy with beautiful grounds. We were able to visit this garden thanks to a former Pregny student, Kirsty Griffiths. It was a really special and fascinating experience, enjoyed by grown-ups and children alike.
It was certainly rather impressive to arrive at our destination, ring a bell and have iron gates swing open to let us in. Once inside we found ourselves in a haven of calm, just a few metres away from the hustle and bustle of a fairly busy road. We followed a winding path, then went gingerly across a rather rickety bridge over a stream which flowed through a forest of bamboos. Close by we could see what looked like an army tent, with a hammock hanging outside. We wondered who might be sleeping there under the swishing bamboos.
After having a good look at a variety of fruit trees and an old fashioned vegetable garden, we found ourselves in a beautifully restored part of the greenhouse, with a marble floor, some garden furniture and even a piano. With Kirsty's help the children were introduced to a variety of herbs and were able to examine the huge stripey green seeds of the wisteria, compared with the minuscule brown seeds which fell out of the dead basil flowers.
The children were real risk-takers as they tasted mint, chives, spring onions, cherry tomatoes, basil and freshly picked apples and lettuce. Some children were amazed to see the inside of a fig with so many tiny seeds in the stunning red flesh. We would be able to take some figs back to school to try. In the vegetable garden we had discovered a large yellow courgette under the leaves and Kirsty cooked it for the children to eat at snack time. Most agreed that it was delicious. After snack the children had a wonderful time playing under the trees.
The children wrote a recount of their morning when they returned to school. Here are some of their comments.
We went on a bridge. The bridge was in a bamboo forest. Adam
We saw a tent in the bamboo forest. Faizal
I was a little bit scared of the bamboo forest. Ko
The greenhouse was cool. It was great fun. I loved the trip. Cillian
We went to a farm and we picked vegetables and fruits. We ate courgette for snack. Clara
We ate carrots and tomatoes. Miguel
We picked vegetables. I ate everything. Philip
We ate what we picked in the greenhouse. I had fun at the farm. Quentin
I saw a snail in the soil. Russell
I saw seeds inside the apples. Octavia
I saw a lot of fruits and vegetables. Emilie
We went to the giant bamboo forest. Federica
The girls went on one bus and the boys went on bus number 4. We ate snack there. Kate
We looked at all the different kinds of plants. Shashikant
When it was snack time we played the piano. Shouq
I saw three greenhouse and we played catch. Sofia
We cooked a big yellow pumpkin and then we ate it. Yona
