yards into green spaces of learning By Patricia Calnan Schools across Bermuda are preparing to celebrate International School Grounds Day on Friday.

Promoted by Learning Through Landscapes Bermuda (LTLB), which encourages schools to improve the educational and recreational use and environmental quality of their grounds, Bermuda will join with schools in Europe, the US and Canada. This will be the third time that Bermuda has participated in the annual event.

To date, 23 pre-schools and primary schools -- as well as the Island's middle schools -- have signed up for the day-long observation, with the Ministers of Education, Environment, and Works and Engineering scheduled to visit the many projects and displays on view.

Since the Bermuda scheme was inaugurated, schools throughout the Island have been visibly transformed, as gardens, `quiet' and play areas have been created. There has also been greatly increased use of school grounds as a place of learning. Some of the wide range of subjects that are regularly moved out of doors include science, environmental studies, English and Maths.

Events and activities planned for Friday include picnics, gardening, storytelling, outdoor lessons, creating outdoor murals and staging art shows, a scavenger hunt and playground games such as marbles, skipping and hopscotch.

In many schools, parents are invited to join in the celebration.

At Francis Patton Primary School, for instance, there will be a family picnic, with invited guests and parents telling stories. In their Maths lesson, students will be measuring the height and girth of trees in the school grounds and in P.E., they will be measuring the distance children can jump from standing position and throwing objects with two hands. In the music department, children will be making some unusual instruments by using seeds and berries.

At Southampton Glebe School, students, staff and parents will help to install a fish pond, do some `square foot' gardening, plant flowers and have lunch in the grounds, while at St. David's Preschool, there will be painting, blowing bubbles, waterplay, gardening and storytelling in the grounds.

St. David's Primary School will be labelling all the trees in their grounds with specially-made, permanent signs and at Whitney Institute Middle School, six palm trees donated by Tulo Valley Nursery will be re-potted, with further planting of seedlings in the garden area of the school.

"We are thrilled with the response,'' says Romelle Warner, Bermuda coordinator of the scheme. "Now that the overall scheme is well underway, I have a sense that people -- teachers and students -- are feeling comfortable with the idea of sitting reading outside -- and the realisation that if people are to do this, adequate shade and seating has to be provided.

We are also pleased,'' she adds, "that schools are now starting to pay attention to the care of the play equipment that's been installed and are identifying with the fact that `long life' means maintenance. We work closely with Works & Engineering, and Danny Simmons, who is a trainee landscape architect with the department, has been very supportive of our work.'' Siobhan Hayward, of Learning Through Landscapes in the UK, is back on her third visit to the Island, as temporary advisor on the scheme. "I have re-visited some of the schools and have been impressed with the progress made since I was last here,'' she says, adding that in some schools, every single class is involved in some aspect of the scheme.

Ms Hayward, who shortly takes up a new post with the Black Environment Network, based in Wales, says her work for the Bermuda project has proved extremely rewarding. "I am going to be a development worker with different ethnic groups in the UK, getting them involved in environmental projects throughout the country.'' Rose Douglas, of East End Primary School, says that LTLB has been a "huge success''. Her students are busy creating a nature reserve with lilies, begonias and, now, a rain forest area. "That's the most challenging,'' she laughs. "Some of the plants were unfortunately cleared out by the grounds people but E. Michael Jones has been very helpful to us and is bring us some bromeliads to replace them.'' Noting that the school's handicapped children are now becoming involved in the project, Ms Douglas feels this is a good way to demonstrate their policy of inclusion. "I think the children are very proud of what they are doing,'' she says. Ms Douglas is also proud -- because her school won a `Best in Show' cup with produce from their vegetable garden. The next plan, she reveals, is a rose garden, featuring Bermuda roses, of course. "We have already been given two bushes, and we want to expand our vines and passion flowers.'' LTLB is sponsored by the Bermuda Zoological Society, The Garden Club of Bermuda, The Bermuda Botanical Society, Heddington Insurance Limited and is supported by the Department of Education.

Photos by Pamelle Warner GREEN GENERATION -- Students from 23 Island pre, primary, and middle schools will be celebrating the third anniverary of `learning through landscapes' on Friday, including those from Elliott Primary School (top and lower left pictures) who this year planted Bermuda cedars and lots of flowers.