Our history

Children and outdoor learning with Go Flourish

In 2016, Go Flourish began with an ambitious dream to reconnect children with nature through outdoor learning. Each step of the journey has fuelled our growth, and we’re excited to continue expanding our mission.

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The roots of Go Flourish

The first seeds planted

‘Problems experienced in adulthood often have their roots in childhood experiences, so Go Flourish set out to reinstate the relationship between nature and learning that has largely been lost.

Our aim was to introduce gardens into schools locally with the intention that these high-quality, exceptional gardens would support curriculum learning.

Primary school kids enjoying an outdoor lesson with Go Flourish teacher

Dedicated teaching staff

Through our initial experience working with a local secondary school, we learnt that we had the opportunity to create a far more ambitious response to the challenge than originally envisioned.

It became clear that the gardens needed a full-time teacher gardener to work with teachers, to give a practical application to classroom learning.

The Stats

‘Gardens are
living laboratories, they provide a real-world
situation to learn in.’

Source

From farm to Go Flourish

Children learning through nature at Go Flourish

We began to host children on the farm teaching them to how to garden and to use the food we grow. We finish the morning sessions by eating the lunch we cook.

What we do is simple, but the impact on the children has far surpassed our expectations. The benefits don’t just stay within the garden—they spread to the classroom, to their peers, and even to their families.

The Go Flourish outdoor learning bird graphic

Forging ahead

Children enjoying a Go Flourish outdoor lesson with their primary school teacher

Our original objective, based on providing gardens in local schools, was seen to be too limited. Learning for Sustainability originated in Scotland and has been adopted by other countries. It is now present in a host of wider education improvement work streams across Scottish education such as STEM - Science, technology, engineering, mathematics and training strategy.

Now, Go Flourish is working to show how integrating gardens into the fabric of education is both affordable and effective, supporting broader educational improvements across the country.’