This year at GIY we’re doing a campaign with innocent to try and get kids growing in schools and at home, so they can understand where food comes from and enjoy the taste of home-grown food.
The innocent & GIY Sow and Grow pledge encourages teachers from around Ireland to sign up for a special free Sow & Grow pledge pack at www.innocentdrinks.ie/sowandgrow which includes seeds, soil, growing guides and lesson plans.
Once Teachers upload photos of their class planting seeds; they will receive a special Sow & Grow Certificate. Every class who takes the pledge could be in with a chance to win a day trip to Bloom and prizes worth up to €2500. The winning school will also receive €500 worth of growing equipment and one year’s mentorship from a GIY specialist in their local area. They will also get to meet Donal Skehan at Bloom! The Sow & Grow pledge runs from March to the end of May so sign up to get a special pledge pack now!
Free Sow & Grow Kit for your School
The Innocent and GIY Sow & Grow kits are designed to make growing really easy. They are accesible to all size of schools – you don’t even need to have a school garden.
The kids will be growing their seeds in special little GIY cups which they can keep in the classroom or bring home with them. The packs also have detailed instructions and lesson plans for teachers.
Each kit contains 30 packs of seeds, sowing cups, compost. lesson plans and work sheets. Register to receive your pack here.
The Prizes
- 1st prize – all expenses paid trip to Bloom in June for the winning class. The class will be presented with a €500 GIY voucher to invest in their garden plans. They will get to meet Donal Skehan and then head off for an afternoon at the zoo. To help them invest their winnings wisely the winning class will also get 12 months’ worth of mentoring from the team at GIY.
- 2nd Prize – €400 GIY Voucher
- 3rd Prize – €300 GIY Voucher
The Launch
GIY and Innocent launced the Sow & Grow schools campaign with Donal Skehan (home cook, food writer & photographer), Michael Kelly (GIY CEO), and the children from Rathfarnham Educate Together.
Pictured here are Caoimhe Flynn (9) and Maeve Kaluscha (10).
Donal Skehan says: “I’m really delighted to be part of the innocent and GIY Sow & Grow schools pledge. We want as many primary schools in Ireland to take part and get kids growing. It’s so important for kids to know where their food comes from and there is a real sense of achievement in growing your own food and using it to create delicious recipes. So roll up the sleeves and let’s get planting”
Michael Kelly says: “We want to create the next generation of budding GIYers and this campaign is designed to make seed sowing fun and accessible to all. We’re also conscious that we need to help busy teachers and make it easy for them to incorporate GIYing in to the curriculum. At the end of the Innocent and GIY Sow & Grow campaign we hope to have 15,000 new GIYers out there, experiencing all the benefits of home-grown food!”
