Published 08.05.2025
by Kids’ Own
by Kids’ Own
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A children's arts organisation and publishing house.
This summer, we were delighted to partner with Sligo Children’s Community Garden on a creative workshop with children and parents, led by our associate writer Jo Holmwood.
The session formed part of a wider programme facilitated by artists Ruth Le Gear and Melissa Culhane, exploring the garden as a place of safety, magic, and self-expression. Children were asked what the garden meant to them – and their responses shaped a day full of storytelling, drawing, and conversation.
One of the highlights was the use of the Story Shed, a new garden building that offered shelter, inspiration and a gathering point for the group. Inside, the walls quickly filled with drawings and self-portraits – turning the space into a living archive that told the story of the people who had passed through.
Children also created maps of the garden, showing the spaces that felt most meaningful to them – the pond, pumpkin patches, and secret corners included. They observed and discussed the “dance of the bees”, and reflected on the garden’s commitment to sustainability through the use of a rainwater harvesting system, funded by LAWPRO.
From there, the children explored the journey of a raindrop, made a collaborative river drawing, and thought about their own place within the garden’s ecosystem.
We were pleased to support this project by funding the printing of a beautiful new leaflet, which documents the artwork and observations created by the children, families and artists involved.
Warm thanks to our friends at Sligo Children’s Community Garden, as well as to LAWPRO and Creative Ireland for supporting this work.
This partnership aligns closely with our wider focus on place-based creative engagement with children. You can find a deeper exploration of this theme in our recent publication,
🌿 A Year in Our Garden https://kidsown.ie/product/a-year-in-our-garden/