At the end of 2025, Buchlyvie Primary School reached out to us looking for support for their school garden.
The aim was simple: to create more opportunities for outdoor learning and give pupils hands-on experiences with nature, growing food, and caring for the environment around them.
As a company rooted in timber and outdoor spaces, it immediately felt like something worth getting behind.
So we donated a garden shed to help support the project – giving the school somewhere practical to store tools and materials as the garden continues to grow.
But after recently visiting the school myself, I realised very quickly that this story was never really about the shed.
It was about the children and the learning experience.
A Small School with a Big Sense of Community
Buchlyvie Primary is a small rural school with just 36 pupils – a huge contrast to many schools across Fife and central Scotland with hundreds of students.
For contrast my own daughter is in a primary school of over 500 pupils.
But what stood out wasn’t the size of the school. It was the atmosphere.
There was a genuine sense of connection between the pupils, staff, the outdoor space, and the wider community supporting it all.
The school garden itself is becoming much more than somewhere to grow plants. It’s a place where pupils can experiment, work together, learn responsibility, and simply spend time outdoors.
And the children spoke about it in ways that both melted my heart and made me proud. As someone who has benefited hugely from the outdoors in terms of mental health – it just felt utterly right.
“It feels nice to be outside and it makes me happy.”
One of the strongest things about the visit was how naturally the pupils could articulate what being outdoors does for them.
Not in rehearsed answers. Just honestly.
“I like planting and doing all the gardening and helping out. It feels nice to be outside and it makes me happy.” CJ, P6
“Outside makes me feel refreshed and relaxed. It can also help me when I’m tired because everyone can run about and have fresh air. What I like most about outdoor learning is that we can all come back every day and see how much the garden has improved and grown. I love running around and getting a stretch.” Lucy, P6
“Being outdoors makes me happy because it has fresh air and lots of beautiful lichen.” PR, P5
There was something incredibly grounding about hearing children speak this way.
In a world where we’re constantly battling screens, technology, and indoor lifestyles, it felt important to stop and really listen to them.
One pupil even said they would happily be outside all the time – even in the rain.
I completely agree!
Learning Beyond the Classroom
What became clear very quickly is that outdoor learning at Buchlyvie isn’t separate from learning.
It is learning.
During the visit, pupils were planting potatoes and runner beans while discussing watering, soil, nutrients, and how manure helps things grow.
Others were fascinated by insects moving through the soil.
Some proudly shared how they grow fruit and vegetables at home with their families, while others spoke about helping parents and grandparents with gardening and outdoor jobs.
“What I like most about outdoor learning is that we are outside and we learn how to plant fruit and veg. How being outside makes me feel when I am in a grump I go outside and then after a minute or 2 I am cheerful. Why I think it is important to take care of nature is because it helps with your mood and it is where we get our food.” FM, P6
These aren’t just gardening lessons.
They’re lessons in patience, teamwork, wellbeing, responsibility, sustainability, and understanding the natural world around us.
One pupil made sure I knew how responsible it made him feel.
The Maple Hut
The shed itself has already become part of school life.
The pupils have named it “The Maple Hut” because of the sweet smell of the Radiata timber inside – which felt like exactly the kind of detail only children would notice.
That made it even more special.
“The thing I like most about outdoor learning is that you get to explore the garden and plant so many cool things and learn so many new things. Being outside makes me feel happy because I’m working hard to make the garden pretty and do really fun things and getting fresh air. The thing I like about the maple hut is that we can store our tools and keep our tools safe.” Emily, P6
The name reflects something much bigger than storage.
It reflects ownership. Pride. Care.
The pupils are invested in this space because they are actively shaping it themselves.
The Power of Community Support
One thing that became very clear during the visit is that projects like this don’t happen alone.
The school has received support from the wider community through donations of seeds, tools, materials, and time – all helping create opportunities that may otherwise have been difficult to access.
Headteacher Yvonne Gibb described the environment as the school’s “third teacher” – a phrase that stayed with me long after leaving.
“At Buchlyvie, we believe that the environment is the ‘third teacher.’ Seeing our pupils flourish in the garden—developing resilience, teamwork, and a deep respect for nature—is incredibly rewarding. This generous support from Gillies & Mackay and our local community doesn’t just provide us with a shed; it provides our children with a sense of pride and a functional hub for their outdoor discovery. It’s about more than just gardening; it’s about growing confident, happy individuals.”
Like many schools, Buchlyvie still faces challenges around funding, weather, and resources – especially during the colder months.
But despite that, the enthusiasm from both staff and pupils is undeniable.
Looking Ahead
Spending time with the pupils at Buchlyvie was genuinely inspiring.
Their enthusiasm for the outdoors was infectious and, truthfully, I found myself learning alongside them.
It reminded me that nature is one of our greatest assets – but future generations can only learn to value and protect it if they are given the opportunity to experience it first-hand.
It’s a skill that I wish I learned growing up and it’s something I wish my own children had more of an opportunity to do beyond academics.
For us at Gillies & Mackay, this project also reflects something much wider.
Over the last 37 years, we’ve been incredibly fortunate to have support from customers and communities across Scotland. ShedLove – an initiative we’re currently developing – is about finding ways to give some of that support back in meaningful ways to schools, communities, and individuals who may benefit from spaces like these.
Because sometimes a simple outdoor space can become something much bigger.
A place to learn. A place to grow. A place to connect.
And at Buchlyvie Primary, that’s exactly what’s happening.
