Edible Playgrounds – answers
1 ….that big?
2 spot on – informal – absolutely right
3 ……… it doesn’t have to be a fancy one. We often use fancy to mean ‘elaborate’ ‘special’ or ‘complicated’, and ‘nothing fancy‘ to mean ‘ordinary’. Eg ‘Let’s just have a quick lunch – nothing fancy, just a sandwich.’
4 …..different from that of adults.
(Actually he says different to….- he should have said different from (similar to / different from). Note that he could have said "children’s perception of space is different from adults‘ "– when there would be an apostrophe, showing it meant that of adults)
5 That it is nice a) to feel hugged by the plants b) to see things at a low level, c) to be able to feel and d) touch the plants, and savour / smell the e) flavours and the f) leaves.
6 ……..starting children off.
7 …….in a matter of a week.
In a matter of (+ time) = no more than, in about
8 ……… ‘something of a challenge‘.
Challenge is often used as a euphemism for ‘difficulty’. We sometimes avoid the negative connotation of describing very difficult children / relatives / neigbours / patients / adolescents / etc by calling them or their behaviour / attitudes ‘challenging‘.
9 …… more powerful link than the connection with food and growing.
10 "……. what you make with wheat?"
11 ……….texture to them.
12 ……..cornflakes, popcorn, and corn on the cob.
13 As a kind of salad grazing bar – the idea of this is that children in a school might be able to pick and mix the leaves and make their own colourful salads.
14 ………. pop things in here & there. (Pop – informal – put)
15 A wormery
16 ‘The worms chomp up all your leftover food and turn it into lovely crumbly soil.’
Chomp up – informal = chew / eat up
17 …..a world of excitement out there if children are given a chance to do it.
18 It has been transformational every time – the impact has been transformational.
19 ………..for growing blueberries & cranberries.
20 He describes 1) the real satisfaction of seeing children interacting with the plants and the garden and says 2) he has had such a buzz from watching 750 children pass through the garden.
He has had such a buzz watching ….. informal = he has so enjoyed, he has been so inspired / delighted / thrilled / excited watching …..
Vocabulary
spot on – informal – absolutely right
Note: He has noticed children putting their feet on the footprints and then religiously going round and round.
Religiously is sometimes used loosely to mean ‘faithfully’ or ‘scrupulously’, ‘showing careful attention to detail or accuracy’.
Eg ‘He checks his emails religiously‘ would mean ‘he makes sure he checks them reliably often’.
To start sth off – phrasal verb – to begin by doing something, or to make something begin by doing something; get something started:
Eg I like to start the day off by reading the newspaper from cover to cover.
"We’d both like to start off by thanking you all for coming today."
Our boss wants to start (off) the meeting (off) with the monthly sales report.
In a matter of (+ time) = no more than, in about
Eg in a matter of days – within a few days
Flapjack – noun – a type of sweet chewy cake made from oats
Pop = informal – put. Pop has a connotation of effortlessness or lack of formality about it, sth that can be done quickly and easily.
Eg He popped the meat in the oven = he put the meat in the oven.
Pop can also mean ‘go‘. Eg ‘I’ll pop and change‘ ‘If you want to pop in next week, that would be lovely…’. ‘pop in ‘ = visit for a short time, or without warning = ‘If you’d like to come and visit me next week you can just call in.’
Be sure you know what you’re doing if you ‘pop the question‘ = informal for ‘propose marriage’.
have / get a buzz from doing sth – informal – to get great excitement / joy / delight / enjoyment from doing sth
give sb a buzz – informal – to telephone someone:
eg I’ll give you a buzz next week. If you have any other questions, just give us a buzz.