Term 3 – Our First Rewarding Harvest

Where did Term 3 go? So much happened, and the time flew by!

We began with kumara and potatoes, always a favourite because digging them up feels like a treasure hunt. We watched a video about potatoes and placed them in egg cartons on the windowsill. By the end of the term, they'd sprouted little "pimples" (shoots), ready to be planted. During the last week, the boys enjoyed digging a trench to plant them. Now, they’ll grow over the holidays, and I can't wait to see the tamariki's reactions when the plants sprout next term. The kumara, sitting in water alongside the potatoes, also grew long shoots, which will be ready for planting in November.

On wet days, we took the opportunity to start planting summer crop seeds in punnets. The tamariki explored the variety of seed sizes and colors, discovering how even the tiniest seed can grow into a large vegetable. We planted beans, pumpkins, watermelon, tomatoes, zucchini, corn, cucumbers, and sunflowers. By Term 4, these seedlings should be ready for transplanting into the garden beds.

Another big project was mulching around the garden boxes to stop grass from creeping in and to create better paths. We laid cardboard first, then added mulch. I was amazed at how well the younger kids handled the wheelbarrows, and they loved climbing the mulch pile! The transformation was fantastic.

The tamariki were rewarded with bright red radishes. Each child got to pull one out, and while some found them spicy, others couldn’t stop eating them. It was great to see them trying something new.

Our garden is growing, both with food and new additions. Over the last month, we added an apple and a plum tree to join our lemon tree. The tamariki were excited to plant them, though surprised to see bare "sticks." I explained that the trees are dormant now but will bloom in summer. Jake and Warren, who have been a huge help, assisted us with the planting.

We also received a new garden shed, generously funded by the Papamoa Rotary Club. The tamariki helped me to move all the tools into it. The shed, now located right by the garden, will make our work much easier. Thank you, Papamoa Rotary Club!

To attract bees and butterflies, we learned they need plenty of flowers. Warren built a colourful border around the old long jump area, which we are transforming into a flower garden. The tamariki helped weed the area, and we planted sunflowers and scattered flower seeds.

On our last gardening day of Term 3, we harvested lots of vegetables for the tamariki to take home—cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli, radishes, and silverbeet. It was so rewarding to see how amazed they were at the growth since we started.

Happy holidays, tamariki! I’m looking forward to another fun term with you.

Celebrating Community and Nature: Our School Garden Project

In Term 2, the garden plan came alive! The school community came together for a fantastic event that combined teamwork, learning, and a lot of fun. The goal was to build and fill twelve new garden boxes. On a Tuesday morning, there was an amazing turnout of support from parents, grandparents, and friends. We gathered on the school grounds, along with the excited students and teachers, for a quick briefing. Armed with tools, wheelbarrows, and lots of enthusiasm, we set out to build twelve tin garden boxes and plant eleven feijoa plants. By midday, all the garden boxes were built, layered with cardboard, and filled with clippings and soil. 

The community working bee day was a great success. It was heartwarming to see so many people come together to support our school garden project. The sense of community and team effort made this day unforgettable.

Once the boxes were ready, it was time for the most exciting part—planting the seedlings! These were not just any seedlings, they were ones we had nurtured from seeds in our classrooms. Watching our tiny seeds grow into healthy seedlings had been a rewarding experience, and now, planting them in our new garden boxes felt like a significant milestone. We planted a variety of vegetables and flowers, each student carefully placing their seedlings into the soil.

As part of the school’s Matariki celebrations, we prepared vegetables to cook some delicious soup. The kids took charge of peeling and chopping the vegetables, which included carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, onions, and garlic. It was wonderful to see that the little ones could handle a peeler so well and weren’t shy about peeling onions and garlic. The food scraps went into the worm farm, and we kept the pumpkin seeds for future planting. Nothing goes to waste.

Another highlight of the day was planting a lemon tree for Matariki. Planting a tree symbolises growth and new beginnings. In a few years, when we are picking the lemons, which are a winter fruit, it will serve as a permanent reminder of our first school garden Matariki celebration. The tree found a special spot in a raised garden box, built by Warren.

We also had some rainy day activities. The tamariki painted colourful garden markers, and I loved their creativity. Kids’ artwork is priceless! These markers will help us identify the vegetables in the school garden and they instantly add a splash of colour to a grey winter's garden.

To finish off Term 2, we participated in the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey. This activity involved counting and identifying birds around our school grounds. Equipped with binoculars and counting sheets, the tamariki worked together to spot various bird species. It was a peaceful end to our busy term, connecting us further with the natural world.

We are looking forward to watching our garden grow and flourish, and I can’t wait to continue our gardening adventures in Term 3 as we march towards spring!

Welcome to our Garden!

Welcome to Golden Sands School! I’m Nina from PiPS, and I’m excited to work with your school and establish a new school garden with you!

In Term One, I had the pleasure of working with the Year One classes. I am surprised by the curiosity and interest of the tamariki, and I’m pleased to feel that they have gotten to know me by the end of Term One.

Golden Sands School already has two worm farms, so we had a morning learning about the anatomy of worms, the difference between earthworms and tiger worms, and what they like to eat. We then took action by freshening up the two worm farms, feeding them food scraps and newspapers, and exploring how worm tea is beneficial in our school garden.

After the long school holidays, the existing school garden was a bit overgrown. We were lucky enough to have sunny weather each week and spent time outside exploring which insects we could see and find, as well as starting to weed the veggie patches. The tamariki sprinkled their first veggie seeds such as carrots, radishes, and calendula for the bees straight into the garden, and we started planting seeds for our winter crop into punnets, such as silverbeet, cabbage, and celery. I loved seeing how well they took care of these seedlings. These will be planted in Term Two into the new garden beds.

Another fun activity was making an insect hotel out of tin cans. We filled each can with different natural materials like rocks, sticks, straw, and pine cones where the insects can hide. We placed the “bug hotel” outside, and hopefully, lots of insects will start to move in!

We learned about herbs, their different aromatic smells, their uses in cooking and teas, and their medicinal properties. The kids’ favorite smells were lemon balm and mint! By creating a herb garden, we planted some new herbs such as rosemary, oregano, thyme, and lemon balm along with the existing garden.

Before Easter, the tamariki decorated white butterflies recycled from milk bottles. That was definitely a favourite fun activity for the kids. We put them on wooden sticks and placed them in the garden, they will hopefully scare away the real white butterflies from laying their eggs on our vegetable plants.

On our last day before the school holidays, the tamariki explored how to save seeds. I brought a sunflower head, some dried flowers, and some seed pods from kale and broccoli. We learned about the different sizes seeds have, how to find them, and the cycle of creating more plants from an existing plant. The tamariki were astonished to see that some seeds are so tiny yet can grow a whole new vegetable plant. They filled a little seed packet to take home. I loved hearing them say that they would give it to their parents as a present.

A fun ending was to have a closer look inside seasonal fruits by cutting them open and noticing their unique appearances inside, including where to find the seeds. We discussed how fruits like feijoa, pear, apple, and oranges will soon be planted in the school garden, and in the years to come, the Year One level will be able to harvest fruits from the trees. One boy commented, “Fruits and vegetables make you grow big and strong, and you will live a long life” – wise words from a six-year-old! The kids then drew colourful pictures of the fruits. Finally, the treat was to have a little taste of all the fruits.

Happy holidays, tamariki! I’m looking forward to seeing you all back in Term Two when we start building the new garden. Exciting times ahead!