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!