A Great Week for Year 4

What a great week for myself and for the Year 4 children. I spent time with each class during the week introducing them to their worm farms. We discussed what they already new about composting worms, what they would like to know and how they were going to care for them.
The knowledge that some children had on worms was amazing. When you have children talking about the anatomical parts of the worms and how they breed, is a sign that these kids are switched on to nature and our environment. All the children were aware that these worms can go a long way in helping us reduce our waste and the importance of symbiotic relationships within nature.
We looked at the physical requirements for the worms and how we can keep them healthy and  safe. It is very important that the farms are well away from sunlight and from sudden variations in temperature, so the children are very happy with the spot chosen for their 'homes'.
The children are very aware of what these worms can and cannot have, so I'm sure there will be some very interesting discussions for the first couple of weeks as the worms are fed.

In other areas of the kitchen garden project, we are almost ready to start to fence off the designated areas for the gardens and the chicken run.
Teachers are discussing in year level meetings and with me, as to what the children will be growing and what they will be cooking once the kitchen is commissioned.
A priority of the program is to keep cooking costs as low as possible. This means that the majority of ingredients must be sourced from the garden. To make this possible we must look carefully at what is in season, what it can be used in and is it suitable for the children to cook. Like any new project we will be starting with the basics and working up to the complex as we all become familiar with the garden and the kitchen. This is going to be a giant learning curve for all involved.

I have many organic gardening books and recipes books that are specifically designed for projects such as this schools. If you are interested in browsing through any of these, come and see.

Next week I will post photos of the children setting up their worm farms.

Until then

Stay safe and enjoy life.

Ross Tattersall