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In The Garden Patch …
This year we are excited to involve all the staff and students at Tooradin Primary School in Gardening class and they are all loving the opportunity to put their stamp on their class garden bed. Students will experience hands on learning each fortnight in the outdoor classroom with carefully planned activities that aim to deepen student’s knowledge of growing and harvesting produce from our school garden as well as learning to enjoy the hands on experiences that occur in our unique outdoor environment. Students and staff are participating in cultivating their own garden bed, developing writing skills from garden based ideas, using maths and science concepts to measure and problem solve and making creative art pieces to decorate their garden space (if they can resist taking their creative efforts home).
The Garden Patch Design ….
We have had the privilege of a passionate parents who designed and built a very unique garden bed system aimed at promoting student learning and exploration. The central garden bed was designed by a Tooradin parent, Heath Lewis, who wanted to create a garden design that would maximise student engagement in the natural environment and extend their understanding of garden orientation and the influences of sunlight and natural forces. The design incorporates 8 garden beds representing the petals of a flower and the central circular bed linking it together. Each “petal” aligns with the points of the compass so that students can learn the directions of north, south, east and west; incorporating another element to their garden planning and experience. Each Grade in the school has been allocated a garden bed to develop their sense of commitment, responsibility and pride in the natural space and this is certainly proving to be an amazing learning experience.
Term 1 in the Tooradin Garden Patch …..
All classes have spent the first session weeding their garden bed and exploring the vegetables and herbs that are already growing. Our Prep classes have been building bug huts, going on bug hunts looking for beneficial insects, threading garden inspired necklaces. Grade 1/2 classes have been constructing the bug huts, sitting on our “writing logs” to draw and write garden inspired stories and tying a group wind whirl that will decorate their garden bed and blow in the breeze. Grade 3/4 have been thrilled to measure and mix natural ingredients to make their own hand scrub, challenge by a Grasshopper Puzzle and writing about the garden. Our Gr 5/6 classes are also making the handmade hand scrub, weaving “Tsikuri” (God’s Eye). Students will get to experience each activity during the term and we are already using the feedback from staff and students to plan exciting garden sessions for next term. Thank you to all the students, staff and parents who have shared their enthusiasm for the garden.
This year we are excited to involve all the staff and students at Tooradin Primary School in Gardening class and they are all loving the opportunity to put their stamp on their class garden bed. Students will experience hands on learning each fortnight in the outdoor classroom with carefully planned activities that aim to deepen student’s knowledge of growing and harvesting produce from our school garden as well as learning to enjoy the hands on experiences that occur in our unique outdoor environment. Students and staff are participating in cultivating their own garden bed, developing writing skills from garden based ideas, using maths and science concepts to measure and problem solve and making creative art pieces to decorate their garden space (if they can resist taking their creative efforts home).
The Garden Patch Design ….
We have had the privilege of a passionate parents who designed and built a very unique garden bed system aimed at promoting student learning and exploration. The central garden bed was designed by a Tooradin parent, Heath Lewis, who wanted to create a garden design that would maximise student engagement in the natural environment and extend their understanding of garden orientation and the influences of sunlight and natural forces. The design incorporates 8 garden beds representing the petals of a flower and the central circular bed linking it together. Each “petal” aligns with the points of the compass so that students can learn the directions of north, south, east and west; incorporating another element to their garden planning and experience. Each Grade in the school has been allocated a garden bed to develop their sense of commitment, responsibility and pride in the natural space and this is certainly proving to be an amazing learning experience.
Term 1 in the Tooradin Garden Patch …..
All classes have spent the first session weeding their garden bed and exploring the vegetables and herbs that are already growing. Our Prep classes have been building bug huts, going on bug hunts looking for beneficial insects, threading garden inspired necklaces. Grade 1/2 classes have been constructing the bug huts, sitting on our “writing logs” to draw and write garden inspired stories and tying a group wind whirl that will decorate their garden bed and blow in the breeze. Grade 3/4 have been thrilled to measure and mix natural ingredients to make their own hand scrub, challenge by a Grasshopper Puzzle and writing about the garden. Our Gr 5/6 classes are also making the handmade hand scrub, weaving “Tsikuri” (God’s Eye). Students will get to experience each activity during the term and we are already using the feedback from staff and students to plan exciting garden sessions for next term. Thank you to all the students, staff and parents who have shared their enthusiasm for the garden.
