Gardening classes with Sandra have been filled with the abundance and excitement of growth, as the rain brings vitality and life to our many garden areas. Class 2 planted beans around the lemon tree that has 45 lemons on board and examined and nibbled the the sunflower seeds from our many golden plants. Class 1 examined the hugel, our living garden pile that is now growing pumpkins, rockmelons, paw and avocado trees, amaranth, sweet potatoes and more. Sandra taught Class 1 all about Funghi and the importance of the mushroom family, exploring the grounds for the natural beauties that pop up during rainy weather.
CLASS 4 CELEBRATES NATIONAL TREE DAY 2020 WITH GUM PLANTING
In late 2019, as a result of a big weather storm cell, our school lost 20 trees and has since been working on the clean-up and regeneration of the affected areas. This year, for National Tree Day, (Sunday 2 August) Class 4 got behind the Planet Ark initiative, to highlight its leadership position in environmental education and regeneration.
Head of School, Andrew Hill said, “Glenaeon’s Middle Cove campus sits on three hectares of beautiful bushland leading down to Scotts Creek. Our school emblem is an image of a tree and its root system reflective of our school’s respect for Nature and the physical, emotional and spiritual growth our students make from Preschool through to Year 12. The school has over 300 trees on the campus. It’s an open, clean and healthy place for children to learn.”
Gardening teacher Sandra Frain explained, “Our students used leaf litter compost, a native potting soil mixture of local leaf matter which has been decomposing for over two years, rich in nutrients and wriggling with worms, to plant ‘hot pink gum’ seeds donated by the Schuback family.”
“The seeds will grow into saplings and be nurtured for replanting in an appropriate location, or gifted to parents to be planted in backyards by Glenaeon families.”
The school will also be replacing the 20 lost trees with 20 new trees that are native to this special bushland area. There are only six types of tree native to the gully in which the campus sits.
Glenaeon teachers work with students in regenerative gardening activities to ensure that they enhance and improve the space they are in, improving the land, growing flowers to attract insects, fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices not only to grow healthy food for students to eat, but for visual enjoyment, and learning how to live a more sustainable lifestyle in the future.
After the very cold mornings we are having at Castlecrag, comes a period of warmth and sunshine in the middle of the day – a time to treasure and bask in it, just a little, to warm up. In this time between MidWinter and Early Spring, both bulbs and spring blossoms flower. Amongst the daffodils and jonquils, there may not be much jasmine blossoming yet, but the sweet scent is already in the air! As we cannot have parents on campus so much at the moment – we thought it would be nice to bring a little of the campus to you! It is beautiful and blooming!
Kindergarten children have been enjoying their return to the garden at Castlecrag, and with Gardening Teacher Sandra Frain’s help, have been busy harvesting our fragrant lavender blooms.
Excerpt from Glenaeon Newsletter June 11, 2020. Full newsletter available here:
At the beginning of each gardening class for Classes 1 & 2, Sandra Frain offers the children a cup of warming tea that is made from various herbs freshly picked from the gardens at Castlecrag campus. Leaves of thyme, sage, oregano, four types of mint, lavender and lemongrass make a delicious brew with hot water added to a large teapot. Herbs can help refresh, stimulate, soothe, protect and cleanse the human body. The children have planted, watered and harvested these herbs. They can all show you where these herbs grow and how you too can ‘brew your own tea’. Sandra also helps the Kindy children choose their herbs for fresh herbal tea. Ahh… now we are ready to garden!
From the Glenaeon Newsletter June 25 2020. Full newsletter can be accessed here:
Extract from Glenaeon Newsletter May 28, 2020. Full Newsletter can be viewed here:
“Class 2 enthusiastically helped to collect wheelbarrow-loads of natural matter from around the campus to the compost, taking turns to move the big loads in teams. Once there, it is unloaded and tipped onto the compost and celebrated with a good jump by the children on it’s springy top! The children have learned so much about the importance of recycling as much natural material as we can on campus, including plants, food scraps and paper. At Castlecrag we have a very small carbon footprint, as all of our recycling and reusing that the children are involved in make a huge difference. Gardening Teacher Sandra Frain was glad to have her larger troupe of helpers back on campus!”
At Middle Cove the garden is missing its young gardeners immensely.
The “school class” that is, students still attending the campus each day, come down to the garden every morning and keep a watchful eye on the vegetables and flowers that are growing, measuring our pumpkins, watching our bees visit their favourite flowers and plant seeds for our winter harvest. The older students have been coming down to the garden again later in the day and getting to work. They have been helping to tend the garden beds, harvesting late summer crops, erecting protective barriers to deter our wildlife visitors and enjoying the beauty of autumn in the garden. We are also doing some preparation in the garden to make way for the new outdoor garden classroom. The banana trees have had to be relocated for the short term. The children have been a great help in keeping our garden well loved and cared for. For those missing the garden, here is a video of Sandra Frain taking care of the flowers and vegetables.