Beautiful Badger Weir

This term, our whole school's integrated study has been about Sustainability. Each class normally has one session each week called Sustainable Futures in which we explore issues of living sustainably. Sustainable processes in our school are firmly in place and the norm. However as a whole school and across all levels we decided that we would use Sustainability as the driver for all curriculum areas.

Level 3 and 4 students went on an excursion last week to beautiful Badger Weir to look at a pristine environment and to see how and where some of our water is harvested. The water catchment area surrounding the weir has been managed for more that 100 years.
They also went to a water treatment plant as a contrast to see how waste water is treated in order for it to be ready to reuse.
I was lucky to be asked to go along!

 The students were asked to choose a mini environment by placing their hoop over an area that interested them. They were given small flags which they positioned to highlight points of interest in their "park". They explained the reason for their choices, deciding on a name for their "park". Students then became tour leaders, showing others around their "park", explaining why it is so significant and special.

 It was a freezing day but we were so surprised to see that the beautiful sunshine had heated up this magnificent tree and Jake just had to hug the tree...as then others did...how wonderful!

....and when we looked up, this was the canopy of this gorgeous old tree.

 At the Water Treatment Facillity we learnt about all that is being done for the environment.

This wet land area is home to a diverse range of creatures and through different  plantings, the water moving through is filtered by nature before joining the waterway, the Yarra.

We learnt about how the waste water is treated using natural bacteria and ways we can help such as being mindful of what goes into our waste water (eg. non organic material is a big problem as is washing powder with phosphates).

It was certainly an interesting excursion and highlighted the importance of these treatment plants and scientists and workers dealing with waste water in such a sustainable way. Of course we have a responsibility too, to make sure we do the right thing in our kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, gardens etc....



Rainbow Sticks for our Peace Garden

Level 1 and 2 created some Rainbow Sticks for our Peace Garden after discussions about what "Peace" means and brainstorming about making our friendship seats, a pleasant place to sit. We looked at symbols of peace, the rainbow being one of them.

 Rainbow sticks...all in place ready.....

 ...for sisters.....

 ......and brothers....

 ...and friends....

....to try out on the way home....

What is a herb?

Students in Level 1, 2 and 3 have learnt about herbs and their uses. As we have many different herbs in our garden, it was great to be able to harvest these for my lessons. We talked about the importance of herbs and how they are used.

Students explored what they looked like and what kind of smell they had.

In small groups students discussed the features of their herb, recording their observations.

 Then we made a gorgeous herbed tea....

 ...which we all loved!

 We tried one with mint, lemon and honey...scrummy.....

 Then we dried some oregano for when there is none in our garden.

Level 1 and 2 students took some cuttings of Rosemary which they propagated. We are planning to grow a Rosemary hedge in our Peace Garden.

We wash our recycled pots.....

 We fill up our pots with organic propagating soil.....

 After stripping the lower leaves and cutting off the top leaves, we dip our cutting into honey, a great and safe alternative to hormone powder......

 We make a little hole into the soil......

 ...and place our little cutting into the soil, pressing firmly around the cutting....

 ...and voila.....our little cutting is almost ready with its label.....

 But first a little drink......

 and now to find a sheltered spot in our garden for them to grow!

 Wish us luck!!

YAAAAAAYYYY! WE HAVE FROGS....

If I am staying back at school and it has become dark, I am usually in my Art Studio or Sustainable Futures Room...... BUT......last night I was preparing for our Open Night at our school and visited our library which is near our Frog Habitat. We created this habitat several years ago and have been patiently waiting for frogs to come and stay. (Build it and they will come....)
I heard a cute little creaking noise and could not believe my ears.....WE HAVE FROGS!!! Maybe we have had them for a while and I just didn't listen at the right time (Night, when all the kids have gone...??)
For some time we have been searching for evidence of frogs in our Frog Habitat and felt that it was a perfect environment but had never found any.
Sooooo...stay tuned as we research what kind of frog has taken up residence in our Frog Habitat.

What a great report card indicating the health of our school environment!

The Colours of Nature......

In a lesson focussing on the diversity of colour in nature, Level 2 and 3 students used framing samples to match them to colours in nature. Having discussed colours they could see in our gardens previously, students discovered many different shades and intensities of greens, blues, greys, whites, browns etc.They then used watercolour pencils to try to replicate the colour.
Next week will create a name for their colour. They will use descriptive words to describe the time of day, the intensity of colour, an emotion and/or a word descibing the temperature of the colour.

 And in the process of exploring colour in nature....an amazing Preying Mantis joined our class...how wonderful!

How do we find out about the world?

Our Level 1 and 2 students know the best way to find out about our world is to use our senses. Our new Level 1 students are learning all about our great gardens, with our Sensory Garden being an inspirational place to start. Exploring the Sensory Garden highlights the importance of using our senses to understand our world.