Palmwoods State School
In June I had my last day at Palmwoods State School, this was the
first school in which I set up a permaculture garden and ran the
program. When I first introduced the program to the school
in 2004 they had no evidence I could do it, it was just a vision
I had, but they believed in me, and the program, and as we know,
the rest is history.
For the many permie people involved, Palmwoods set up day was so
memorable - 85 people came together to support me and my vision
of Edible School Gardens and turn a bit patch of grass into a
series of no dig gardens.
It was a very sad day saying goodbye to my baby, Palmwoods.
They have nurtured me and we have had much to celebrate over the
years.
There were many tears, especially from me as I explained to the
kids that it was time for me to hand the project totally over to
the school so that I could move on to other schools, though of
course I will always be in contact with them.
The Year 6's surprised me with homemade pizza for lunch and we
did a beautiful banner with their messages on it.
Clare Cox, who I have worked with since day one, and a wonderful
grandparent Bill Bateman will continue the program.
Comment:
Clare Cox (School Community Enhancement Officer - Palmwoods State
School)
July 2008
In a wonderful world called gardening.
I thought it would be difficult to engage children in the slow,
quiet world of an organic vegetable garden, I thought they would
become quickly bored and restless if things didn't happen fast
enough. I took a deep breath before starting out in this journey,
told myself I would have to be exceptionally patient, that they
eventually would learn something even if it was only to be polite
and show respect to the volunteers who came to help.
I am happy to say, I have been proven wrong on all counts - that
my nerves and lack of confidence were no match for the zest and
enthusiasm of young children given a new tangible project and a
promise of watch and wait.
By the end of their first year of regular weekly gardening
sessions through 4 seasons, year 4 students (8, 9, 10 yr olds)
know to stop running when they get to the garden and slow down,
greet volunteers, listen to instructions or information.
They know they can work using their own new skills and thinking
for themselves using information they have remembered and
absorbed over time. They remind each other to walk on the
paths, respect the garden beds and the lives in the soil.
They do however rush to be the first to discover a new
insect.
The students surprise themselves (and us) every week with what
they know. They learn to care for the environment, the soil, the
water and the plants. They learn to recycle, to make
compost, to build up the nutrition and health of the soil. They
learn to turn everything in the garden that is unwanted into a
useful thing that helps something or someone else.
In a few short weeks, they learn that endless varieties of real
food that you can eat, share with friends, that tastes wonderful
and that costs only regular care, regular planning can grow in
their garden. And it really happens!
The REALNESS factor of a garden is the ultimate deciding factor
in the usefulness of a Permaculture vegetable garden in a school
setting. So many children today are growing up without the
time or mentoring that it takes to become knowledgeable and aware
of how natural systems operate. A well planned school
garden program can give visibility to the words that are spoken
in class rooms, on websites, in books about our environment, our
health and our communities. Children can feel it, see it,
smell it, hear it, taste it, do it and know it together and all
in one go!
In Australia and in particular in our local area in Queensland,
we are at the tip of the iceberg with our garden programs.
They need to be recognized, accepted, and supported by every
level of influence. And then the programs need to be
practiced over and over again, shared between schools, promoted,
spoken about and worked on to find the perfect fit into a child's
learning journey and a teachers busy day.
There are many places to take our inspiration from and many
people ready to inject energy into this excellent cause.
The UK is celebrating it's 50th anniversary of organic gardens in
schools this year! In 50 years time, I hope we are
celebrating ours!