Our Learning Sanctuary

This Tastes Sort of … Minty!

With the  installation of an outdoor kitchen area on the drawing board, the value of integrating local bush foods as a learning tool is immense. We have already planted a variety of these edible delicacies and are providing this information page for our students to research and contribute to.  

River Mint  

Species: Mentha Australis
The River Mint bush is found across South Eastern Australia in moist forests and around waterways. The thin, soft serrated and pointed leaves are found in pairs on long running branches, tipped with delicate mauve florets. A subtle Australian native herb with a spearmint taste and aroma. Indigenous Australians also used this herb for medicinal purposes.

 River Mint is summer growing, thriving along the riverbanks after flood. Early settlers used this herb with their roast lamb.

Vanilla Lily arthropodium milleflorum

A grassy woodland bush food, with a dark violet flower that is vanilla scented. They have a soft, long, medium green flat leaf. This lily is harvested for its crisp non-starchy tubers which can be eaten raw.

Throughout Term 2, the sanctuary has really started to take shape. With the environmentally friendly, brush fence now installed, a natural and peaceful atmosphere has been created. Even though the voices of children at play can be heard at lunchtime, you can still seek refuge and tap into the surroundings of this area. Our School gardener Rob, has also endorsed this area as an ideal place to take your lunch break!  

The brush paneling was chosen for several reasons. It’s natural, environmentally friendly, generates curiosity and serves as a useful area to set up informative displays. As long as the local birdlife can overcome the desire to pluck the brush from the fence for nesting season!   

On the outside, additional plants will also be established along the fence line. This will not only create further camouflage for this area, but will provide little nooks and secret places for the children to play and link up with nature.   

It is important that our Learning Sanctuary generates curiosity. A curiosity for the natural world that will impact on the decisions students make in later life. Through thoughtful design we aim at capturing student interest by making the space appear bigger than it actually is. With undulating areas and pathways that weave their way through a variety of different learning areas, the imagination is put on high alert. You come across an interesting  rock blocking the pathway ahead. It is then that you see a beautiful rosella feeding on the indigenous plants that shield a secret world beyond. What’s around the corner? An activity in itself!

Accacia Paradoxa, otherwise known as Kangaroo Thorn or Prickly Wattle is a large shrub that grows to 3 metres tall. With thick foliage and long spines, this plant acts as a perfect sanctuary for small birds including wrens. No cats allowed! It is also a source of food for a variety of birds and insects.

Whilst the Kangaroo Thorn is native to Australia, it has been introduced to other continents and is a well known noxious weed in California. The story of ‘Rosy Dock’ by Jeannie Baker is a great reference to explore the impact of introduced plants. http://www.filmaust.com.au/programs/teachers_notes/3922_rosydock.pdf

Through the careful selection of a variety of native plants, our aim is to establish a resource that will provide our students with a rich understanding and appreciation of local habitat and its functions.

Through involving local environmental groups, we not only model the importance of community to students, but are also tapping into a goldmine of additional resources. We have been most fortunate to receive a donation of local bird attracting plants from the Ballarat Environment Network (BEN). Bird watcher and well known local expert, Roger Thomas, visited the site last year and later grew a selection of plants to suit the area and existing bird life. Visit the BEN website and discover what ‘BIRD’ stands for. http://www.ben.org.au/index.html

As part of this site, we will be creating an indigenous plants resource, with student and community discussions.

These pictures have been taken over two working bees. Watch the progress! We love what we are creating for a sustainable future!

If you want a catchy tune to get the recycling message out, take a look at this animation. It is the work of a talented animator known as ‘Yaffle’.

 Everyone knows the value of the earthworm. Whether they are earth workers or composters, these creatures play an important role in soil conditioning. They not only improve the soil’s fertility but also enhance the mechanical structure of the earth. Aristotle once said that worms are the Earth’s intestines! 

A Squirm is the collective noun for a group of worms.

We already have a large ’squirm’ that manage student lunchbox waste. They also enjoy shredded paper and other goodies from within our School grounds. The castings and liquid fertilizer are sold or used on our School vegetable garden.

To further improve our ‘squirming’ practices, we have constructed a worm farm made from an old bathtub. A stand to support it and place it at a good working height and shadecloth for protection . The juice is collected from the plug hole. The bath is lined with stones to act as a filter and shadecloth to prevent escapees. These worms love life!  

Organic matter that goes to landfill is a real problem when it comes to greenhouse gases.

 The following link describes another positive way of dealing with the methane and carbon dioxide produced by such landfill.

http://www.energex.com.au/switched_on/power_up/power_up_landfill.html

What do you get if you cross a worm and a young goat?
A dirty kid!