More gardening news

Going on a soil hunt.....

There we were in the garden with Cova and she asked us to find different kinds of soil. The children already knew, if they went gardening with class 1, that there are different kinds. But what might they be? Cova showed us a handful of soil from one of the vegetable beds. "What do you think is in this soil" she asked. Eventually after input from the children the conclusion was that soil is made up of water, air, organic matter like old leaves or rotting plants and minerals, which come from the rocks and stones. How good the soil is for growing things depends on how much of each of those things is in there!

Cova challenged the children to work in teams to find different kinds of soil around the school garden. They went off with trowels and a plastic container. Under the trees they found sandy soil, light coloured and dusty, as well as stony soil. Both of those were also discovered by the path next to the ramp. At the edge of the flower bed we found heavy clay and in our vegetable beds was the best soil for growing, light and airy and full of organic matter. Plenty of compost had been dug in last spring to help create the sweet smelling, crumbly airy soil in our school garden.

Back in the classroom the children remarked that:
Forest soil has no water and no compost.
Clay soil is sticky.
Really good soil is black, full of compost and minerals and not at all sticky.




Savez-vous planter les choux? or do you know how to plant your cabbages?

This week it was time to plant something. Cova had some interesting looking plants with purpley-green leaves, one for each child. The children had plenty of prior knowledge about the structure of a plant which they were delighted to share with her. However, no-one knew that these rather spindly seedlings would grow up to be cabbages.

The children set to work, some with rakes to make the soil smooth and some with trowels, digging holes for the young plants and then pressing down the soil firmly around them. Maybe later in the year, as winter comes we'll be eating cabbage soup.




A different kind of gardening.

This week we didn't really go near our garden. We started off by sitting under a tree. (It was really interesting to note that boys and girls who usually have no problem getting dirty, did not much appreciate sitting on the rather stony ground.)
First we looked up at the green leaves where the sun was glinting through. When Cova pulled one of them, it clung firmly to the tree. Then we looked down to the brown crunchy dead leaves at our feet. " These leaves are dead", someone said. "Yes" said Cova, "but how do the green leaves, still on the tree, know when to fall?"

She told us there is a tiny trapdoor where the leaf joins the stem. During the autumn the little doof closes, so no more water can reach the leaf. It becomes yellow, then brown and the stem comes loose, so that the leaf and float to the ground.

Cova put the children into teams to rake and collect leaves. The teams worked away at the task, not needing too many reminders about using tools safely. They filled the big red buckets to the brim and took them proudly to the ever-growing pile by the fence. Hopefully, the pile will stay there through the winter and become wonderful compost to use in our garden next spring.

I am sure that if you asked the children they would say that raking up the leaves was a lot of fun.