Year 0/1 Boys Explore Botanic Gardens
Year 0/1 Boys Explore Botanic Gardens
November 12, 2018 at 2:06 PM
In a world full of rush surrounded by things ‘technological,’ there is a danger in our young, forgetting, or in some cases, never having known, the source of traditional food crops and the part that nature plays in ensuring we can eat! As understanding grows about the impact that the human race is having on the world, there is a need for our youth to gain awareness about the part they play in caring for the environment to ensure a sustainable food source for the future.
Our Year 0/1 boys have been ‘inquiring’ into ‘Sharing the Planet’ with the central idea that ‘plants are essential to sustain life.’ Their lines of inquiry were based around what plants provide, the structure of a plant and caring for plant life.
To help seek answers to their many questions, they enjoyed a visit to the gardens and classroom at the Auckland Botanic Gardens in Manurewa last week, to take part in the ‘Learning Through Experience’ programme. This was a chance for the boys to dig in and get their hands dirty as they learned about the life that exists in the soil, gaining an understanding of the role that creatures such as worms play to increase air and the passage of water and nutrients in soil – essential elements for healthy plant growth. They were shown how to plant seeds, water and care for them, gaining an understanding that they were playing a role in sustaining the future of healthy plants for the Gardens.
Following their lunch, the boys raced off to venture around the gardens, looking at all the different plants and insects which help with the plant’s life cycle. The Auckland Botanic Gardens are home to over 10,000 plants so there is always something in bloom!
The boys were given a fantastic hands-on learning experience and returned to school with an understanding of how they can make a difference in their environment.
