Woodlands School – Setting a great example
On 26 November some of Woodlands School students came out to the nursery with teacher Heidi Wilcox to choose some native plants for their Outside Education Area near the school. They picked some colonising plants, a few canopy species, some grasses for their lizard area and some plants that can tolerate wet feet and some bird and insect attracting plants. Loading up the horse float was fun and some amazing “backing” by an awesome parent helper. The following day Bronwyn and I and Pat Hoffman from ES went out to help plant out with the whole school. Although it was a drizzly day, threatening rain the students were super keen to tell us all about their outside area – in fact as we got there one student went racing off to check their traps and came back with a mouse in the trap! We were shown by students established plantings, thanks to earlier help from ES, a track, a hut with lots of learning resources – some that the students had designed themselves – linking nature to all curriculum topics – science, maths, English, art – it was all very inspiring to see.
Other students came down the road from the school in class groups accompanied by many parents and all enthusiastically planted in the prepared areas and then covered the plants with guards to protect them from rabbits. Woodlands Principal Aloma Williams planted a special Olearia hectorii plant – very rare in New Zealand and Chris explained that unfortunately it doesn’t have a common name because it has never been common!
Woodlands students have previously visited the Community Nursery to learn all about native plants, they have been gifted a special place near their school to look after and enhance and the whole community seems to be behind the effort – the students take obvious pride in their area and are learning a whole lot about the environment in the process – and the fun they have in doing so is great to see. Earlier in the year they gained an Environment Award for their efforts – very richly deserved and a great example to other schools.
Chris and Bronwyn
Posted: 6 December 2019