Pacific Gardening Club

Welcome to our first College gardening club article. Mrs Monica Naples, Mrs Colleen Beattie and I are running a lunchtime gardening club on Wednesdays. The plants are flourishing in our new ‘no dig’ gardens and this week we are making basil pesto!

Garden Club is an initiative that aims to introduce kids to the pleasure of growing their own food while learning about soil cultivation and composting. We focus on seasonal vegetables and herbs with an emphasis on companion planting.

Students are actively involved in planting, caring for and harvesting produce in the raised garden beds, looking after plants in the school grounds and gathering lunch scraps for the compost bins.

As well as helping children lead happier, healthier lives, research shows gardening also helps them acquire the essential skills they need to fulfil their potential in a rapidly-changing world and make a positive contribution to society as a whole. Specifically, it found that gardening in schools encourages children to:

• Become stronger, more active learners who are capable of thinking independently and adapting their skills and knowledge to new challenges at school and in future;
• Gain a more resilient, confident and responsible approach to life so they can achieve their goals and play a positive role in society;
• Learn vital job skills such as presentation skills, communication and team work and fuel their entrepreneurial spirit;
• Embrace a healthier, more active lifestyle as an important tool for success at school and beyond; and
• Develop the ability to work and communicate with people of all ages and backgrounds.

We look forward to expanding our gardens, acquiring a garden shed and involving our community in the year ahead.

Mrs Sue Zweck, Head of Teaching and Learning K-5