OUTING BLOG
On Wednesday February 1st, the Gr 9 boy went on an outing to
discover the truth about soil and what good it can do for this planet. We
learnt why we need healthy soil and vegetation at our various
workshops around the school. We even learnt how to make our own worm farm.
Soil - Declan Watling
Our class went to the station where we would be educated on worms, worm
farms and the 3 different types of soil. We learnt that rich and fertile soil
is the best if you want to plant vegetation.
I also learned that worm farms help make rich soil. In fact, earthworms (or red wrigglers) are the best thing one can do to increase the quality of their soil. We also learnt about the different reactions with the different types of soil.
To learn more about soil go to this site:
http://www.eschooltoday.com/soils/importance-of-soils.html
I also learned that worm farms help make rich soil. In fact, earthworms (or red wrigglers) are the best thing one can do to increase the quality of their soil. We also learnt about the different reactions with the different types of soil.
To learn more about soil go to this site:
http://www.eschooltoday.com/soils/importance-of-soils.html
Renewable energy that you can apply to
your own window gardens. - Nick Powell
At this station we learnt about the sun and its energy. I found it
interesting that all living things can be traced back to the sun (or solar
energy.) As shown in the picture, there were 7 mirror pieces laid out. They
were connected to a hot salt tank, cold salt tank, turbine and generator, a
conductor and finally whatever you are wanting to power. The panels will move
to face the sun directly.
We also learnt that we can conserve electricity with the sun by using methods other than solar panels. We were able to cook brownies using the solar oven. It uses the mirror panels to collect heat from the sun and concentrates it onto a specific place, making it heat up to surprising temperatures.
Interesting renewable energy link:
We also learnt that we can conserve electricity with the sun by using methods other than solar panels. We were able to cook brownies using the solar oven. It uses the mirror panels to collect heat from the sun and concentrates it onto a specific place, making it heat up to surprising temperatures.
Interesting renewable energy link:
The next station was to show how delicious healthy food can be. We made vegetarian Swiss chard spring rolls. We made
hummus from crushed chickpeas, pepper, water and spices. We boiled a kale leaf,
added rice, tomatoes, and other ingredients to make our spring rolls. It was
delicious!
To make Swiss chard rolls go here:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014669-chard-leaves-stuffed-with-rice-and-herbs
To make Swiss chard rolls go here:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014669-chard-leaves-stuffed-with-rice-and-herbs
Swiss chard roll
Preparing for making the food
Gropro – Nick Powell
Gropro – Nick Powell
Another station we went to was the station about GroPro farming.
A GroPro is a compact "bin" with holes cut in the sides to
plant plants and veggies. There is also a tube down the middle that holds worms
to keep the soil healthy.
We also spoke about how these can be used in urban areas as they can be
used for recycling and don’t not take up too much space.
We learnt about planting and how it effects the different areas of the world. We noticed that this section tied in a bit with geography and urbanization. We then planted a multitude of different plants in a white plastic holder, the Gropro. We helped plant the plants in the notches in the sides.
Follow this site to make your own window garden:
http://mashable.com/2014/04/12/make-your-own-urban-garden/#fR.wyGmX3PqN
We learnt about planting and how it effects the different areas of the world. We noticed that this section tied in a bit with geography and urbanization. We then planted a multitude of different plants in a white plastic holder, the Gropro. We helped plant the plants in the notches in the sides.
Follow this site to make your own window garden:
http://mashable.com/2014/04/12/make-your-own-urban-garden/#fR.wyGmX3PqN
Permaculture – Maximillian Wolfson
At this station we learnt about the system
called permaculture and why we need it. Permaculture means permanent culture
and is the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable
and self-sufficient. We need permaculture to sustain a health agricultural
ecosystem.
Permaculture is important because it is the only design system for food production we currently have that has the potential to be beyond sustainable. Permaculture is sustainable because the energy required to establish and maintain the system is less than the energy extracted from the system over its lifetime. Therefore it builds up our ecosystems instead of destroying them.
To learn more about permaculture follow this link:
https://www.permaculture.co.uk/what-is-permaculture
Permaculture is important because it is the only design system for food production we currently have that has the potential to be beyond sustainable. Permaculture is sustainable because the energy required to establish and maintain the system is less than the energy extracted from the system over its lifetime. Therefore it builds up our ecosystems instead of destroying them.
To learn more about permaculture follow this link:
https://www.permaculture.co.uk/what-is-permaculture
The vegetable garden – Declan Watling
Our final station was where we got our hands dirty by planting many different plant species. There was a very interesting order of things that we could do to help the success of our new garden.
The steps were as follows:
3. Place multiple pieces of cardboard over the area that you are going to use for growing your plants.
4. Lightly pour water over the cardboard to soften it.
5. Use a small shovel to cut multiple holes in the cardboard. One hole per plant you want to grow.
6. Dig small holes in the soil in the holes in the cardboard.
7. Fetch your plants and smother worm poo on the bottom of each plant before planting. Plant your plants.
8. Carefully spread soil and then dry grass around your newly planted plants
To make your own vegetable patch follow this site:
Our final station was where we got our hands dirty by planting many different plant species. There was a very interesting order of things that we could do to help the success of our new garden.
The steps were as follows:
1. Sprinkle chicken pellets in the area you would like to plant.
2. Spread a thin layer of fertilizer, bone meal and volcanic soil over your soil.
3. Place multiple pieces of cardboard over the area that you are going to use for growing your plants.
4. Lightly pour water over the cardboard to soften it.
5. Use a small shovel to cut multiple holes in the cardboard. One hole per plant you want to grow.
6. Dig small holes in the soil in the holes in the cardboard.
7. Fetch your plants and smother worm poo on the bottom of each plant before planting. Plant your plants.
8. Carefully spread soil and then dry grass around your newly planted plants
To make your own vegetable patch follow this site:
The guide
teaching us the steps to planting our veggie patch
The first step:
sprinkling chicken pellets
The second step:
spreading the volcanic soil, fertilizer and bone meal.
The third and fourth
step: placing the cardboard and watering it
The fifth and sixth step:
digging the holes in the cardboard and in the soil.
The seventh step:
smothering the plant in worm poo and then planting it.
The final product of a day of hard work.
Reflection
I think we all learned a lot about what soil has to offer, and we all
have the best intentions to integrate this into our normal everyday lives. We
enjoyed the Swiss chard rolls workshop the most as we could benefit from our
work straight away. Overall we really enjoyed our fieldtrip but it would have
been more special if it hadn’t been at the Bishops grounds.
Visit this site to find out about the people that made this trip possible:
https://planttheseed.org/
Visit this site to find out about the people that made this trip possible:
https://planttheseed.org/
Maximillian Wolfson
Recommendation:
If there was one thing that I could recommend for the future
it would be to make the physical activities earlier in the day due to the heat
and the mental activities near the end of the day.
Nicholas Powell
Recommendation:
Personally I felt that we needed more time to jot down notes
and take picture because it is hard to remember something that you did weeks
ago.
Declan Watling
Recommendation:
I felt that some of the
activities went on for longer than they should have been. They could have made
the permaculture and Gropro workshop more enjoyable if they made more
interesting activities.
No comments:
Post a Comment