Planting the seed of environmental responsibility

Adam Lovell and Kelvin Finger, Year 4 Classroom and Enviro teachers

The Enviro Program at Junior School Donvale is a signature learning experience for all students as they journey through Year 4. Situated alongside the Mullum Mullum bush corridor, Carey’s Donvale campus is uniquely placed to capitalise on the wealth of flora and fauna on its doorstep. Key parts of the Enviro Program include the vegetable garden areas, various composting stations, large greenhouse workspace, the apple orchard, worm farms and lessons about the environment.

Learning within the Enviro Program is hands on, collaborative and fun. It is also intrinsically linked to Mathematics, English and Science. At the beginning of each year, children are placed into gardening groups and allocated a specific vegetable garden plot to manage, from planting seed to harvesting produce. When planning their vegetable gardens, students work collaboratively to map out their chosen seedlings to maximise the growth of their produce. The benefits of mulch and fertiliser at the different stages of plant growth are also explored.

Pest patrol

Children problem solve how best to deal with potential bugs and pests. Groups formulate their own pest control measures with different bug sprays and repellents using natural ingredients from the garden area such as rosemary, chives and garlic. These science experiments have students hypothesise, experiment, analyse and draw conclusions. Most importantly, the gardens are 100% the responsibility of the students. They take great pride in their efforts and many choose to continue their work outside timetabled Enviro lessons, working on their garden at recess and lunchtimes. The camaraderie, student engagement and pride created by this ongoing experience are some of the many highlights of the program.

Waste control

Children are also allocated Compost and Recycle partners. Each pair manages the collection of fruit and vegetable scraps, and recyclable materials from classrooms around the school. The fruit and vegetable scraps are either composted or fed to the worm farms, which in turn nourish the gardens. Students demonstrate a high level of independence and responsibility by working with their allocated class.

Year 4s reflect on the Enviro Program:

I am looking forward to getting my own garden bed at home and for the world to be a greener place.

I enjoy planting and using the shovels and carts when moving mulch.

It was a challenge to control the bugs and to water all the plants with a suitable amount without wasting any.

Maths in nature

The importance of diversity in both plant and animal life is a key element in the Enviro Program. In 2018, Year 4 students worked toward improving diversity by constructing animal boxes for our native wildlife. The project, which covered 10 concepts of mathematics, was submitted as an entry for the Mathematics Talent Quest and was awarded a High Distinction and selected to represent Victoria for national judging. Most importantly, this ever-popular project has continued and evolved to make a genuine difference to the environment at Carey Donvale. It has provided new habitats for animals including microbats, rosellas, parrots, owlet nightjars, lorikeets and possums.

The Enviro Program for 2022 has also seen Year 4 students participate in a mathematics project initiated by Thomas Cook University, Queensland. This opportunity empowered students to practice their mapping skills to calculate the percentage of green shade at our campus. Using digital mapping technology and drone imagery captured by Mr Finger, students mapped the property boundary and all tree and shrub clusters. The percentage of shade was then calculated by each student and the average amount of shade at Carey Donvale was estimated to be 42% of the total property. This project has informed students’ discussions about where new propagated seedlings and rootstock should be planted to increase biodiversity and the percentage of green shade available on campus.

What’s next?

Looking forward, students are eager to continue the expansion of the Enviro learning space to regenerate a disused area of the garden space into a tiered embankment of citrus and stone fruit trees. These trees will be underplanted with a cover crop of indigenous grasses that will help feed and stabilise the soil, prevent water run-off and erosion and further increase biodiversity in our local environment.

We regularly seek feedback from the students about their experience in the program, and it is affirming to know how valuable they find learning about the environment and being immersed in our surrounding greenery. It highlights the central role of the physical environment at Carey Donvale.