PiC

The Eden Project - A PiC Funded Project 

Our Junior School Resource Teacher, Eliza Lovelock, reached out to PiC for funding and support for this wonderful initiative. We love Eliza's passion and enthusiasm and are excited to assist in making it possible. Below, she shares why this project will be a great benefit to our students and school community. 

Gardening is a way of learning that involves senses, physical labour, social and emotional components, and teamwork. School gardening programmes provide quality learning contexts for children, allowing them to produce something of personal and community worth, see how they contribute positively to school, learn through action, while developing the physical and social skills used in classroom contexts. 

Postman (1995) writes of how children will not care for their ‘tree’ without learning to care for their own ‘nest’: a gardening programme promotes learning related to curriculum outcomes of civics and citizenship, science, geography, in a way that also promotes values concomitant with maintaining a habitable and healthy Earth. Evaluations of successful programmes such as the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program indicate statistically significant positive outcomes over a sustained period for students, including increased enjoyment of school, healthier eating, confidence in growing and cooking new foods, and health (Block et al.,2019). 

Targeted gardening programmes can help students connect with God through their reimagining of themselves as commanded cultivators, fulfilling the creation mandate by stewarding the resources He has given, and developing the world around them in a way that blesses. Students learn how they can partner with God in growing: they plant, water, and watch, but God makes the life grow. 

The Eden Project at LCS has started with Year 6, Year 3 and 4 students, working in different garden spaces in the Junior school. Students have revived some worm farms, and are learning that processing food and paper scraps through the worm farm provides nourishment for plants while reducing bin waste. They also delight in finding worms (and occasionally other minibeasts – today a frog!). Since the beginning of Term 2, Year 5 and 6 students have planted spinach, coriander, parsley and spring onions, getting ready for cooking something to share at the end of term, using our produce. Year 3 and 4 students have planted some fast-growing radishes, broad beans, as well as a sensory garden with plants that are interesting to smell, taste, touch, and look at, a garden for wellbeing for all students, but especially for those who might benefit from this kind of sensory input. The children work hard, share materials and space, take turns, and are making our school a better, tastier, more productive, and more beautiful space for all. As they plant, cultivate, protect plants at school, I can see them connecting with each other, with their school environment, and changing how they see themselves in their school world: as active contributors. A lot happens when you give a group of kids some garden gloves, a few plants, and some trowels! 

Thank you to PiC for encouraging and funding this project.

Change of Date Next Meeting 

Our next General Meeting will be on the 6th of June at 2pm, in the boardroom. Pre-school aged children are more than welcome. 

BBQ Trailer for Hire

Did you know that LCS owns a large BBQ trailer that is available for hire outside of the school?  The trailer is a 3 x 6 burner and to hire, just download our Application for Hire Form below.  

Completed forms can be dropped off or emailed to our office.  For further information, please contact our office, office@lcs.tas.edu.au

About PiC

Our Parents in Community Association (PiC) is a team of dedicated people whose aim is to build a strong sense of community within the school.

PiC also raises funds for projects in the school that the school budget doesn't normally cover and some examples of this are Junior Readers for classes, our Kinder playground, Middle school courtyard and seating in the Performing Arts Centre.

Meetings are held once a month at the school on a Tuesday night and parents are most welcome to attend. 

For more information, please contact PiC via email: LCS.PiC@lcs.tas.edu.au