Outdoor Education

Microhabitats and Minibeasts

The last two weeks in Outdoor Education have been busy! Our students have been diving into the fascinating world of microhabitats and minibeasts as part of our ongoing focus on living things. Prep to Year 3 students made the most of the beautiful garden and outdoor spaces here at Holy Cross, where students have enjoyed foraging for natural materials like moss, sticks, bark, and leaves. These items will be used to create new bug hotels to help attract they all took time to design and which will support a variety of minibeasts. With their researcher hats on, The Year 4 students explored different creatures we hope to welcome into our garden, investigating what makes an ideal habitat and why these tiny critters are so important to our ecosystem. They then went out to find the most enticing items for these creatures. It's been a hands-on and engaging way to connect with nature and deepen our understanding of the living world around us!

Improvements

Thanks to the PFA for providing us with a new outdoor tub for the chicken food. We are grateful that our new tub is rodent proof, and the Year 6 students did a wonderful job to build the container during last weeks Outdoor Education session. It was a great reminder that it is a team effort to provide and care for our animals. Thanks to the PFA! 

The Year 6 students have been discussing their role as the leaders of the school in leaving behind learning opportunities for future students. They have been designing signs to be established in the veggie garden and have been painting new signage which includes some helpful guides for the younger students on how they can interact with the veggie garden. These include helpful hints such as 'feel free to pick the weeds', 'wish for rain', 'bee kind' 🐝, and 'listen to the birds'.   Educating younger students on how to be safe and kind in the learning space is an important legacy to leave behind. Year 5's have been looking after the chickens and the veggie garden, planting new crops, replacing hay for the chickens to sleep on, and tending to the seedling the whole school planted during science week. 

Pruning the vines!

Thanks to some better weather, on Friday 5th Sept the Year 5 and Year 6 students along with some amazing volunteers from the community, spent the morning pruning the vines in the vineyard. We were all treated to an amazing morning of learning from John Ellis who once again offered his experience to guide us all. The students loved learning from him in a hands on way. Thanks to John and our other volunteers James, Lyn and Carol. And a special thanks to the Year 5 students Eoin, Mitchell, Noah, Ben and Henry who all were eager to continue pruning during their break time. Well done everyone!