Serious About Sustainability. Part 3
/A Prickly Problem and a Clever Solution
Being as natural and chemical free as possible, in all areas of our preschool, is really important to us here at Athenree Montessori. Caring for the environment is a subject close to our hearts. We strive to create and provide and environment that is safe, clean and genuinely nurturing. On our sustainability journey we have discovered is that sometimes things just take a little more effort and, in some cases, a little courage. Our tamariki (children) love their wild area and are keen and enthusiastic to be a part of taking care of it. The following is a learning story written by Kaiako (teacher) Janet Tye. It is a wonderful example of the dedication of the whole preschool to caring for Papatuanuku (Mother Earth).
We have noticed that the sheep which sometimes graze in our wild area are very selective about what they choose to eat and it is apparent they don't really enjoy the taste or texture of thistles! But the good news is that it is easy to identity these prickly weeds standing tall among the munched down the grass. This helped our weed eradication gang who excitedly pointed out the thistles to Vanessa and I as we chipped away at them. A very courageous and willing team of helpers eagerly followed us around to gather up the thistles and throw them into a pile over the fence.
How did the children avoid getting pricked by these nasty weeds as they carried out this work....? They would tell you it is all about technique and the discovery that their tap roots are prickle free, so with strategic handling of the roots only these brave little toilers gathered up the chipped thistles and carried them upside down by their roots to the fence and tossed them over!
Interestingly all of the children enjoyed the challenge and as a team experienced a great sense of satisfaction and pleasure to see their extended outdoor area which they love so much largely weed free with a large pile of thistles as evidence of their hard work. Great to see teamwork shared with a happy sense of purpose and satisfaction of a job well done.
I think we got them just in time before their purple flowers turned to seed and spread around the wild area to germinate next year. Thank you all for your help!
