Preparing the outside environment for summer

Two weeks of school holidays finished today. Our Tawa Montessori preschool was closed and we have used that time to have a good look around our garden, reflect on our practices, and to think about our next garden projects. We have several projects lined up and it is important we carefully think about how we are going to implement them with the children, in order to give them ownership and a sense of pride and belonging.

There is the new potting shed which needs a place and assembling. Then there are the vegie gardens which need replanting after winter and then we have the chickens who "love our vegie gardens too much". We also would like to attract more beneficial insects to our garden and what better way to do this then building an insect hotel.

The vegie garden versus chickens issue poses a real dilemma. After careful thinking we decide to move the vegie garden out of reach of the chickens, rather then moving the chickens out of reach of the garden, as the latter would mean the chickens wouldn't have access to the compost heap anymore. Somehow I have this idyllic picture in my mind that a compost heap needs to have scratching chickens.

Moving the garden it is. Actually, moving isn't really an option, as the garden boxes are well fixed to the ground. We are going to have to build new ones. The only available spot we have is an unused patch of concrete, at the side of the classroom, accessible only through a pathway. It is not the most ideal area, but it will make good use of the concrete patch and a gate to keep the chickens out can easily be installed, if deemed necessary. As we are now going to garden on concrete we will have to make a no dig garden. This in itself adds another dimension to the project as the children will have to think about what ingredients are in soil and how to make a good soil for in the planterboxes.

Making a no dig garden in another part of the garden means we are going to be left with two big planter boxes in a prime spot. One is currently growing an abundance of broad beans. It is obvious the chickens don't like beans, something I can emphatise with. The other planter box is empty. Recently the children dug in fresh compost and the soil in this box is rich and mulch. An ideal place to transform into a flower garden with an insect hotel. Hopefully this way we can attract more butterflies, weta, ladybugs and other little creatures.

While the children are away on holidays, we re-arrange our bottom deck to cater for the new projects. A prepared environment is the cornerstone of an authentic Montessori classroom, inside and outside. It is important we cater for the developmental needs of the children at the right time, while at the same time providing an environment where children can be independent and work at their own pace, following their own interests. An environment like this requires careful thinking about what to provide and what not to put in the environment.

For the garden to be successful it is important the children have ownership. We want our children to be actively engaged in our garden, and to be independent and not too reliable on the teacher. Having access to the right tools and ingredients is crucial. Spades, wheelbarrows, bales of hay and straw, gravel and all kinds of little natural objects that can function as an insect hiding place need to be accessible to the children. The frames for the new planter boxes have been put in place and the old shelf that is going to function as a bug hilton is planted in the garden. These items will undergo a complete transformation as the children will fill up the new planter boxes with layers of hay, manure, straw and compost and then plant the seedlings. Bamboo sticks, branches, old bricks, bark and other suitable object they will find at preschool, at home, in the park or in the bush, will be added to the bug hotel.

With Summer less then two months away we are going to be busy for weeks to come!
- Anja