Project Overview:

St Paul's Catholic School set about establishing a Bush Food Garden to give students a hands-on opportunity to learn how to create their own sustainable food gardens, but also to deepen their understanding of First Nations histories and cultures.

Students were involved in researching, purchasing, planting, caring for bush tucker plants with assistance from the wider community.

"This project was interesting. We learnt about how all different plants have purposes and how many different uses they have, like medicine. I think it is a really fun project and it will be good to see how far the plants come in the future with other kids taking care of them," shared Samuel, a Year 6 student at the school.

Educational Outcomes

Through the project, students learnt a lot about growing plants, including what they need to survive and thrive. They were also given the opportunity to educate younger students in the school how to care for the new plants.

The students particularly loved researching edible plants native to their area and that would be well suited to surviving in their climatic conditions. They also researched indigenous uses for the plants and prepared information texts on the facts they discovered, which then informed the plant purchases made.

Environmental Outcomes

A total of 70 native plants were added to the school grounds through the project. As these plants grow and become more established, it is hoped the native animals and insects will thrive too.

Conclusion

Thanks to their Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant, St Paul's Catholic School Bush Food Garden is well underway. Not only has the garden provided students the opportunity to get outdoors and hands-on with growing their own produce, it has also helped to foster relationships between the school community and local indigenous people including Jason Smith, an Indigenous Cultural Educator who assisted with advising the school on planting and the use of their produce.

As the plants continue to grow, the school is aiming to incorporate them into cooking sessions next!