Project Overview:

Thanks to the Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant, Tower Street Public School students have put their green thumbs to work in creating their Crunch and Sip Garden.

By transforming the existing run-down garden beds with 120 plants, the goal was to encourage all students at the school to participate in the garden project. Students were involved in research to select in-season fruits and vegetables, design of the garden beds, creating a plan to planting seedlings, including the creation of a planting system. Students secured netting to protect the garden from birds and took responsibility for planting, weeding, and spreading sugar cane mulch to improve soil quality.

The students have also demonstrated responsibility by actively ensuring they regularly water the seedlings using a roster system. The ‘Crunch and Sip’ garden will harvest celery, spinach, capsicum, carrots, snow peas, strawberries, chives, mint, mixed lettuce, and bok choy, which the children will eat and enjoy.

Educational Outcomes

This initiative has taught healthy food choices to the students. By implementing a “Crunch and Sip” program each day, which encourages students eat a fruit or vegetable during the morning. This project is aligned with various units taught at stage-appropriate levels across the school. In PDHPE, focusing on Health, Safety, and Active Lifestyles, students explore their responsibility for personal and others' health, emphasising the importance of a balanced diet and regular eating habits.

In Science and Technology's "Living Off The Land," the students investigate how and why food and fibre are produced in managed environments, using sustainable methods. The unit culminates in students following the design and production process by preparing and producing a healthy dish, considering safety, nutrition and sustainability.

Conclusion

The ‘Crunch and Sip’ garden project empowered students to collectively care for the neglected garden beds and taken on series of tasks that involved growing plants from seedlings. Highlights for the students included planting seedlings, proactively overcoming challenges in assembling tunnel nets, and witnessing the daily changes of the garden. The school remarked that the project instilled a sense of responsibility in the students to collaborate as a team.