This article is from page 34 of the 2008-05-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 34 JPG
SEVEN months into existence and Scou Mhainchin National School in Ennistymon has found the perfect way to bring all of it’s 145 students together. The amalgamation of the convent primary and CBS schools into one school has been marked with the creation of a special student garden.
The garden – which includes a veg- etable, insect and bird section – has been worked on by all pupils and teachers at the school over the last Kayes selon laetce
“We were looking for a whole school project that would involve all the students from baby infants right
up to sixth class. So we started off talking about planting a tree but fair- ly soon the that idea spiralled into the garden,’ said school principal Helen Sheridan.
‘Now we have an insect garden, a vegetable garden and a bird garden. It’s a work in progress – the garden will grow with the children and with the school.”
The garden has been constructed with the principles of organic farm- ing and sustainability at heart. The school has reused old twigs to make fencing, used moss to make special habitats for insects, used seaweed and sand to make fertiliser and prop- agated much of the plants that they are SOWIng.
“Tt like another classroom, it’s like an extension to the school. Every class goes out, does their work and then they do a lot of follow-up work in class. It’s really practical science” continued Ms. Sheridan.
‘The insect garden has native grass- es and flowers that attract insects and we have also built some ‘insect ho- tels’ using mosses and sticks to cre- ate somewhere where insects collect and we can observe them.
‘The site was extremely steep, you couldn’t actually walk on it because it was so steep. So the kids learned how to make wattle fencing and they made terraces for the vegetables to erow. They have also used seaweed in that area as a natural fertiliser. It’s
been great and the kids have done all the work.
“The junior infants have made feeders for the bird garden by get- ting pine cones and rubbing them in peanut butter. The older classes are weaving a willow tunnel which will be bird hive and we are planting na- tive trees like ash and birch to attract the birds.”
When the garden becomes more established, the school plans to har- vest the vegetables produced for oc- casional treats for the students.