Rockstar Visits His School Growing Garden…

Was lucky enough to be around on a day when Rockstar’s class had part of their lesson about plants and growing things in the school garden plot (which I would otherwise have never known existed – I remember local ex colleagues once telling me they really felt the lack of green/ nature education, living in a city – and how the few botanical gardens that dot the city were just visited to death in major trips, some schools being far from the few gardens in HK, there are not enough green attractions to go around.)

So it was nice to see the little garden next door… (And then belatedly I re-read last week’s school email and realized I was supposed to be sending Rockstar to school with a few coins this week because the kids are saving up in their group money boxes to learn about HK currency (online math homework in preparation) and buy plants in the nursery too!! <mad scramble>)

Making our way up to the Growing Garden

Lots of hands going up, as Rockstar’s classmates show off what they’ve learnt about plant life, explain what photosynthesis is… Rockstar somehow decided to raise his hand and say something about what happens if you touch stinging nettles (??!!) Vaguely remember we’d happen to come across that before, how those plants sting, can’t remember why 😀 Oops, I don’t suppose a school garden plot is going to grow things like poison ivy haha but well, he’s also come home previously describing stamen, pollination… Anyway Rockstar looked so happy out, really enjoying the lesson…

Rockstar navigating around one of the plots

The kids settle on some ground sheets laid out among the plots to listen to a reading about trees, the environment, learn how the plants give off Oxygen…

No papayas were harmed in the course of this visit (I realize later Rockstar seemed to ignore this pretty tree and remember belatedly he rarely comes across a papaya he likes to eat)

…observe papaya flowers and fruit, mint, carrot greens (how the orange part is in the soil because it is actually the root), and just a nice outdoor lesson sitting around the plot on a nice day outside, with the faint scent of…. I don’t know what that is – fennel? as they describe the various parts of the plants around them…

<sheepish> Is Dis Fennel?

And then back down they go in orderly fashion, lining up in twos and keeping close to the wall as they walk along the kerb back into the school building with the road on the other side…

Back to class...

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Ps: I hate how lotsa cars whizz past school roads here, it was nice to see repeated reminder emails (including one so parents remembered to brief helpers not to let the kids run if they were doing the dropping off in school) plus that Road Safety Trip recently…

Pps: Some of the kids are in Diwali fashions to celebrate their festival of lights… Rockstar came back with a paper Diwali “candle” he’d made the day before, there is a Happy Diwali announcement over the PA system (on rainy days also a reminder for the children to remember safety precautions, use the handrails and be very careful on the wet floors, among others) – and I even notice a blonde bob (I think it was) topping an elaborate festive Diwali outfit, among the sea of children going to class that morning…

Happy Diwali indeed!