At the beginning of December 2022 we added 5 more boxes to the initial set of 4 boxes at Kebun Kotak. We used these boxes full of soil as a good opportunity to acquaint the kids at Sekola Baroka with concepts and ideas about "the earth". We made them aware of what it was made of (sand, clay, hummus), what might live in it like microbes and earthworms. Additionally we talked about manure and mulch and root systems. And so the journey of this garden in an urban back lane began as a tool for learning about nature in the school's backyard.
We start our classes outdoors but then move indoors where we continue the theme we started. In this case we showed examples of 'earth colours' describing how we use language and concepts drawn from nature into every day life and we had them draw earth based landscapes that we had talked about or they had seen before like beaches or parks. This way we connect nature to their surroundings or conversations or human activity - ethnobotany is an important concept we want the kids to learn about , how humans interact with nature and make it part of their lifestyles and culture.
In the months that followed we used what was available at the garden which we planted with an eclectic mix of plants - leaves, flowers, branches helped detail more specific ideas about smells, textures, the idea of native and exotic plants.
Although we teach 'soil science' about how to make a planting medium for plants to grow, we avoid narrowing or over focussing on growing food to eat mainly because we want the kids to have a much broader outlook of the garden that includes a sensory experience- textures, smells and then ideas about the many uses of plants from medicines to dyes and fibres for weaving.
We also want the garden to be a source of play and creativity and to use observation and language to be able to communicate ideas about the garden or their responses to this natural environment while they are spending time in it.
By June and July we already had a thriving garden and were able to start talking about the concept of a garden - what are gardens? who takes care of them? We had a first session of maintenance where the kids helped to trim and organise the plants, helping them to climb, pruning for better growth. By this point we had more material to take indoors to do activities with - flower stamping, terbal drinks etc.By October and November, there were many examples of wildlife- snails, spiders, ants and we were able to have more discussions about wildlife in the city, the benefits of a garden space for their fellow non human citizens. By this point we are asking for more participation in observing, describing and recording what they are seeing and what is happening in the garden.We are also able now to talk about concepts of natural vs manmade and positive and negative forces in the garden.
We round the year off by beginning to introduce the kids to individuals who are working with Nature - creating games, artwork. We will be continuing into the new year along these lines where they will meet chefs, people who work in parks, farmers etc to show how work and employment can be related to nature.
This journey that the kids have been part of - of the garden maturing and becoming a recurring place of fun, learning and just simply being in we hope we are imparting an imprtant concept - that of eco literacy. Not just knowing about nature but its role in our city and in our everyday lives. We also hope we are creating memories for them - nature based memories that can become as important as the ones they develop of growing up in an urban city.
