Field Trip

As a school we went on a Field Trip and learnt many new things about our soil, how to treat it and it uses. We also learnt about our ecosystems, compost  and being 'water-wise' with plants. 
This was all done in 3 activities















Activity 1

For this activity we took a tour around the garden and learnt all about ecosystems and biodiversity and how you get producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers and decomposers and how they all play a vital role in the ecosystem that we live in. We learnt that we need consumers use the sun as energy and so that we can eat them and get our energy, for we are secondary consumers whom feed off of the primary ones. Decomposers also play a vital role in our ecosystem as they break down all of the dead things and feed the soil and make Humus.

We also learnt that Humus is the vital for all healthy soil and healthy soil makes a healthy plant which then gets eaten by a secondary consumer which in turn keeps them healthy and when they die, they get turned back into humus and the cycle continues. 

when we took the garden tour we got to see all of what we were learning about in action which was amazing to see because when you look at a plant you don't expect so much to be happening and for there to be much purpose to to them other than providing us with food and energy but they do so much more then that, they provide energy for almost everything and all of this is derived from that sun which is just amazing to think that something so far away is the power source for almost every living thing on this earth. 

Personal Reflection: Oscar von Seidel

I found this inspiring in teaching us about the ecosystem and its importance in keeping our soil healthy.

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Activity 2

For this activity we learnt how to make our own compost heap out of everyday waste materials. This was not a simple, normal compost heap though, it was one that had been calculated to find the optimal speed, smell, usage and size.  We also learnt the difference between normal soil and dirt and compost soil.

He talked about two types of plant matter "dry brown" and "wet green". Dry brown was, as the name suggests, dry, leaves and wet green was your kitchen waste that was still in okay condition.

First he softened the ground so the micro-organisms could could penetrate more easily, then he laid down sticks so that there was a bit of a foundation for the heap.

Then he told us to put some dry brown on, because it contained lots of carbon which is a necessity for good compost heaps.

After he told us to put on some wet green, because it contains lots of nitrogen, also a necessity for good compost heaps,

On the third lair we had to put on some horse manure to speed up the process because it already contained lots of micro-organisms, which otherwise would have had to find the compost heap.

Then repeat the process over and over until you have used up all your supplies.



















And after 8 weeks of magic this is your result.

They taught us about two type of compost soils one with worms, one without. The one with worms is better because it has more

Humus, which improves soil quality. They both have good micro-organisms though.

One way to check if a soil has micro-organisms is by putting hydrogen peroxide on it, because it kills micro-organisms so it bubbles when in contact with them. As you can see in the picture

below the compost soils bubbles a lot and the sandy clay

doesn't.

Personal Reflection: By Andrew

This was a very useful activity since we understood the importance of good soil, how to make it and the differences between it and normal soil. It help teach us how to  create a compost heap which is very useful to gain fertilizer for your own plans to grow at home and thus become self-sufficient. I felt this is a useful skills to learn as you will be able to do this whenever it's needed.

Personal Reflection: Oscar von Seidel

I found this very eye-opening since it taught us the importance in keeping our soil healthy for a bright and sustainable future.

Activity 3:

We used 2 litre bottles to create a highly effective watering system. 

First, take a Koki Pen and draw five dots on the five sides of the bottle thus you should have 25 dots. Then, take a pin and poke it through the bottle but in the dots. Thus you will have 25 holes.

Then, create a hole in the ground and place the bottle within. Add water and the water will slowly disperse into the soil without being lost to the wind or sun via evaporation. 

Personal Reflection: Andrew

I feel that this is a highly effective way of watering your garden as the water is not lost to the wind or sun as the water is dispersed into the soil and the roots.

Personal Reflection: Oscar von Seidel

Doing this gave us some brilliant ideas into how to water our window farm effectively and conservatively.

Personal reflection by Jake van Gemert:

i really enjoyed the feild trip because i really feel that i learnt something about being water wise and how you can use the waste to compost and how composting works, i also enjoyed planting the pants and learning about what they need to grow into healthy pants that are good for you.