CHIJ Our Lady of Good Counsel OUR SCHOOL S JOURNEY THROUGH SG50 GARDENING PROJECT Page 1 of 16
Before SG50 Gardening Project Photos Front entrance of eco garden Side view of eco garden Observing water plants P2 PAL Planting Programme Learning more about aloe vera Page 2 of 16
Our Goals Guided by our vision to produce Ladies of the future endowed with knowledge to play a vital role in environmental conservation, the staff, parents and partners of the school work closely to promote environmental awareness. Caring for the environment becomes part and parcel of every pupil from OLGC. It was timely for us to be part of Singapore Turf Club (STC) SG50 Gardening Project as it provided us the funds to rejuvenate our Science Eco Garden with seed amount of $1000. After SG50 Gardening Project Photos Garden design These plants are specially selected as they are common plants in Singapore which we feel that the pupils should at least have the knowledge and hopefully through their understanding of these plants, their interest in Science will be heightened. Kindness Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow relocated at ecogarden entrance to highlight the importance of caring for plants Page 3 of 16
Garden design The ecogarden gate opens to a path lined with ornamental plants such as hibiscus, pinto peanut, mona lavender, hydrangea. Fern corner under the shady tree Pond teeming with aquatic plants Page 4 of 16
Garden design More plants for teaching and learning such as non-flowering plants, economic crops, herbs, spices and desert plants Carnivorous Pitcher Plant Blue pea flower used as food dye Page 5 of 16
Care and maintenance of the eco garden Brownies adopt a plot of ornamental plants P2 pupil watering the plants Parents discussing upkeep of eco garden Staff (Mrs Ariel Tan) watering the plants Page 6 of 16
Use of the eco garden for interdisciplinary learning and community involvement We look forward to the rejuvenated ecogarden coming alive with a community of students, teachers, other adults and various partners. Primary 2 to 5 pupils are involved as follow: Number Primary Programme 150 2 Germinate seeds of maize, chilli, tomato and chart plant growth 35 3P Adopt and monitor the ferns. Representatives shared with school during assembly to commemorate Tree-planting Day. 35 4I Adopt and monitor the useful and harmful plants. Shared during Tree-planting Day 35 5P Adopt and monitor the aquatic plants. Shared during Treeplanting Day 60 3 to 5 The Brownies adopted a plot of decorative plants. They water and clear the weeds. Primary 2 pupils with the plants they germinated Pupils with their plant journals Page 7 of 16
Primary 4 pupils learning more about useful and harmful plants at the ecogarden For Learning Fest on 10 July 2015, Primary 5 Integrity pupils and some parents shared about culinary plants grown in the garden. Pupils tasted potatoes baked with rosemary and sampled lemongrass tea. Primary 5 Integrity pupils sharing about edible plants found in our eco garden Page 8 of 16
Parents serving lemongrass tea and baked potatoes seasoned with rosemary Primary 5 Integrity pupils conducted an eco garden trail on local edible plants for St Francis Xavier Kindergarten pupils on 4 August 2015. Page 9 of 16
International pupils from Macau were hosted to an eco garden trail on 16 July 2015. Mr Raymond Hair sharing about the torch ginger Food-tasting for our Macau pupils Miss Theresa Ng sharing about local edible plants Two parents support us on this project. Mr Raymond Hair advised on the garden design and maintenance. Mrs Fiona Loh shares tips on germination of various seeds and demonstrates how to cook food using edible plants from our eco garden. Page 10 of 16
Mrs Fiona Loh (left) in conversation with Mr Raymond Hair (right) Seeds germinated by Mrs Fiona Loh Since the eco garden has been rejuvenated with more plants, we have spotted other visitors from nature. A snail feeding on Thai Basil tender leaves Toad tadpoles in their aquatic home Page 11 of 16
A tree lizard looking out for its potential prey Is this dwarf for real? Relevance to Singapore Turf Club (STC) STC has facilities to enable us further our cause. During the on-site pre-judging meeting, our team had a fruitful discussion with STC horticulturists who shared their expertise on plant care. Our team welcomes the STC horticulturists Page 12 of 16
To mark our collaboration, we have placed coloured horseshoes on the ground. The horseshoes are painted blue, green, yellow or red to represent a category of plant. Blue for decorative Green for useful plants Yellow for ferns Red for poisonous plants Colour-coded horseshoes Page 13 of 16
Problems Faced Maintaining a well-kept eco garden teeming with healthy plants requires a lot of effort and a team of dedicated, passionate people. At times, plants do not grow well due to problems like insufficient water, poor drainage and diseases. Rosemary plants turning brown and dying Tender leaves eaten by snails Plant attacked by mealy bugs Page 14 of 16
Moving Forward Future Plans Install an automatic irrigation system Make signages to include the QR code of each plant where information about the plant is read by an imaging device like a cell phone Build more planters for pupils to grow their plants all year round Page 15 of 16
Social media links documenting our project 1. Mrs Ariel Tan s Facebook www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10205279700246403.1073741991.106410 2990&type=1&`391850c794 2. Mr Raymond Hair s Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/lawrence-landscape-construction-pte- Lte/263963586976526 3. Singapore Turf Club s media link Our Team The gardening project has enabled the pupils to care more for nature and appreciate its importance. It has also led to greater collaboration among the staff, parents and other organisations. Our team would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in this project for their help and support. Mrs Rebecca Loh Mrs Ariel Tan Miss Theresa Ng Miss Stella Fernandez Mdm Teo Shi Yin Mrs Shiamala Gopal Mr Raymond Hair Mrs Fiona Loh Page 16 of 16