Proposal Primary School Garden Author: Mike Stewart Phone 0450 288 008 6 Sept 2010 1
Philosophy Engage Children in fun hands-on experience growing, harvesting and managing a garden; Allow Children to experiment; To provide pleasurable food education for students. The underlying belief is that by introducing this holistic approach we have a chance to positively influence children s food choices in ways that have not been tried before; Develop Maths and Science skills; Proficiencies of understanding, fluency, reasoning and problem solving, inquiry skills; Engage students in a practical way science; Preparing students to use science for life teach children to function effectively in a scientifically and technologically advanced society; Provides foundations leading to secondary science as well as future tertiary courses; Demonstrate a sustainable model to the school and local community; Possible provision of produce for the Canteen; 2
Aim To build a self sustaining school garden, with full student population input and day to day running; To provide quality produce for the school canteen; To sell excess produce at a market or to parents at stall once a week, with in season produce, profits to the P&C and ultimately back into the school; To provide pleasurable food education for students. We have a chance to positively influence children s food choices in ways that have not been tried before; To provide student education on a wide range of topics with full interaction at all ages. 3
Aquaponics: the basics What is it? A mini Biosphere: The fish supply nutrients for the vegetables; the vegetables clean the fish water for return to the fish tanks. It is the combination of Aquaculture (growing fish in tanks) and Hydroponics (Growing vegetables in nutrient filled water). Combining the two helps cancel out the negative aspects of each. In fact it not only cancels out the negative aspect of each method, but creates a mini Biosphere. An Aquaponic system creates a complex ecosystem that actually increase the level of production compared to other methods. What are Aquaponics advantages? Vegetable production up to 30 times in the same land area as a regular farm; Water use of only 1% of a regular farm; Fish production in addition to vegetables; Scaleable: Home & school-sized to large commercial systems can be built and run economically; Aquaponics Technology is Simple and Easy Low-tech and easy to build; Biofilter technology used is low-cost; Mini Biosphere: the fish supply nutrients for the vegetables; the vegetables clean the fish water for return to the fish tanks; Only system inputs are fish feed, seeds, and makeup water for evaporation; Balanced and stable; runs for years without water exchanges or cleaning; Fish Tank with no herbicides Only organic methods used for pest control 4
Background Current Situation Dwindling native fish stocks, unsustainable farming practices and severe water shortages are bringing about a change in many primary production areas. Lack of education in healthy eating; We need to think outside the square when it comes to addressing these problems. The cycle It s a simple cycle fish live in water, and excrete ammonia, pump this into beds containing vegetables/fruit, good bacteria convert this to nitrites then nitrates in which plants love and flourish, the beds then return the oxygen rich water back to the fish tank. There are three essential components to an aquaponic system, Fish, bacteria & Plants. It s a very simple natural process that happens all around us in nature. The bacteria are naturally found everywhere, in streams, lakes, ponds, dams, and aquariums; they are found in the air, and will populate anywhere there is water and biological activity, like organic matter breaking down in water giving off ammonia. 5
What is the link to the National curriculum? Phases 1, 2 & 3 (Sourced from the Australian Curriculum assessment & reporting authority) We can address many items on the national Curriculum in all 3 phases. Phase 1 - Maths & Science Skills and processes for progression in mathematics; Numbers, statistics, probability, measurement and geometry; Proficiencies of understanding, fluency, reasoning and problem solving, eg. bernouli s principle; Science understanding, science inquiry skills; and science as a human endeavour ; Science engages students in meaningful ways and prepares students to use science for life so that they can live in a scientifically and technologically advanced society; Provides specific learning leading to senior secondary science as well as science and engineering courses at university or technical and vocational education and training. Phase 2 Geography, & Arts in nature The Man-land relationship ; Getting out from behind a desk (practical work) Drawing leaves, flowers, gardens; Phase 3 - Design and Technology (outdoors) Health and Physical Education, Economics & Business. Design systems, students would be designing something practical; Health Education Running a business 6
School & Student Benefits Hands on Learning Discover Biodiversity in a closed environment To teach students how to run a profitable business; Teach student not to be dependent on processed foods; Healthy food choices, links to optimum health; Understand the relationship between gardens and the table; 25 Days growth above! Experience new foods, new flavours and new textures, Develop an appreciation of fresh, seasonal food; Understanding of environmental issues such as soil health, water management, seed-saving, organic pest control and plant diversity; To provide a solid income stream for the P&C; To provide fresh produce for the school canteen; Build students, families and local communities pride in their school, Be recognised as a valuable contributor to educational innovation; Build internal and external community networks, during the construction phase and ongoing maintenance; Provide a new opportunity for children, parents and families to discuss what happens in the Garden Program and apply what is learnt at home; 7
Many Schools in WA are already involved All Saints Baldivis Primary School Belmont Primary School Bertram Primary School Comet Bay Primary School Coolbinia Primary School East Maddington Primary School Harmony Primary School Jarrahdale Primary School Pemberton District High School Pinjarra School Rostrata Primary School Serpentine Primary School Spearwood Alternative School Tuart Hill Primary School Two Rocks Primary School Westfield Park Primary School Woodvale Primary (under review) St Marks (under review) Kinross (under review) St Stephens (under review) 8
What can we do now (2010) How will we fund the garden? Initially from P&C Funds External funding? Token Student fee of $5 or parents time? Lotteries Commission? How will we fund ongoing costs? Apply for a grant in 2011 (for a kitchen) Start building now! By starting the build of a garden now, the school to be in a strong position to obtain funding in 2011 for $66,000 towards a covered outdoor building with simple kitchens. This will provide initial benefits to today s children and future generations. 9
Program Costs School guides & Documentation $400 Security fencing approx total of $2700 Pump & Sump Tank $400 Fish Tank $800 4 Grow Beds $1460 Wheelchair access, decking & concrete $2000 Plumbing $300 Shadecloth $1000 Seeds, $100 Grow bed media $400 Fish $200-$300 Total under $10K Ongoing costs are minimal, 60w for power, topup of water from evaporation, fingerlings $100-200 per year. Seeds available free from seed savers, sharing with other people/schools (or buy them $1.32 each pack.) More Information www.backyardaquaponics.com.au www.aquaponics.net.au www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au 10
Disabled resources The Govt. has funding available to provide a garden for disabled students, we can provide more than just a flower garden. The system is at wheelchair height on a platform similar to these photos anyone can access the growbeds to plant, harvest & interact in ways never seen before. By building a platform between the growbeds and up to the Fish tank we can provide wheelchair access using a ramp, Rather than create a specific garden, we can modify our setup to cater for special needs, providing more for all students to share. 11
Safety & Security School aquaponics setup in, Jandakot showing safety & Security, the overhead fencing would be covered with shade cloth. 12
School Curriculum Home Economics Healthy schools preparing organic food from the aquaponics system look into nutritional information various foods. Advantages & demand for organic foods, Explore various was of preparing the produce from the system; Maths & Business Explore selling and the market (get the students involved); Monitor, record and chart the running costs of an established system - compare this to the market value of the produce harvested from the system use this to analyse wether the system is running at a profit or at a loss; Calculate the volume of tanks & surface area; Calculate the cost to build an averaged sized system, stocking costs, the projected market value of produced harvested use all this data to calculate how long it would take to break even and run at a profit. Science: The Nitrogen Cycle: This can be done in several grades; What is ph?: focusing on ph what is the lin to environmental conditions; Plants: Propagation of plants - both through seed and vegetative reproduction, The life cycle of plants can easily educated to students, and visibly monitored in an Aquaponics system; Seeds can be planted and records kept regarding growth rate; Lifecycle of a yabbie; Flow Diagrams - Aquaponics system flow diagrams; Adaptations Adaptations plants have for living in water and on dry land including reproductive mechanisms; Research a freshwater species and create a poster depicting all the facts, must include origin, latin name, lifecycle, points of keeping the species, natural habitat etc; Design and build a smaller, portable system cold be used as an item to sell at a school market; Create a siphon, find out how to make a machine without any moving parts. 13
Westfield Park Primary School The students at Westfield Park Primary School in WA celebrated with a piscatorial feast when they harvested their first yield of trout from their aquaponic grow system. Over ninety students from Years 3 to 7 cooked fillets and whole trout on the barbeque and prepared salads and vegetables dishes with produce harvested from the garden. We were able to feed ninety students plus staff and volunteers with our own fish and fresh garden produce explained Mike Burns, the school s Program Coordinator, All we needed to buy in was one onion, a bulb of garlic and a capsicum. The potato harvest proved particularly rewarding, with students digging up kilos and kilos of creamy Ruby Lou potatoes. It was like digging for buried treasure enthused a student. The school is looking forward to their kitchen being ready for weekly classes in the first term of the new year. The kitchen overlooks both the aquaponic grow beds and the conventional vegie patches with cabinets and bench tops built by students at Swan TAFE. Moving forward, the garden will be expanded further, and students are looking forward to harvesting fruit from their citrus grove and pressing their own olive oil. The aquaponic tank has now been restocked with barramundi and silver perch. 14