Students and Gerty at the garden.
Qatar Academy Instructional Assistant Gertuida Weir grew up in a farm in South Africa and learned first-hand the importance of nature and environment. Affectionately called Gerty by her first grade pupils, Weir has similar aspirations for her students. “I learned to love nature from a very young age. I wanted our students to learn about the beauty of nature and the responsibility we have towards the environment and the animals that live in it”.
Seizing this opportunity, Weir, together with teacher Josef Kaufhold, integrated the class unit and expanded the birdbath and feeder first installed by Weir’s students the previous school year.
“The garden came about from Grade 1’s Sharing the Planet unit centred around the purpose of plants in our lives,” Kaufhold said. “We study the plant parts and how to use our senses to make observations. We measure stems and count leaves to monitor growth. We experiment with the basic needs of plants and the effects when these are not met. We think about the uses of different plants as medicine and food”.
From this lesson, the project turned into a full-blown community effort. Taking inspiration from the original birdbath and feeder located in the play area, students were challenged to become more resourceful in growing and developing the garden.
Shares Weir: “Each student found and brought a brick to lay the foundation of the rockery; white stones of all shapes and sizes were collected around campus. A variety of plants were donated by the students from their Unit of Inquiry about growing things. The garden has now expanded to four flower beds and the students of Grade 1B are proud to water and maintain their work every day. We also have helpers from other classes”.
According to Kaufhold, the students’ responsibilities are varied but all necessary for the garden to thrive. “Students dig out sand and replace it with soil. They are also responsible for planting seeds, pulling weeds, watering, pruning and creating signage to alert others to the garden areas. Each day the class gives food scraps to feed the birds that live in the gardens. Gerty always has her hands full with excited and eager students ready to get their hands dirty”.
Weir sees the value of these authentic life lessons, too. “I am using nature as a way to teach in a very practical way how to preserve and nurture all living things. The students have gained understanding of nature, which they will respect and use for the rest of their lives”.
The Peninsula
