Kids Garden Club - #4 Gardening 101 - Soil testing, composting + worm farms

Weekly Kids Gardening Group, Term 4,

Week 2: Gardening 101

This week we discover the basic scientific principles and actions in gardening.

We will:

• Test soil samples to find their pH.
  PLEASE BRING A SOIL SAMPLE IF YOU WOULD ALSO LIKE TO TEST YOUR OWN SOIL- approx 1/4 cup sample
  
• Discover- what is soil? (Soil vs dirt)
• Look at what makes up soil
  • Learn how to test what your own soil is made up of, so you can do it yourself at home.
• Talk briefly in minerals and some chemical compound/element components of soil + how to create & 'feed' soil
  
• Look at some different ways to compost. How to set them up and How to care for them. 
  • Compost bins
  • Worm farms
  • Bokashi
• Build a worm farm from scratch
• Discover Life cycle of plants
• Talk about Sun, Shade & Watering methods
• Mulch some garden beds & discover what is mulch, when, and why should we do it?
• Sow some seeds - Using different materials- mini coir discs, paper pts, loo rolls, seed trays

Price $12/child partcipant 4yo and up (First two children) Additional children 4yo+ $3 (3rd & 4th child). 5th+ children / under 4yo & Accompanyting Adults FREE when accompanied by another paying participant.
If you have 3 or 4 children 4-16yo, select ONE ticket for "3x Children 4-16yo" OR "4x Children 4-16yo" PLUS the number of adults PLUS under fours.

EXAMPLE: You have 3 children 4-16 yo, a 3yo, an infant under 2yo:+ 2 adults, select the following

1x "3x Children 4-16yo" = $27.00
1x "Child 2-4 yo)"          = $0.00
2x "Adult"                     = $0.00
TOTAL                         = $27.00

Ages- Any. Location: Valley View. Maximum, 25x paid participating children.

NOTE: AT CHECKOUT, IT WILL SHOW A BOOKING FEE per PAID TICKET- YOU SHOULD NOT BE CHARGED THIS FEE, AS THE EVENT ORGANISER HAS SELECTED TO ABSORB THIS COST.

ABOUT THE ORGANISER:

Hi, I'm Corryn. Mumma to three, avid gardener, lover of thrift / reusing materials (2020 Grow it Local Award winner under the Best Upcycled Garden category), experienced home educator, and Gardening and Home Based Living workshop facilitator. I trained as a midwife and soon moved into attending homebirth to be able to truly support women. I love animals, keeping chooks, goats, rabbits, dogs and a cat, and used to foster dogs (prev. Adoptions co-ordinator at AWDRI SA).

I am due to complete my Dip. Sustainable Living (online) at UTAS in Dec 2022. I love learning about natures patterns and how to use permaculture principles to maximise ecological outcomes in my everyday life at home and in the wider community. 

FUTURE EVENTS

Each session involves hands on activities, usually including something to take home.

Future session prices may vary slightly ($10-15/paid ticket) dependent on material costs, but we endevour to keep it as economical as possible.

Effort has gone into making this affordable for larger families, capping the cost at 2x full-cost paid participants + 2x reduced-cost particpants per nuclear/household family. This means that some take home materials may be given 1-2 per family, rather than per participant.
> Spring & Summer veg
> Herbs / Sensory gardens > Edible
& healing flowers / Healing calendula oil/balm
> Sprouts
> Planting on the Nature Strip & native/indigenous/provenance plants
> Growing fodder for animals/pets, and the family (rabbits, chooks,
birds/parrots, small livestock).
> Planting for pollinators &
biodiversity- focusing on bringing beneficial bugs to the garden + build
a small bug/bee hotel

PAST SESSIONS:
SESSION 1: Polyculture & The Three Sisters (corn, beans, pumpkins).