Community
Environment design, problem solving, innovation and future thinking are they key ingredients behind an amazing initiative led by a group of Year 6 students from Whatawhata Primary School.
An old, muddy, and waterlogged corner of the school caught the attention of staff and students as the perfect setting to create a positive change. This would soon become the landscape for a vibrant outdoor garden and learning space, but as with any ambitious project, it was no mean feat!
The students were tasked with creating designs for the garden boxes and started to calculate what materials would be needed and how much this would cost. To extend their learning the group then made a time to meet with the team at our Whatawhata branch to present their designs and learn more about what was required to bring their designs and ideas to life.
The team were so impressed with the ideas and thought that had gone into bringing this project together and were thrilled to share the news to these students that Thomsons ITM would support them by sponsoring four Garden Boxes to kick start their garden project.
Over the school holidays, several community members and local businesses got stuck in to level the ground and install drainage to the garden foundations, ready for the garden boxes to be placed.
There was excitement and wonder as the Thomsons ITM hiab truck rolled onto the school field with the special delivery. The students then got to work and prepared the garden beds with cardboard layers, followed by leaf matter, soil, and finally a garden mix, ready for planting.
We can’t wait to follow the progress of this project and know that the whole school and wider community will benefit from the learning and produce that comes from such a fantastic initiative.
