Lean Green Eco Machine

Going wild!

With the alternate sunshine and rain we are experiencing at the moment, the plants in the new wild area are developing very well. There are already a number of flowers out and attracting insects.

The worm has turned!

This week the new womery has arrived and members of the eco schools club have been assembling it. We have needed to get a wormery because the Green bin in the staff room provides so much waste each week that it has already filled one compost bin!

This photo illustrates the coir going in which provides the worms with moisture and a medium to move around in.

The worms arrived in a sealed bag with moist paper which protects them during their journey and provides some food and moisture - worms need to be moist so that oxygen can pass through their skin and into their blood.

The completed wormery sits next to the compost bin. We have to give the worms a couple of weeks to settle into their new home before adding any green waste but then it will be all systems go. The crates on the left can be added as the wormery fills up and we constantly rotate them as the waste in the bottom one is ready to be used as compost.

Working with Wight Wildlife

This week pupils from 5GB have been working with Mrs Grogan from Wight Wildlife to understand the importance of biodiversity and to enhance the biodiversity of species living in our school grounds.

Insect nests

The pupils made insect habitats from hollowed out willow stems and bamboo canes. Simply tie a bundle together and put them around the garden to provide a habitat to attract insects.

Here is the insect habitat in situ in the school gardens.

Bird feeders

The pupils learned how to make bird feeders to hang around the garden using pine cones and coconut shells. Firstly, use some string to make a hanging device for the coconut or pine cone once you have finished. Next, get some bird seed and meal worms, add fat and mix together. Then fill the coconut shell or gaps in the pine cone with the mix and hang in the garden.

Bat boxes 

Mrs Grogan gave an interesting talk on bats and their behaviour and supplied us with another 4 bat boxes to make up and put in our school grounds.

Bushwhacked!

This week we have started to trim the bushes behind the CID area which have been left for so long that they have started to grow out of control. We are only trimming the bushes back to tidy it up because they will be home to a variety of insects, spiders, slugs, worms, snails - all species we found whilst doing the work. It was thoroughly tiring work and we all felt a little bushwhacked by the end of it!

Before - overgrown

During - hard at work!

 

After - room for the new bird table!