New greenhouse and chicken coop built out of 80% recycled materials have been finished and are ready to go.

Greenhouse

Built at a whopping 4x3 metres, I built this greenhouse over the first week of the holidays and will be using this in the education of sustainability and propagation in the gardening programme that I run with years 5-8. This greenhouse was made with recycled timber from our old playground as well as purchased from Musgroves.

Chicken Coop

This well-built chicken coop was made over the second week of the holidays with the Halswell Menzshed. I have spent the last 4 days working with these skilled gentlemen to produce this chicken coop. At long last we can have chickens again which we are expecting in late May-early June. A huge shout out to the Halswell Menzshed for the work they have put into this and the help they have given me when building the coop. This chicken was made from recycled timber that was provided by the Halswell Menzshed as well as the metal sheets.

This all goes hand in hand with our sustainability at Oaklands Te Kura o Ōwaka. Throughout years 5-8, my goal is to get the students to engage with and learn about Honey Bees, how wax and honey are made as well as how it is processed. To learn about native plants which we have planted here at Oaklands Te Kura o Ōwaka, how we can grow our own vegetables, grow and harvest our fruit from our fruit trees. Interact and learn about how chickens grow, what they need, their life cycle and how to care for them as well as how to make this a sustainable practice here at school. These are all key skills that can be taken outside of the classroom and be taken home to share with whānau.