ESH452 Special School Farm An Environmental Education Facility

Layout 1.Office 2.Forest Walk 3.Vegetable garden 4.“Yeronga” living skills houses 5.Chickens 6.Orchard 7.Nursery 8.Animals – goats, sheep, ducks 9.Platypus area 10.Shop

What’s on Offer? 1. Animal Husbandry: sheep, goats, ducks, and hens are all cared for on this site. Students learn the what and how of feeding them, cleaning and maintenance of pens and experience the wonder of birth – there were lambs born not long ago. 2. Orchard: over 600 fruit trees grow here. Fruit is sold in the shop with excess being made into jams. 3. Chickens: students are taught to care for and to raise chickens. Chicks are cared for in incubators. The plan has been to establish free ranging hens. 4. Platypus area: it was hoped to rehabilitate the creek to re-attract the platypus to this area. They have been replanting native trees and excavating the creek for foraging pools for the platypus. This is still an on-going project. 5. Forest Walk: Students have been cutting away weeds with the aim to encourage native animal habitats. 6. Nursery: Links have been made with Gatton Agricultural College who provide seeds and seedlings for plants. These are sold in the shop. 7. Vegetable garden: quick growing vegetables are planted, mostly from seeds. The Farm has its own dynamic lifter. 8. Yeronga Village: these huts were built by the Yeronga TAFE (Brisbane) as a living skills area for Autistic children. There are 3 huts: one is a kitchen, one a bedroom with ensuite, and one a classroom. Students are taught to cook and to maintain the bedroom (learn how to tidy, make beds, clean bathroom etc) along with lessons in literacy and numeracy.

Education for a Sustainable Future The Recycling Program is very active. Items are recycled, reused or repaired. Timber from the Camphor Laurel trees has been used to make toys, clocks and other items. The students make stationery to sell from the shop, while the woodwork room is active with furniture making. Plant Propagation is a key element in the development of large quantities of plants. A Laminar Flow Cabinet was donated by UQ to allow for correct hygiene and controlled environmental conditions to propagate many plants.

Education for a Sustainable Future The Market Garden practises Permaculture with crop rotation, green manures and companion planting. The No-Dig Garden uses the principle of composting in layers to increase soil fertility.

Effectiveness Awareness, Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills, and Participation My opinion is that the programs offered at the Special School Farm encompass all of these objectives. Awareness Individuals and groups of students are sensitive to their total environments; (they are immersed in it) Knowledge Students are gaining understandings of processes relevant to interactions of life processes; (plant propagation, recycling, permaculture) Attitudes Participants in the program develop life-sustaining rather than life-degrading attitudes; (positive interactions are encouraged) Skills A range of skills are available for students to solve environmental problems; (students are taught onsite by being actively involved) Participation By hands on participation, students are actioning environmental issues. (facilities on the Farm support hands-on participation in programs)