26th March 2010

by Becky

This week the Kindergarten project has pushed on with preparing the fence for the children’s garden. We loaded up a tractor trailer with solid granite posts, tools, 8 fence panels, 10 volunteers and headed off to the Kindergarten! Progress was fast, and after using a crow-bar and scooping out the 2-foot holes, we soon had all the fence posts in place. It was hot work, with the temperature being consistently over 30°C these days, but great fun. The next step was to build a bund at the base of the fence-line to protect the garden and the front of the kindergarten from flooding during the monsoon. The bund  which is a solid wall of earth reaching in this case to one and half feet high was constructed using the same method as our water conservation work in the forest.

While all this exciting work on the new fence was going on, we had arranged for a plumber, a mason and painters to come to the Kindergarten and improve the amenities for the kids. The plumber fixed the toilet, fitted a water tank and new taps outside. Not only will this provide easier access to water for the children and teachers, but also an outside water source for watering the garden. The mason touched up the general masonry on the fascia of the building, and the benches inside the kindergarten. He has also built a trough-like structure above the children’s toilet which will brighten it up when planted with flowers. The first coat of fresh turquoise and fiery orange have certainly brightened the building up!

The Sadhana Forest permaculture group was invited to incorporate designs for the garden into their weekly workshop. They have ideas of a tractor-tyre sand-pit, fruit trees, planters made from recycled materials, and many other features that the children can be involved with creating. They have asked the children this week to draw some ideas of what they would like in their garden, so we are looking forward to seeing what ideas they come up with.

Linking up two Sadhana projects, Tiago from Children’s Land came to meet the children with us and to make musical instruments. We took empty shampoo bottles with us and made maracas using various grains and pulses. Liz, our new addition to the Kindergarten team, helped to make rain-makers with them from bamboo. Tiago had the kids shaking their maracas in a call and response game, and everyone had fun, including our volunteers! Next week, we would like to start introducing some songs and games about plants and life cycles. We can’t wait. What productive week at the Green Kindergarten!