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Lucindale Area School Planting Feed Trees for Cockies
Kerry GilkesLucindale Area School 4/5 class started their stringybark project in 2015 when they collected stringybark nuts and dried them in brown paper bags on their window sill at school.
After three weeks when the nuts had opened the students then had the fun job of sieving the seed from the rubbish and sowing into tubes. Due to the seed being planted out at the end of Term four, Eucaleuca Native Services Nursery kindly helped germinate the seed during the Christmas holiday period. The germination was a huge success and after some thinning the trays of seedlings was returned to the school for the children to grow on until planting.
In July this year students in Mrs Hille’s Year 3-4 class participated in a planting day on a local property to plant the stringybark they had grown and other native seedlings purchased from Eucaleuca Native Nursery as part of the Cockies Helping Cockies Project.
The day started with a short bus trip and upon arrival students were given a demonstration on how to successfully plant a seedling and the important role tree guards play in protecting the seedling and helping it to get established. Students were then divided into groups to plant and guard the seedlings. All students enjoyed a well-deserved recess break before they moved to another site to plant more seedlings.
The students planted and guarded 300 seedlings across the two sites and had an enjoyable day learning valuable skills in planting seedlings and creating habitats. It was wonderful to see students being very careful and particular when planting the seedlings and hearing them remind each other what a wonderful contribution they are making to our environment.
The children at Lucindale Area School will collect more seed in Term four this year and will follow through with the same process enabling the children to understand and be hands on during the entire process from collecting the seed, to growing the seedling and then finally planting out.
