GORDON Education students will benefit from holistic, hands-on learning that triggers all five senses thanks to funding from SA Water.
The centre’s ageing outdoor area will be transformed into a state-of-the-art sensory garden to give a new educational outlet for students.
Funding for the project has been allocated through SA Water’s 2019 Community Partnerships program, with the education facility sharing in $13,000 with Lucindale’s Community Swimming Centre.
Gordon Education teacher Kirilee Chapman said the garden would be used by all students and would incorporate water-play activities and unique education options.
“We are in the process of overhauling our curriculum, flipping our classrooms upside down to include more hands-on learning for students,” Ms Chapman said.
“Our current outdoor area was built over half a decade ago and pavers have moved and the garden beds are not wheel-chair friendly.
“It has been unusable for the past two years so we thought this would be a great opportunity to resurrect it and make things bigger and better.”
Ms Chapman said the garden’s plan incorporated strong components of water-based learning.
“We wanted the students to focus on water sustainability and how water is important in growing plants,” she said.
“We also wanted to make the garden as sustainable as possible.
“We have plans in place involving a recyclable-water system, water tank installation and much more which fall into those sustainability areas.
“I think it will be great to put a science concept into foundations where students can understand what is going on.”
Ms Chapman said the community had been generous with members crafting wheelchair-friendly planters out of palettes, which will be installed in the project.
“Our aim is to make it part of the yard so the children can dig, build and explore their curiosity all the time and not just during class time,” Ms Chapman said.
“We will also be linking it into the curriculum through sustainability, geography, science and hospitality classes.
“Through extensive planning we have taken all our children’s needs into consideration so everybody will be able to use the space.”
Ms Chapman said a large component of the garden would be edible elements.
“We want to touch on all five senses of the body and build on the understanding of how food comes from a farm or a garden before making it to our plate,” she said.
“Hands-on learning has been a fantastic learning tool in the past for our students.
“It involves all these other incidental factors where kids learn how to share, follow rules, develop communication skills and other curricular capabilities.”
Ms Chapman said the garden would also incorporate a sound-based area, herb development and native Aboriginal plants.
“We have made sure it will serve many purposes,” she said.
“We want the wider community including Mount Gambier High School and Pangula Mannamurna to use the space too.
“We have lots of fantastic plans to make the learning space inviting for everybody.”
It is hoped the garden will be completed ahead of Outdoor Classroom Day on November 7.
