Outdoor life comes in
The outdoors comes in to students at Campus013 in Tilburg. Vmbo teachers Jocelyn Janssen (D&P, Dienstverlening en Producten) and Annemiek Andriese (Biology) are working with colleagues there to build a learning environment in connection with nature and organizations in the city. Thanks to the outdoor lessons in Garden013, various subjects in the curriculum at Campus013 become intertwined, while biodiversity grows around the school.
Using a vlog by first-year D&P students, Jocelyn and Anniek showed what Garden013 has to offer. Together with the students, a food trail was created next to the school. And inside the school is a grow-your-own-sandwich installation (via Growwizzkid). In the garden, there is a worm hotel, in which cutting waste from the catering department is converted into worm compost. To measure outdoor temperatures in green and more petrified places, students built their own devices (via meetjestad.net). They also made a wind- and solar-powered charging station to which they can charge their phones.
Now that the garden is fairly 'finished', the teachers are tirelessly looking for more green and social projects in Tilburg in cooperation with organizations from the city. Jocelyn: 'That way society benefits and at the same time our students learn what they can do for their environment'. Want to read more about Garden013? Check out circulate.now for an interview with Jocelyn Janssen and Anniek Andriese.
Agenda Nature Inclusive 2.0
Of all nature in the Netherlands, the vast majority is unprotected. This can be found on industrial sites, in (recreational) parks, along field edges, along roads and railroad lines, in residential areas and around schools. Agenda Natuurinclusief focuses on strengthening biodiversity in ten areas all around us.
Anna Vanderveen (SME Advies) is domain leader for the Education domain. This is not just about enhancing nature in the physical environment, such as on schoolyards and in school buildings. It is also about being able to gain knowledge about species diversity and being aware of the key role each of us can play in strengthening nature on the ground. See here for more information on the goals and approach of Agenda Nature Inclusive.
Soil full of life
By making soil life visible under the microscope, Liedewij de Graaf (CircuLeren Foundation) is working to increase understanding of this invisibly small and hidden life. She trained as a soil life microscopist at Dr. Elaine Ingham's Soil Food Web school. The microscope image she shared showed fungal threads from a soil sample she took between large old trees. Zooming in on the underground microcosm, evokes wonder but also a sense of kinship with more-than-human life forms. Because without the microbiome in our intestines that we ingest through food, we cannot digest food properly. What kind of soil did your food grow in?
'We know more about the galaxy, than about the ground beneath our feet'. For a long time, this statement by Leonardo da Vinci was true. But that is now changing! School gardens can play an important role in this.
And so making underground life visible immediately illustrates the importance of a school garden such as Garden013 and the mission of Agenda Natuurinclusief, to also contribute through education to a society, which considers the relationship with nature in all choices
Also join the online meetings for vmbo and practical education teachers
Are you working as a teacher or school leader in vmbo or practical education? Join the conversation with colleagues from around the country and be inspired to practically shape more sustainability in schools. Check the calendar for the next meeting!
