Collecting the vermicast from your worm farm



Charley was a great helper

 Worm farms are not just for getting rid of food scraps. They give you something back - worm juice and vermicast. The worm juice is a rich liquid you can collect from under the farm. Vermicast, or worm poo, is the castings that the worms produce.  When you think the first half of the bath (or one level of the can-of-worms) is nearly ready then it is time to harvest the vermicast.  You will know it is ready because you should only see vermicast and a few worms, after about three months from first putting scraps in that layer. 
 Just take the vermicast out and spread it, or put into small piles, on a tarpaulin or some plastic. Do this in the morning, in the shade. The worms will all wriggle to the bottom of the piles and then, after about half an hour or so, you can start the ‘sorting of the worms’. Children love doing this so when you all have gloves on you can start gently scooping the vermicast from the top and putting it into a handy bucket. If you want to keep the vermicast to use later then a bucket with a lid on is handy. The worms that are left behind can be scooped (also gently!) into another container to go back home to the farm. Tiger worms are not the same as earthworms so they won't be happy put in the garden - but some sacrifice may be necessary. The vermicast in this photo is a lovely rich colour and full of yummies for feeding the garden. You can put it on straight, under the soil, or water it down to pour around plants.

Harvesting our crop!

Waikato Kindergarten Association is Expanding its Green Image

Newcastle Kindergarten hosted a celebration of partnership between the Waikato Kindergarten Association (Ngā kura Kōhungahunga O Waikato), Enviroschools and Waikato Regional Council. The official signing signifies a growing commitment to sustainability and leadership in the community.

All 29 kindergartens and five early learning centres within the Waikato Kindergarten Association will be actively involved in the Enviroschools programme.

Children at Newcastle Kindergarten were proud to showcase their initiatives.

“There has been an exceptional effort towards creating our sustainable environment.” says Tanya Podjursky, teacher at Newcastle Kindergarten.

There is a commitment to recycling and composting. Children planted and care for trees. Fruit grown in the orchard is used and shared with the children and their families.

"We are really excited about working with the early childhood sector as there is such a great fit between the kaupapa of Enviroschools and Te Whariki – the early childhood curriculum. Our partnership with Waikato Kindergarten Association is going from strength to strength. The amazing range of actions happening in the WKA Kindergartens that are part of the Enviroschools Programme is inspiring." says Kristen Price, Operations Director of The Enviroschools Foundation. 

Andrea Soanes, schools programme coordinator for Waikato Regional Council says “We are also excited about the opportunity to support the Waikato Kindergarten Association with their implementation of the Enviroschools programme throughout their early childhood centres. Waikato Regional Council facilitates a regional approach to creating a vibrant and supportive Enviroschools network. We are looking forward to a collaborative partnership that provides support for our children, teachers and communities to work towards a sustainable future.”

Enviroschools is helping to create healthier, more peaceful and more sustainable communities.

Our New Outdoor Classroom!

We have posted on our page about a couple of things we've done this past week. We have enjoyed looking at what you are doing at Hillcrest. Thank you for sharing. :)

Here are some pictures of our recent makeover at the back of our kindergarten. Our native area was cut down before our renovations because the trees were creating a few issues with light and drains/spouting etc. We were very sad to see it go but are very pleased with our new garden. It has been planned so the big growing trees don't encroach on the building. The children love it especially the stepping stones and log rounds. We can't wait until Summer to enjoy opening our sliding doors from our art area and moving our art area outdoors!

We had a wonderful Teddy Bear's Picnic earlier in the term to officially open the garden.

Beginning the Big End of Winter Weed Out

Weeding was on the agenda , find the strawberry plants and get rid of the violet take over. Gloves were put on and hand forks and hand shovels were at the ready. The children got stuck in.   Then other things were found during the dig.... 

   

The worm , "it was that big"


the dig was on and worms were being found all through the muddy garden.



Weeding in the back garden produced another variety of curiosity, a large collection of snails!!

Matariki

The tamariki were involved in the preparation of the food and were there for the lifting and blessing of the kai.