Class 3’s final Main Lesson for Term 1 is Farming and Textiles. So far it has involved a series of highly practical lessons where the children are learning how natural raw materials are transformed into products. One of the activities has been the transformation of wheat into bread. Another, how we prepare and look after soil. 

Below you will see photos of the children threshing a cloth bag of wheat, blowing the wheat as it falls into a bowl to separate the stalk pieces from the grains (winnowing), grinding the wheat with a mortar and pestle and making damper.

The other series of photos are of the children sowing ‘green manure’. This involved a little excursion to the garden where we were met by Kathy Thangathurai, one of our resident Glenaeon Gardening Teachers. Kathy had prepared a garden bed especially.

First, she spoke about the importance of building and nourishing our soil to keep it healthy. Then we were handed a small portion of carefully selected seeds and while we were sprinkling, she explained that when the seeds sprout and grow they draw nutrients from the soil depths and from the air to bring them to the top layer where our plant’s roots grow. The children then took turns ‘turning and tickling’ the earth with a hoe and to end off this wonderful experience, Class 3 blessed the soil with a song to help the seeds grow.

A few children exclaimed that this was their ‘most favourite main lesson ever!’