Class 4 were the first of our classes to make the merry trip to Bilpin in the Blue Mountains to visit Farmer Cedric and his apple farm! It was a stunning day and the orchard was bursting with apples, plums and nashi pears. Families gathered under the old oak tree before Cedric took them on a tour of the orchard, teaching about his farming techniques to combat pests and fruit fly as we went. Sampling Granny Smith, Julie, Golden Delicious, Gala and Fuji apples was a delight, before children filled their baskets and bags to weight, pay and take home!

Cedric holds a special place in our history as he was formerly a high school teacher at Glenaeon and always hosts Glenaeon and other Steiner school families in his orchard with such enthusiasm and care. This year, he taught the Class 4 students about an aphid pest that could be treated using earwigs! He showed the children how to catch multitudes of them in the woodpile and place them strategically on the 7 or 8 affected trees. The earwigs will then eat the aphids and the resulting white fungus will not be able to flourish. The children were delighted to be able to help Cedric on the farm and Cedric explained that within 2 - 3 weeks he expected the problem to now be solved! Thank you Cedric and Class 4!