The Seed Ceremony

This week our Class 4 students handed wheat, rye and barley seeds to our Class 3 students, so they can continue to grow a crop that has been going for almost 17 years. This long-term learning project engages students to learn about the value of land and agriculture.

Our Class 6 teacher Noel Ferry said the Seed Ceremony marks the end and the beginning of a process which connects the children to the earth, the garden, to festivals and our seasons. It's about connections to seasonal life, the food the children grow and the food the children eat. It's a long cycle of learning that the children experience.

In terms of getting our garden soil right for growing the crops, we use biodynamic principals. The soil is watered, mulched, and well prepared for each crop each year. Growing the crops is not an isolated learning project. Our Class 3 students this term will engage in a 4-week thematic lesson about agriculture called The Farming Main Lesson. The children will look back at the history of farming and how it has developed through time.

Every class at our school, in primary and middle school, was also given a vegetable seedling tray at the Seed Ceremony, that they need to plant in our garden. Each class is responsible to plant and grow vegetables so they can all contribute to our Winter Festival Vegetable Soup.

There is a myriad of ways our students engage with the land and history. Our Seed Ceremony and The Farming Main Lesson give context for our students, and knowing where their food comes from is very important.