KU Quarterly January 2019 | Page 6

also a natural fertiliser that is absorbed into the soil when the worm juice is added, or the gardens are watered. We have added frog ponds into the playground to help reduce mosquitos. Tadpoles are hatched indoors from frog spawn, so the children can watch the different stages of tadpoles as they grow and turn into frogs. Once the tadpoles grow their legs and lose their tail, they are then transferred into the outdoor ponds so they can then feed off the mosquito larva. Because the frogs eat the larva, it is prevented from turning into biting mosquitos. Engaging the community To be able to create and maintain our growing sustainable environment, we have needed help from the community. Our local Bunnings assists us in providing donations and helping with fundraising events. Coffee shops help by providing their weekly stock of coffee grounds for our gardens and 2-litre milk cartons are used for various things around the centre. Families have helped create gardens and filled them with soil. Some families have provided us with seeds from the fruits and vegetables of their culture such as a hairy or fuzzy melon. that one child who is allergic to eggs is not allergic to home grown eggs. In fact, we discovered that for this child it is not the eggs they are allergic to, it is the additives that are fed to the chickens and passed through to the egg (this is the case with shop bought chicken eggs). However, we note that this may not be the same for all children with egg allergies. We also discovered that the older an egg is, the easier it is for the shell to be removed once it has been hard boiled. In fresh eggs the shell does not peel off cleanly. This is because the albumen (egg white) sticks to the inner shell membrane due to the less acidic environment. As the egg ages, the protective coat slowly wears off and the egg becomes porous, absorbs more air and releases some of its carbon dioxide. This makes the albumen more acidic, causing it to stick to the membrane less. The egg white will also shrink slightly so the air space between the egg shell and the membrane grows larger, resulting in the shell being easier to peel. For ideal peeling of hard- boiled eggs, it is best to use eggs that are 7 – 10 days old. Most significant things we have learnt There are so many things that we have learnt along the way with the children which is what has made it so much more valuable. It demonstrates to children that we learn through our entire life, that it is alright not to know the answer and that you can research to find the information. We have learnt not to let someone tell you that something won’t work without giving it a try. Maybe it won’t work, but maybe it will. The only way you will know is to have a try. The learning experiences have been completely different for every staff member. The significance of the learning depends on how much knowledge someone started with. For example, one educator was completely amazed when we grew our first pineapple. She thought pineapples grew underground like potatoes. Another educator was amazed that it all can start with one tiny plant and grow into a sustainable oasis. Another educator found it significant to learn that native bees do not sting. Over the years, there have been many significant learning opportunities for everyone, no matter their age. One particularly valuable experience was Page 6 www.ku.com.au JANUARY 2019