Nature Play

Good day @homeedders I trust you have all been safe and well and enjoying your teaching. This weekend we were off for some nature play which is kind of an old common thing that has become all the rage in todays age. What we called going outside to play has been resold as "Nature Play".

We headed off to our local botanic gardens as they had an open day and I thought why not get the kids out the house for some good ol fashioned outdoor fun and to learn through gardening activities.

On site they had a plant your own succulent classes which is great for kids because succulents are hardy plants that require not much work to survive. They don't even need much water and sunlight and to be honest I probably have another succulent that has never been watered and living off air for the past year. It isn't even in an area that gets any rain either so it's literally just moisture.

Little Miss was introduced to a few different verities of succulents which she got to choose which one she wanted to plant up and with the help of the wonderful community volunteer gardener got to work potting up her own plant.

She learned about how roots form in the soil, how many days it will take for the first shoot and how not to overwater the plants and all the added care information.

On site there was a guided tour of the gardens and all the trees and plants currently in the garden which was a diesel powered tractor with a carriage on the back for us to ride around in.

It was a little noisy and little bloke wasn't the biggest fan but little miss was excited to have a ride on the train around the garden. Starting off from the community garden car park operated by the Lions Club which is a volunteer organisation it travelled around the park and through its older more established area across to it's newer work.

In the middle of the gardens is a lake that provides the area with water to sustain its operation. The lake is regularly topped with Red Fin and other species of Fish for eating or game and is a popular tourist destination for locals and people from other parts of the state.

You will always find an angler on its banks trying to catch the nights dinner.

The newer area of the garden is being developed as an East Australian area and over the next few years will have a significant amount of investment and activities to participate in. Little Miss has already voiced her eagerness to revisit the Botanic Gardens and help by planting new trees in the garden to be enjoyed by future generations to come.

After our train ride we were met by the president of the Botanic Gardens who took us over to their latest addition which is a native edible garden of native plants in eco boxes.

Yam's were a feature in the planter boxes which was a relief to see as these plants were once plentiful across Australia. With a Yellow Daisey and white milky sap they were a popular food and a stable for Aboriginal people.

If you're an Aussie you may have tried on or at least at school because the knowledge was often shared around. Beneath the plant it's roots tend to be a bulb if left long enough they fatten up to resemble a potato but a lot smaller.

These roots can be eaten and quite often roasted prior to eating and if you do want to try one make sure it isn't in winter as the plan changes flavours to become more bitter in the Winter months as it takes on a lot more water.

It was a really impressive day amongst mother nature with a whole heap of lessons for everyone and one we will return to in future years.