Session One with Group Two OT Students

March 7, 2008 at 9:28 pm (Uncategorized)

What a great bunch of people our Occupational Therapists of the future are!In fact, I often wonder how the OT students I have taught in previous years are making out?Speaking of which I must ask James if Collette would still like to collect her bonsai plant she made in a workshop with Joy Morton a couple of years ago? I could have sold it ten times over…

I met the second group of OT students on Thursday afternoon and we followed a similar lesson plan as with the first group in terms of starting with introductions,a discussion on health and safety issues relating to nursery and gardening work and the activities we would be doing that day.We then went on a quick tour of the nursery area which also included looking at the produce of group one’s work.

After our seed cleaning and seed sowing we made some seed balls.

Click on this link for a step by step demonstration on how to make seed balls.

The purpose of this activity is to help re - vegetate native bush, work the muscles in your hands, encourage discussion/ reflection and relieve stress.

We also made some more compost.

Compost can be made using many methods and container types from a free standing heap to a tumbler system.As with most things in life ,compost will respond to the attention and time you give it.Compost works best if you put in green stuff (nitrogen rich) and brown stuff (carbon rich).Of course we are merely imitating a process which happens naturally but we can really get some great results if we put in the time and effort, click on this link for some great tips.I copied the following info from the site as one of the most common questions I am asked about compost is what can and can not be put in your compost.

Following is a chart listing common composting materials

Type of Material Use it? Carbon/ Nitrogen Details
Algae, seaweed and lake moss Yes N Good nutrient source.
Ashes from coal or charcoal No n/a May contain materials bad for plants.
Ashes from untreated, unpainted wood Careful Neutral Fine amounts at most. Can make the pile too alkaline and suppress composting.
Beverages, kitchen rinse water Yes Neutral Good to moisten the middle of the pile. Don’t over-moisten the pile.
Bird droppings Careful N May contain weed seeds or disease organisms.
Cardboard Yes C Shred into small pieces if you use it. Wetting it makes it easier to tear. If you have a lot, consider recycling instead.
Cat droppings or cat litter No n/a May contain disease organisms. Avoid.
Coffee ground and filters Yes N Worms love coffee grounds and coffee filters.
Compost activator Not required, but ok. Neutral You don’t really need it, but it doesn’t hurt.
Cornstalks, corn cobs Yes C Best if shredded and mixed well with nitrogen rich materials.
Diseased plants Careful N If your pile doesn’t get hot enough, it might not kill the organisms, so be careful. Let it cure several months, and don’t use resulting compost near the type of plant that was diseased.
Dog droppings No n/a Avoid.
Dryer lint Yes C Compost away! Moistening helps.
Eggshells Yes O Break down slowly. Crushing shells helps.
Fish scraps No n/a Can attract rodents and cause a stinky pile.
Hair Yes N Scatter so it isn’t in clumps.
Lime No n/a Can kill composting action. Avoid.
Manure (horse, cow, pig, sheep, goat, chicken, rabbit) Yes N Great source of nitrogen. Mix with carbon rich materials so it breaks down better.
Meat, fat, grease, oils, bones No n/a Avoid.
Milk, cheese, yogurt Careful Neutral Put it deep in the pile to avoid attracting animals.
Newspaper Yes C Shred it so it breaks down easier. It is easy to add too much newspaper, so recycle instead if you have a lot. Don’t add slick colored pages.
Oak leaves Yes C Shredding leaves helps them break down faster. They decompose slowly. Acidic.
Sawdust and wood shavings (untreated wood) Yes C You’ll need a lot of nitrogen materials to make up for the high carbon content. Don’t use too much, and don’t use treated woods.
Pine needles and cones Yes C Don’t overload the pile. Also acidic and decomposes slowly.
Weeds Careful N Dry them out on the pavement, then add later.
Sod Careful N Make sure the pile is hot enough, so grass doesn’t continue growing.

Post a Comment