Boon Lay Garden Primary School's Learning Journey

On the ninth day of the month of September, the Farm ushered in a group of young learners from Boon Lay Garden Primary School under the supervision of Mr Marcus Ang.Moving up to our Farm, heading towards the first stop of the Hydroponics Farm.
The Nutrient Mixing Centre - This is the place where the nutrient is processed for the growing of our leafy vegetables and culinary herbs.After germination, the young seedlings are transferred to the nursery until the roots are developed."These are the different parts of the seedlings, the roots, stem, seed leaves, true leaves and the black thing that hangs on the seed leaf is the seed coat..." When the roots are developed and the 3rd true leaf appears, the young seedling can be transferred into the greenhouse.Sweet Basil, the No.1 herb in the Farm, is widely used for cooking, western and also in chinese cuisines.It has an alluring scent that whets the appetite...It was a sensual experience for the young learners too...
The Cold Room - The students were treated to a chill out time. The daily harvested crops are left in the cold room to maintain freshness until delivery.
The students also get to walk in to a greenhouse, to touch and smell some of the exotic herbs growing in the NFT (Nutrient Flow Technique) system.Some of the mint in the hydroponics system, pineapple mint, varigated mint, japanese mint and spearmint.

Using the sense of smell, the students were challenged to pick out the pineapple mint from the lot.

Sweet corns are also grown in the system. The students get to see the male and female parts of the corn.Fresh vegetables from the greenhouse up for grap.As the vegetables are pesticide free, the students get to taste the vegetables without cooking.

The Final Stop in the growing stages of hydroponics - transplanting of the young seedlings into the culture panels.To complete the tour, the students get to learn how to grow hydroponics plant using some recycling materials. Browsing through the store....

Pick and choose... To buy or not to buy - that is not the deciding factor.

Finally making the payment. The guide also cannot help but give last minute instructions as to the taking care of the plants the students bought.

On the whole, it was a good interactive experience for both the guide and the young learners. I believed the young learners not only brought home some potted plants but also a wealth of knowledge on hydroponics!

Charity Walkathon @ Bright Vision Hospital

On 4th September, 2011, Sunday, a charity walkathon was organised by Bright Vision Hospital in the hope to raise funds for the needy patients. Besides the walkathon, there was also a carnival where various game stalls and food stalls were set up to augment the event. Bright Vision Hospital (BVH) is a 302-bedded community hospital supported by the Ministry of Health. It is a fully integrated hospital offering holistic and quality care, specially for the needy, the sick, and the elderly, regardless of race or religion.

Apart from being a sanctuary of care for individuals in need of medical help, BVH aims to serve as a training and education centre for the health care community. For more information on Bright Vision Hospital, please click here.

There were a variety of stalls, games, food, plants and even stationery stalls all hoping to raise more funds for the hospital.Besides stationery, hand-made recycle bags were one of the crowd pullers.NEA also set up a booth to disseminate information on preventive measures of mosquito breeding. Pottery for sale! All in the name of charity...The main event of the day - The Walkaton. All participants followed the commands of the instructor, doing the warming up exercises to the beat of the high energy music.
It was extremely heart-warming to see this group of participants. After flagging off the walkathon, the Guest of Honour visited the stalls in the carnival. Sentosa Butterfly Park also put up some exhibits during the carnival. Isn't this the stick insect ? gorgeous and amazing creature !Which is which, leaf or insect? Can you spot the leaf insect? Food is always a crowd stealer!

Oh' Farms also participated in this charity by donating all the proceeds from the sales of vegetables and herbs.

Performances were also one of the highlights during the carnival. Participants were entertained by a wide range of performances put up by several groups of people including the young and the "young-at-heart".

Some of the items were put up by the staff members and nurses of Bright Vision Hospital - though they are not professionals but they definitely put up a great show with hearts full of passion !Milo drinks for all participants!Certificates of Appreciation were given out to all who had contributed to the fund raising carnival.At the end of the event, the staff and volunteers could not help but dance for celebration as well !

Through this event, I met many young volunteers - yes, it is great to see young people lending their hands, sacrificing their time, putting their hearts into for the benefits of these group of needy people. Their contributions are highly commendable.