Butterfly Lodge - a Visit with a Twist

"ACTION"

"ACTION"

"ACTION"

That was the common word heard on 1st November 2011. Students from Ai Tong Primary School brought their filming gears to the Butterfly Lodge for an extraordinary outing. Besides learning the life cycle of butterfly, the students were supposed to shoot a short video of the trip - students came prepared with scripts and camera for the filming.

Students roaming in and out of the Butterfly Lodge, finding an ideal spot to interview the tour guide, Marcus.

Capturing of the 4 stages of the butterfly, the egg, the caterpillar, the pupa and also the butterfly is one of the highlights of this learning journey.Engrossed in taking a close-up shot of some butterfly eggs... Close observation.... Aim and shoot...

"Hmmm, where and what else to shoot?"

This must be the favourite spot for the video...

Under the guidance of the master, students crowded around him to learn photographing a butterfly.

Putting what is learned into action...

Some students began to wander around outside the Butterfly Lodge.

Interviewing the tour guide, Marcus...

Finally the work was done! All ready to pack and go.

Time for shopping after a busy morning!

This is the first time The Butterfly Lodge received a group of visitors with an additional purpose. In fact, the Lodge is a good training ground for amateur macro-photographers especially if butterflies are the main subjects.

Herbies for hobbyist @ Hortpark

It was a meaningful date with Hortpark 0n 18th September 2011. A group of hobbyists gathered there learning how to grow culinary herbs without the use of SOIL!
Yes, I found my name.
As the clock ticked away, hobbyists started strolling in, some with family members while others came with friends.
The response to this workshop was so overwhelming that it had to be repeated after the first session.
The first session kicked off at 9.00 am with a short talk on the culinary and medicinal values of the herbs that they would be growing with the hydroponic kit. The 2nd session was conducted at 11.00 am with Tony as the instructor.Sweet basil, Italian parsley, Dill and Lemon Balm are the 4 types of herbs to be grown in the hydroponic kit.

Sweet basil is widely used in pasta, pizza and pesto sauce. It is also frequently used in salad and in food dressings as well. It is also added into meat dishes or omelet to give that extra flavour. The Lemon balm has a unique lemony smell, best use for infusing in tea. When taken, it helps to soothe tension. This is especially useful for stressful working people.
Dill provides a healthy alternative for relieving the body and the mind of insomnia. Certain flavonoids and vitamins that are abundant in this herb may help to speed up the production of hormones in our body and which in turn provide us a relaxing and calming feeling.
Italian parsley is used to prevent bad breath. The chlorophyll in parsleys is excellent for breath freshener, that is why it is used as a garnish for meals.
Once the hydroponic kit is set up, it must be left at a place where there is sunlight but without any rain drops -- this to ensure the rain water will not be collected in the kit as rain water may dilute the concentration of the nutrient which will affect the pH of the nutrient solution.

What is left is going home and get it started....

It is always good to add some herbs into our cooking as this will enhance the flavour of food. At the same time we should use less oil, less salt and seasonings for a healthy diet. Hopefully through these sessions of sharing, more will learn how to cultivate plants without using soil and more will come to know the wonders of culinary herbs!

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!