Stumpery update

Shifting a mountain of woodchip

Today I started to make a new path for the stumpery.  This was because we needed a safe entrance for everyone that avoided the car park.  The path would also go round to the chickens.  I had to cut down the overgrown branches from some of the bushes around the stumpery and also shift a lot of wood chip!  Brandon helped me with a lot of it.  The design is quite simple and I have now chosen and costed the plants to go with it. I rang up the tree company and got a truck load of wood chip  to make a path to go round to the entrance  of the chickens' coop.
Post by Harvey 6N

Extending the stumpery and path

National Nest Box Week

Did you know this week was National Nest Box week?  We have lots of nest boxes on our site at school and some of them show evidence that they have been nested in.  I wonder what we will see this year?

Here are some links to show you how to build your own nest box, where to site them and the type of birds who might use them.

Happy nesting!

http://www.bto.org/about-birds/nnbw

Chicken poo box

On Monday the 2nd  of February I went out side to build a chicken poo box we had made one before, but it was too small so we made a larger one. We built it out of left over wood, and hammered nails in to keep the wood together. We`ve put it next to the chicken coop to help to when we clear it out. There were gaps between the wood so we found some bags and put them in between the gaps, then we stapled them together to keep them firm and in place so they don`t fall out. We had to fit a door in the box  -  the door can be lifted off easily.
      
Harvey, 6N

Plans for the stumpery

I`m thinking that I should make a spiral pathway round the back of the wooded area towards the chicken coop.  We need a path because otherwise children have to walk across the car park and it might be dangerous.   I would like my path to be made of wood chip so I need to talk to Hampshire Trees and ask if they can give me some wood chip. The path is going to start at the entrance of the stumpery and will finish at the chicken coop, and will wind through the trees at the back of the car park.

It's going to be a long job but I'm looking forward to it and my friends are going  to help me.   
Harvey, 6N

Soil sampling with Year 3

Last Thursday Mrs Napier's class went on a trip to discover types of soil in our area.  We split into half, 16 went to Portsdown Hill and the other half went too the shore.  I went up the hill with Mr Wildman and Mrs Bryant and we looked for different types of soil.  We also saw Old Man's Beard, which is a plant, and has a very thick stem and bits that float off if the wind blows.  It only grows in chalk because if it grows anywhere else it will die because it doesn't like the soil. 

When we were on the hill we dug and took some soil to compare it to the soil from the shore.

Back in the classroom we tested the soil types using barium sulphate and pH testing solution.  We put the pH stick against the colour chart and chose which one it was closest to.  It could be alkaline, neutral or acid.  Red was acid, yellow is neutral and alkaline is green.  The soil on the hill was neutral and chalky.  Class 3N