Mike King in the Ōtaki College green house. Photo / Rosalie Willis
Mike King in the Ōtaki College green house. Photo / Rosalie Willis
Ōtaki College's Aho Aho Adventures will continue for another year after the programme received further funding from the Lions and Nikau Foundation.
The programme has been designed by Mike King and Ōtaki College learning support coordinator Kate Lindsay for students who struggle to sit still in class or need to be stimulated in different ways.
The new funding allows Mike to work 20 hours a week at the school on a one-on-one basis with students in the garden.
Year 10 student Pierre Lange-Gerrard picking mushrooms.
Over the summer Mike revamped the garden at the back of the school grounds to create a space where students could come and learn in a different environment, immediately stimulating their senses.
Enjoying his role so much that he has fought to find more funding for it, Mike said now that the students are used to him, he is able to have an impact on their lives.
"The students have finally started to get used to having me around and open up to me, I feel like my work is having a positive impact on their lives.
"I've found break times to be the most important times to be in the garden as I am swamped with curious students."
A veggie box harvested by Ōtaki College students.
Students are allowed to hang out in the garden and greenhouse at morning tea and lunchtime if Mike is around.
Since February all major renovations and repairs to the packing shed have been finished with Mike and the students now focusing on growing veggies and making icecream.
On Mondays Mike and the students harvest produce from the garden. Putting them together into vege boxes, around 10 boxes are then made and sold to the teachers with a plan to use the money to do something fun with the students involved in the garden at the end of the year.
Tuesday is icecream day.
Year 7 students Benji Thomas-Inglis and Scott Eastwood chopping up pumpkins in the packing shed.
"I have set up a basic icecream laboratory in the packing shed where we make one icecream a week with the students.
"The only rule is we have to use at least one ingredient that we harvested — either foraged or from our garden, with the students getting to taste it during lunch breaks."
The programme is about using immediate sensory experiences to interest the students, so in the garden that's taste and smell.
"Students are not afraid to try new tastes — they even like veges although there are now half-eaten chillies and citrus fruit scattered all over the place."
Together Mike and the students have been developing their herb range, are slowly expanding the tropical fruit tree collection in the greenhouse and have helped local beekeeper Phillip Cowan who has in return given them some honey to use in their icecream.
Mike has also run events to get the whole community involved, opening the garden up on Saturday mornings and holding icecream tastings.
"My personal highlight has been holding icecream tasting events in the greenhouse by candlelight on a Saturday night with live music from a student band.
