I am sitting in one of the most peaceful locations on earth, listening to the
\nexcited shouts and calls of 26 children between the ages of 7 and 10, swimming
\nacross a sludgy, slime filled dam and none of us could be happier! This is our
\nfirst class camp to the incomparable Bloublommetjieskloof biodynamic farm in
\nWellington. The children have been filled with excitement and anxiety in equal
\nparts for most of this year in anticipation of their first class camp and for
\nmany, the first time away from their parents for such a long time. <\/p>\n
All of us will experience this camp in many different ways, from different
\nperspectives and I hope to bring you a snippet of as many as I can. We have
\nbeen busy since we arrived here on Wednesday morning at 11:00 as this is a
\nworking farm and there is much to do. Arriving as we have at the beginning of
\nOctober we have been blessed to be involved in the compost and fertiliser
\npreparations that are so essential to biodynamic farming. Digging up cow horns
\nthat have been filled with the manure of a lactating cow which has been buried
\nin the earth for six months during winter and listening to Wendy explain about
\nthe cosmic and earthly forces which influence it is fascinating.<\/p>\n
It has also been a wonderful experience to haves Zakes accompany us. Zakes was
\na pupil in my class during my first cycle of teaching at Gaia and it has
\nbeen so special returning to this beautiful place with him after eight years.
\nChatting at mealtimes…I cannot write about Bloublommetjies without
\nmentioning the organic, health-filled meals we are served here…about how he
\nexperienced it then and now has been wonderful. <\/p>\n
“Bloublommetjies biodynamic farm is one of my favourite places on earth.
\nHidden in a valley just past Wellington, the oldest biodynamic farm in the
\ncountry has stolen my heart. Eight years since I came here as a new class 3
\npupil with Melanie, and it’s still one of the memories I hold most dear.
\nThis is my third time being here, twice with Gaia and once on a separate camp,
\neach has their own special memories. From finally sleeping in the teachers
\nroom to learning about the process of creating preparations for compost heaps
\nout of flowers that correlate with stars, the signature of this camp is being
\na leader. While guiding the children past an agitated cow I realised
\nsomething, I’d finally grown up.<\/p>\n
These children have become so important to me, that keeping them safe became
\nmore important than my own safety. The school brought me here the first time
\nas a child and I am leaving this time feeling more like a man, ready to take
\non the world than ever before. Thank you Gaia Waldorf and especially thanks to
\nMelanie and her new class of children who have changed my life.” Zakes van
\nTonder<\/p>\n
“It’s been fun, exciting and crazy. The most interesting thing I learnt was
\nthat if you scare cows their milk will go sour, they’ll hold it in and then
\nthey could die. I’ll never forget milking the cows and drinking some of the
\nmilk.” Luke Pascoe<\/p>\n
“I learnt that riding horses is not that scary. I fed the chickens and it was
\nfun, they are actually quite cute. Sleeping has been quite hard and scary but
\nI slept through it. The pigs are actually very greedy and the small one was
\nvery cute.” Kaiden Hendricks<\/p>\n
“I learnt how to make butter by shaking milk. It’s almost like magic, just
\nshaking it for a long time and then it gets solid. I’ll never forget milking
\nthe cows.” Noah Louw<\/p>\n
“It’s been great! I learnt that you only need a tiny bit of compost prep for a
\nhuge heap of compost and it makes a big difference. I loved the night walk,
\ngoing down a steep slope in the dark. I won\u2019t forget the food because it was so
\ndelicious.” Lily Sanders<\/p>\n
“My favourite part about camp was herding the cows and there was a cow with
\ngiant teats. We had to herd the calves first and then the cows and bulls. One
\nof the things I’ll never forget is sleeping on a farm away from the city…it
\nfeels like a jungle.” Jordan de Vries<\/p>\n
“It’s been very fun and very tiring. I learnt that ducks eat a bit and then
\nthey have to wash it down with water. I will never forget the pillow fights
\nand riding the horses up and down ditches, it’s pretty scary but really fun.”
\nEmily Bowker<\/p>\n
“The best part was learning how to make butter and ice cream. I loved swimming
\nin the dam. I didn’t like picking up the horse and cow manure for the compost
\nheap.” Esethu Mabele<\/p>\n
“Riding bare back on the horse Sharief was the best part. I learnt more about
\ncows than most things, how to herd them and how to milk them, but the texture
\nof the teat is not that nice.” Elijah Gallant<\/p>\n
Melanie Francis
\nClass 3 Teacher<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I am sitting in one of the most peaceful locations on earth, listening to the excited shouts and calls of 26 children between the ages of 7 and 10, swimming across a sludgy, slime filled dam and none of us could be happier! This is our first class camp to the incomparable Bloublommetjieskloof biodynamic farm …<\/p>\n