Aspendale Primary School Tiny Forest 2025

In 2025  Aspendale Primary School will celebrate their 100 year anniversary. Here is the story…

A Tiny Forest and new Outdoor Classroom!

In 2025, our local Tiny Forest team will partner with Aspendale Primary School to establish a Tiny Forest—also known as the “1000-Year Forest”—on the school grounds. This initiative will be built around three key components:

  1. Restoring Indigenous Habitat: Using the Miyawaki method, we will recreate the Aspendale coastal ecosystem, fostering a rich environment that attracts local wildlife such as birds, lizards, butterflies, and insects. The method encourages rapid forest growth, helping to re-establish the region’s natural biodiversity.
  2. Integrating with the Curriculum: The Tiny Forest will serve as an engaging learning tool, connecting with the students’ curriculum and units of inquiry. Through hands-on involvement, students will learn about the importance of indigenous habitats and gain practical knowledge about forest creation, including composting, species selection, soil preparation, and planting techniques.
  3. Creating an Outdoor Classroom: The Tiny Forest will not only serve as a living classroom but also provide an outdoor learning space for future generations. Students will have the opportunity to explore forest-making processes, study ecology in a dynamic environment, and enjoy an enriching outdoor classroom experience.

This project aims to foster a deeper understanding and care of the local environment among the school community, while creating a lasting, vibrant natural space at Aspendale Primary School.

Stay tuned!

We will post regular updates here throughout 2025, and on the gardencrown instagram account

Aspendale tiny Forest 2025

Before photos

Photos of the site where the forest will be established.

Our progress

To prepare the site for planting the tiny forest, the existing non-native grass must first be removed. We are using a sheet composting method to smother the grass, which will also allow its remnants—blades and roots alike—to break down and enrich the soil with organic matter. For this, we’ve been collecting large sheets of recycled cardboard from IKEA. This cardboard is ideal due to its thickness and the absence of staples or coatings. Once the cardboard layer is in place, we will cover it with coffee grounds and grass clippings, followed by a final layer of mulch. This combination will create optimal conditions for decomposition, gradually transforming the layers into nutrient-rich soil.

 

The benefits

  • Connecting the school community with indigenous habitats, fostering a caretaker approach to local environment
  • Providing STEM learning and growth opportunities for local women and children.
  • Giving children and teachers more time out in nature
  • Providing a learning environment which fosters inclusivity, and an opportunity to learn in a non traditional classroom setting
  • Enhancing the existing space, by providing shade and shelter, which can cool the local area by at least 10 degrees
  • Encouraging local wildlife to visit the site, as the habitat grows to support their needs
  • An empowering positive action to help mitigate climate change, and the disappearing local tree canopy cover

Planting & monitoring forests empowers citizen scientists with STEM skills

Restoring local ecosystems, increasing biodiversity, attracting native animals

Tiny Forests offer a fast-track to achieving decarbonization, mitigating climate change and improving air quality