In late December a group of Grade 5 and 6 Student Representative Council students at Castlemaine Primary School were thrilled to have the opportunity to plant a dedicated Native Sensory Garden at the school.
Castlemaine Primary School teacher Daniel O’Halloran said the idea for the Sensory Space was conceived during a student leadership engagement session with former Mayor Cr Rosie Annear.
Native Sensory Gardens use native plants, textures, and sounds to create an immersive, therapeutic, and educational space that engages all five senses.
Cr Annear encouraged the students to submit an application for funding to make the garden a reality and they were delighted to receive a grant for $1000 to bring the project to life.
The students sourced the native plants locally at ASQ Garden & Landscape and planted out the new space in December to give it a chance to settle and flourish over the summer ready for the return of students in 2026.
Grade 6 students Olive, Ari, Elsa, Winnie and Grade 5 student Molly lead the project and said they hope it will provide a calming space where students who are feeling overwhelmed can visit to relax and reset before rejoining, PE, play or classes.
“We are all off to Year 7 but we really hope Molly and fellow students will enjoy the space and we look forward to coming back to visit and seeing it grow,” Olive said.