A big part of being a holistic yellow family is to recognize the value of subjects that may or may not form part of a traditional curriculum. This is where Permaculture steps in, where we consider resource management and food production as equally important and topical areas of learning.

Heavy showers, relaxing weather and a garden buzzing with life – these make the perfect setting for our learners to build on their permaculture understanding and farming skills. Monsoon is a crucial time for farmers, and we at Holistic Yellow School have been playing our part.

Though most of the farmers in India grow paddy or plant fruit bearing trees during the monsoon months, we have taken a slightly different approach. With our mandala garden set up just before monsoon arrived, we began planting in the patches with Great Spirit and cheer. We introduced annuals as well as some perennials – Okra, Mint, Papaya, Tapioca, Stevia, Eggplant, Marigold, Pineapple – to name a few. Our learners, who are between 5-12 years old have been proudly maintaining our mandala garden. From deweeding, to building trellis structures, to harvesting veggies – our students have been doing it all. The beauty of the monsoon reflects in the fact that everything around us is alive. The soil is full of mesmerizing creatures and colourful birds are often spotted perched on the beaches of the surrounding trees. All plants are showing signs of hyper accelerated growth! We recently enjoyed our first harvest of some Basil leaves, Eggplants, Okras and even a few Mulberries. This has been very uplifting for the children who have been having a grand adventure while taking care of their plants.

This monsoon season has truly proved to be magical for the Holistic Yellow family! With their curiosity peaking, the learners have been thrilled to spend time outdoors. Observing nature has been therapeutic- we spent time understanding the flow of water in our garden and also made friends with many earthworms, frogs, spiders, ladybugs and other fascinating life forms. Learning to work with our senses is true healing, and permaculture blends right into that idea at the Yellow school.