Episode 3: Infinity Dome - The Green Classroom

The sun was climbing over the horizon as Maya and Mojo flew over the school garden. The flower meadow was slowly starting to sprout and the mulched beds were showing their first signs of life. But today was a special day: the children had gathered in a large circle and the energy in the air was almost tangible.

"Mojo, what's going on here?" Maya asked, landing on a branch that leaned over the area. "It looks like they're up to something big."

Mojo buzzed over and inspected the scene. "Big? Maybe. But when I see the small models they're constructing, I'd say they still have a long way to go."

The competition of models

The children worked diligently in groups, each equipped with wax sticks and ball connectors to build miniature structures. "Today we are designing the model for our green classroom," explained the teacher. "It will be a place where we can learn, garden and observe nature."

“A green classroom?” Maya asked enthusiastically. “That sounds like a perfect place for us.”

"Well," grumbled Mojo. "If they can build the thing solid, maybe."

The children designed various models, from cubes to domes to imaginative constructions with additional arches and openings. Maya hummed over a particularly pretty model. "Look, Mojo! This dome looks like a beehive - so harmonious and round."

"Round is good," Mojo agreed. "But they should make sure they can do it in large. If that collapses, it will be embarrassing."

The children finally decided on the dome model. With the teacher's help, they planned how to enlarge the model and recreate it using logs. "This will be our green classroom," said one girl proudly. "A place where we can learn all about permaculture."

The big day: The Dome is built

A few days later, the time had come. Parents and children came together to build the model on a large scale. The round pieces of wood were carefully measured and joined together with simple metal connectors. Mojo hovered around the construction skeptically.

"Maya, I don't know," he grumbled. "This dome looks sturdy, but what if one of the parents accidentally runs into it?"

Maya laughed. "It'll work. They're all working together - that's the key."

The structure grew step by step. The children carefully climbed ladders to secure the upper connections while the parents stabilized the lower timbers. Maya and Mojo flew through the emerging dome. "It already feels like home," Maya enthused.

"Hm," muttered Mojo. "It's still more of a wooden spider web. But it has potential."

The stability test

The dome was finished in the afternoon. The teacher stood in the middle and said: "Now we're going to test whether everything is stable." She carefully hung herself on one of the upper connections and the construction held. The children cheered.

"Okay," Mojo admitted. "I'm impressed. The thing is standing - at least today."

The Roof and the Future

Finally, the children and their teacher discussed how they wanted to cover the dome. "We could use a transparent tarpaulin," suggested one boy. "Then it will stay light and we can grow plants here."

One girl added: “Maybe we should also use fabric panels to provide shade on hot days.”

"I love how they think together," said Maya. "This is permaculture in action: collaboration and creative solutions."

“And we can even let the plants climb up one side, which also provides nice shade,” added one child.

"Well," added Mojo, "if they keep this up, we'll soon have the most beautiful learning place I've ever seen. And I've already seen a few beehives."

A new center

At the end of the day, the dome was ready for the next steps. The children and parents proudly looked at their work. "This is not just a classroom," said the teacher. "It's a place where we can all learn about nature - and from nature."

Maya and Mojo hummed through the dome, looking at the new centerpiece of the school garden. "This is great," said Maya. "A place that is as alive as the plants that will grow here."

“And stable enough,” added Mojo, “that even I am convinced.”

The two bees flew contentedly into the dusk – ready for the next adventure in the school garden.