Although
sustainable practices have always been something that we have been mindful of
as a team we understand there is so much more we can improve on to better the outcomes
for children’s learning in this area, as well as developing better practice to
support our environment and our world.
"I know how to garden because I do it with my family. We planted grass you know and plants!" (Carter)
After
engaging in evaluative practice as a team we came up with some focuses for the
year in terms of implementing experiences and opportunities to engage the
children in developing a sustainable mindset. One of these focuses was "How can we enhance our sustainability practices in our outdoor area and promote our culture of eco-literacy?"
"I'm gardening with Nonna Peg, we are gardening plants and flowers with my friends." (Juno)
With this
in mind I have been working at making sure there are opportunities for the
children to be a part of sustainable practices in our outdoor area in the forms
of gathering food from our garden and eating it, planting it, feeding our
worms in the worm farm, and making garden food in our new compost bin. While
working with the children during these learning experiences I have also been making
sure that I talk about why we are doing them and asking them questions about
why they think it’s important.
The
children’s desire to help out and be involved in experiences like this is so
delightful and also appears contagious as they all rally around to see what is
happening. They have a real sense of ownership in all that they do and they are
passionate about looking after the environment that they enjoy and play
amongst. When I think about this it reminds me of the Māori concept of Kaitiakitanga which
means guardianship, protection, preservation or sheltering. It is a way of
managing the environment, based on the traditional Māori world view.
"These worms are good eaters, they ate all our food." (Lucas)
"The worms are so good at eating banana skin. I don't like eating banana skin." (Olivia)
Many of the
children at Mairtown already have a great wealth of knowledge of the importance
of looking after our environment and I
know that this has been instilled in them from rich experiences that they have
often have with family outside of kindergarten. It is lovely to know that they are having the concept of looking
after their environment fostered and supported both at home and at
kindergarten. We have also been very lucky to have had family become a part of
the process, by bringing in plants and seedlings, and planting them with the children.
“Teaching children
about the natural world is not just a nice thing to do - it is vital for the
future of our children and the future of all life. Children are naturally
curious and open to learning about nature, but in an increasingly urban society
we often need to consciously create opportunities to help children bond with nature
and learn about the environment.”
"I'm getting really muddy hands but thats okay because they need to get muddy when planting the garden." (Archie)
I feel
that it is a very important part of my job to support children in gaining
knowledge about sustainable practices and the importance behind this. I love
that we get to celebrate the small, yet important, learning opportunities like
feeding our worms that makes fertiliser for our garden, or making sure our fruit
is harvested so it doesn’t rot on the ground. Taking time to incorporate these
practices into our daily interactions with the environment is really important.
"Can I help you plant? I like getting plants growing." (Isla)
Another
concept that comes into play while engaging in these experiences is
‘eco-literacy’. Having discussions with the children and role modelling
sustainability practices is a wonderful way to be on the right track in terms
of awaking your eco literacy.
“Eco literacy is “the ability to understand the natural systems that
make life on earth possible. To be eco literate means understanding the
principles of ecological communities (ie: ecosystems) and using those
principles for creating sustainable human communities.”
This
sounds like a heavy and huge topic to delve into with young children, however I
know from past experiences that they are very open to learning about social
responsibilities. Sustainability and eco literacy falls in to this realm as
taking care of the environment is the job of not one person alone, but of many.
I have already seen many of our children being wonderful role models for each
other, sharing their ideas and knowledge, and thinking about being mindful within
our outdoor environment. I must admit that spending these kinds of moments
with the children makes work that more fulfilling and beautiful.
"These seeds will take 20 days to grow into plants, you need to give them dirt and water and help them grow." (Nika)
"These seeds will take 20 days to grow into plants, you need to give them dirt and water and help them grow." (Nika)
-Ko te whenua te waiu mo nga uri whakatipu-
The land will provide sustenance for future generations
"We are growing sunset flowers! They will grow because we are looking after them. We will count the days to watch them grow. I think it will be two days!" (Aris)
Nāku noa, nā,
Zair
1 comment:
Fantastic learning taking place here! It is always inspiring to see what is happening at Mairtown Kindy - keep up the great work!
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