Erina Kindergarten has been nominated for the Environmental Program Excellence Award
- 12 hours ago
- 3 min read
At Erina Kindergarten, we believe that caring for the environment is something children can learn through everyday experiences. Rather than simply talking about sustainability, we provide opportunities for children to actively participate in gardening, caring for animals, reducing waste, and connecting with the local community.
We are incredibly excited to share that Erina Kindergarten has been nominated for the Environmental Program Excellence Award. This recognition reflects the ongoing commitment of our educators, children, families, and community partners to making sustainability a meaningful part of our kindergarten program.
Learning Through Our Gardens
Our gardens provide children with hands-on opportunities to learn where food comes from and what is involved in caring for plants.
Children participate in planting, watering, caring for and harvesting produce from our gardens. When produce is ready, they can help collect it and prepare it for our kindergarten market stall.
These experiences help children understand the journey from planting a seed to growing and harvesting food, while also encouraging responsibility, patience, and care for the natural environment.
Discovering the World of Worm Farms
Worm farms are another important part of our sustainability program.
Each room has opportunities to visit our worm farms, where children can help feed and care for the worms and observe how organic materials can be transformed into useful resources such as worm castings and worm juice.
These hands-on experiences help children develop an understanding of natural processes and how everyday actions can contribute to a healthier environment.
Our Kindergarten Market Stall
One of the projects our children particularly enjoy is our market stall located in the foyer of Erina Kindergarten.
Children can share produce and worm juice from our gardens with families, who have the opportunity to make a gold coin donation in exchange for these products.
The funds raised are then used to support further learning experiences. Children may help decide how some of the funds can be used to purchase resources or support excursions to local nurseries, giving them an opportunity to see how their efforts can contribute back to their learning environment.
This project connects sustainability with community participation, responsibility, and early learning.
Connecting With Our Local Community
Our sustainability program extends beyond the kindergarten.
Recently, children and educators had the opportunity to become involved with a local community garden in Terrigal. We were able to share some of our produce with the community garden and plant it there, while also receiving produce from the local community in return.
This exchange created a wonderful opportunity for children to connect with local community members and understand that sustainability is something we can work on together.
We look forward to continuing this project and returning to the community garden with the children. We hope that one day, members of the local community will also have the opportunity to visit Erina Kindergarten and contribute to our own gardening projects.
Caring for Our Animals
Animals are another important part of children's everyday learning at Erina Kindergarten.
Our kindergarten is home to parrots, chickens, bunnies, fish, and other animals that children can observe and help care for.
Children have opportunities to visit the animals, provide appropriate food, and learn about their needs. We also use suitable leftover food from mealtimes to help feed our animals where appropriate.
This provides a practical way for children to understand the concept of reducing food waste and giving resources another purpose.
Through these experiences, children can begin to see the connections between food, animals, gardens, people, and the environment.
Sustainability Through Everyday Learning
At Erina Kindergarten, sustainability is not limited to one activity or one day. It is embedded into everyday experiences.
Children can learn about sustainability through:
Gardening and planting
Harvesting fresh produce
Caring for worm farms
Reducing food waste
Caring for animals
Reusing natural and everyday resources
Participating in our market stall
Connecting with local community gardens
Learning about where food comes from
These experiences encourage children to ask questions, make observations, take responsibility, and understand how their actions can make a difference.
Celebrating Our Environmental Program
Being nominated for the Environmental Program Excellence Award is a wonderful recognition of the work being done by our children, educators, families, and community partners.
We are proud that our sustainability program gives children opportunities to learn through real experiences and participate in caring for the environment around them.
We look forward to continuing to develop our gardens, worm farms, animal care, market stall, and community partnerships, while creating new opportunities for children to explore sustainability through play and hands-on learning.
And, of course, we are excited to attend the gala and celebrate this nomination with our team. Fingers crossed for Erina Kindergarten!
Created by KinderReach
Comments