Going Green part 2 - An enviro care code

Our Living World

- Care for the Environment, all Living Creatures, and Each Other -

Our preschool is a proud member of Enviroschools, a New Zealand initiative similar to the Ecoschools organisation. Being an Enviroschool is a commitment of our preschool to work towards becoming a sustainable community. In December, 2007, we were the first pre-school in the Wellington region to receive a silver award. The award recognises the achievements of our preschool in looking after the environment and incorporating environmental education into our learning programmes and running of the pre-school. To receive the award we had to meet several criteria related to organisational preschool management, operational practices, physical surroundings and a living curriculum.

One of our projects was the creation of an Enviro Care Code. An Enviro Care Code is a set of written guidelines aimed to keep our beautiful environment undisturbed as much as possible. The Enviro Care Code is an important aspect of our Enviro-Nature programme. It sets out the guidelines and principles that are important to our preschool.

The care code will only have value if it is meaningful to our preschoolers, our three and four year olds. Therefore it has to be a concrete meaningful code which our children will understand and embrace, rather then an abstract adult written code. For this we are using a care code board to display experiences through photos, text and artefacts. Everyday experiences are highlighted to make the concept of caring real for our preschoolers. The care code board acts as a visual reflection tool as the children see photos of themselves or drawings they have created.

When designing the care code, we started with a simple statement, based on the kaupapa (philosophies) of our Enviro-Nature programme and we presented this as a living document. Illustrated with photos, articles, children's comments, pictures and observations from the children, the code becomes more meaningful. The key, however, is how the children are exposed to it. They will only learn how to care if they experience caring.

Showing the children what caring means, role modeling and supporting them in their efforts, is a much more meaningful experience than just written words. We focus on observation, patience and respect for all living creatures, in and outside the classroom. When the children see a creature they think is interesting, rather then putting it in a jar, they call out to their friends and teachers. We immediately drop our work and gather around quietly, to listen with our ears and observe with our eyes. This not only teaches our preschoolers to respect nature, but it also introduces them to the virtues of stillness, wonder and calmness. A photo, or a verbal recollection from the children written out and displayed on our care code board, assists in recalling the experience later, and allows the children to share their experience with their parents and peers.

"We leave the web. We do not break it. The spider has to catch the fly and eat it." (M, 3 yrs old)

"We water the garden. The plants need the water for drinking." (E, 4 yrs old)

Our care code is ongoing, As the board gets full, items come off and go into a folder to be kept as a reminder. Our blog also has become a valuable reflection tool as parents read our blog, and acknowledge and share in the children's experiences. It also opens up discussions between parent and child. The Enviro Care Code is now a part of our admission terms and conditions agreement which parents sign when enrolling their child at our preschool.

Maybe you and your child can create an Enviro Care Code for your home? Share it in the comments section, we would love to read yours.
- Anja

- Going Green part 1 - Recycling
- Going Green part 2 - An enviro care code
- Going Green part 3 - An edible garden

In Harmony with Nature #7

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

This week, find some pine cones, acorns or other nuts that have fallen of the tree. Have a close look at them. Can you find any which have been nibbled or eaten? What creature do you and your child think may use the nuts as a food source? Can you find the seeds in the pine cone? Or maybe the acorns have started to sprout? Is there a tiny creature hiding in the cones, using it as their home?

Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

Rain puddles are irresistible

The sound of the hail landing on our sunroof is horrendous. The children, out on the deck, look up to the sky. They have only recently been learning about the Maori creation story in which the children of Ranginui (the sky father) and Papatūānuku (the earth mother) separate their parents so that light could come into the world. And according to this Maori legend, rain and mist are the sorrow of the Earth and Sky as Ranginui the sky father is crying for Papatūānuku the earth mother.

Torrential rain follows. The children look at their teachers, should they go inside? Absolutely not! We grab our raincoats, swap our shoes for a pair of gumboots, put on a woolly hat and of we run, into the rain, into the puddles. Who, at the age of three or four, can resist these instant mud puddles?

With rocks scattered around, it doesn't take long for a dam to be in the making. Rocks are being carried, hauled, rolled or pushed into the puddles to create a dam and to change the flow of the waterstream. Great fun, until there is a sudden roar of thunder. We run inside, with a giggle. Soaked and cold but with an instant feeling of camaraderie and contentment. Nothing can take this feeling away from us.

What better way to celebrate a puddle jumping session with hot chocolate and a marshmallow? Out comes the milk, the jug, the cocoa, and, to great excitement of the children, a bag of marshmallows. All twenty of us sit down, with a warm cup of chocolate between our handpalms, and the sweet taste of marshmallow.

What did you do at preschool today? I jumped in the puddles and drank hot cocoa with marshmallows!

In Harmony with Nature #6

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

- Albert Einstein

This week, find a flower with your child. Look at it, touch it, smell it. What does your child see? What do you think the bees and the butterflies see?

Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

The strand of nature (3/3)

"We do not fully understand how much we wound children by our destruction of nature. The preservation of nature should be among our essential goals when we weave the web of life, not only for the protection of the least tern, but also for the mental health and the creativity of the next generation. And this stewardship should be focused, not only on mountains and deserts, but on the woods and fields at the end of the block."

- Richard Louv, "The Web of Life, Weaving the Values that Sustain Us", (1996)

Our children will inherit a technologically advanced society in which they will communicate with each other in ways and speeds we can't yet imagine. The virtual world of technology will occupy our children's minds more than ever, removing them from the real world at a growing speed. Combined with increasing industrialisation and urbanisation we are raising a generation whose connection with nature is becoming a thing of the past. Human survival for thousands of years has depended on intimate daily contact with the natural environment.

While our children may be technology wise and know the latest facts about global warming and destruction of the rainforests, unless they are connected with the natural world and have a personal relationship with and direct experiences in the natural world, children won't feel the need to take care of it.

It is therefore crucial that our children today develop a relationship with nature in which they can understand how the natural world impacts everything they do, right here at their own doorstep. The local beach, river estuary, or forest reserve are places where your child can appreciate and enjoy nature, as does the cluster of trees down the road, the magnolia tree in the park, the small stream behind the old farm house and even in your own backyard. Your own neigbourhood is a good place to reconnect with nature.

Sharing nature with your child is not only essential for their own well being but for well being of humankind. At our preschool we have created an open-ended outdoor area, using local natural resources, a space where children can watch clouds, jump in rain puddles, build dams, pick berries, hide in high grass. A place where they can relax, ponder and dream. By using natural elements from our local beach and forest, the children receive a first hand feel of their local natural environment. Giving our children time to interact with nature and living things nurtures their natural love and appreciation of nature, hopefully creating a future generation that will value and preserve nature.

Follow the links below for some of our preschool children's experiences and be inspired to create opportunities for your child to explore the natural world right at your own doorstep.
- Anja

- The strand of nature (1/3)
- The strand of nature (2/3)

Links:

• Little acorns, and big oaks
  
• Harvesting the fruits, watching nature do its work
  
• Discovering new life, baby animals at preschool
  
• Cricket galore
  
• Is there magic in a tree stump?
• Caught in the web of life
  

The strand of nature (2/3)

"Nature also serves as a blank slate upon which children may draw the fantasies supplied by the culture; nature nurtures creativity in children, in part by demanding visualization, the full use of the senses."

- Richard Louv, "The Web of Life, Weaving the Values that Sustain Us", (1996)

Young children are the greatest of all explorers. They look at things differently then we do, they see things through a different window, they hear things we don't hear, they touch, smell and taste things we do not. Children discover the world with their whole heart, their busy minds and their active hands. And they do it all "up close and personal".

Children learn about their world through their senses. Because they learn through active participation with their surroundings, the natural world provides endless opportunities for learning. Regular, positive experiences with the natural world is essential to developing positive attitudes about our planet. What better place is there then the outdoor natural world, a world loaded with sensory elements, with things to see, touch, hear, taste, and smell.

When you take your child for a nature walk, talk about the five senses and explore them outdoors. Your nature walk can take place in a park, a forest, or even in your own backyard. Try to use all five senses: sight, smell, feel, taste, and hear. Be careful with tasting and be sure you and your child only taste things that you know are safe, for example blueberries, or walnuts.

At our preschool we help our children becoming aware of their senses by asking them questions when outdoors; - can you hear the blackbird in the tree, - do you feel the pinecones under your feet, - what colour is that flower, - where is the snail? We ask them to close their eyes, what can they hear (insects?), what can they feel (sun on their face?), what can they smell (lavender bush behind them?).

Go and explore your own backyard or local park with your child, see the patterns, feel the textures, smell the fragrances, hear the crickets, taste the berries. Nature is a wonderful teaching area.

Follow the links below for some ideas to share nature with your child.
- Anja

- The strand of nature (1/3)
- The strand of nature (3/3)

Links:

• Autumn is here, and so is the wind
  
• The wonderful world of insects
  
• What is in a pinecone
  
• Leeks in our garden
• Birdwatching with young children
  

The strand of nature (1/3)

"Nature comes in many forms: a new calf steaming, a pet that lives and dies, a woods with beaten paths and stinging thistles. Whatever form nature takes, it offers children a world separate from parents and older than them - a kind of greater father and mother; it gives children a sense of their place in time. Unlike television, nature does not steal time from adults or children; it augments that time, makes the time fuller, richer. And for those children for whom family life is destructive, nature can offer healing."

- Richard Louv, "The Web of Life, Weaving the Values that Sustain Us", (1996)

Thinking back to your own childhood, what is your most vivid memory? Chances are you are thinking of the stream behind your house, or the tree you climb in, or the mudcakes you made by the creek. You probably don't only have visual images, but also remember sounds and smells. These experiences in nature create a sense of place and time that contributes greatly to defining your identity.

Maori people, the indigenous people of Aotearoa, New Zealand, very much value the importance of place and time. They traditionally have an attachment to ancestral lands and use this in their mihimihi, their introductory speech at the beginning of a gathering. Their mihimihi identifies specific geographical features associated with their tribal area including their maunga (mountain), awa (river) and moana (sea) and is often more important than their own name.

For children to know who they are, they need to know where they are. Children need to have a sense of place to define their identity. In our transient society, with a decreasing intimate connection with nature, this is becoming more difficult for our children. It is up to the adult in their life to create opportunities for building a sense of belonging, of place and time.

Children have a different view of our world then we do. They are living in the present and can focus on small places. A little wooden patch at the back of the house or a garden with nooks and crannies, can create the biggest interest and excitement. At our preschool, children have readily access to their own little garden of nature. They create their own little hiding places, their own little discovery places where they look for spiders and worms, observe birds and plants, harvest and save seeds for replanting next year. While this area is not bigger than the average childcare playground, the natural elements and landscape provides them with a sense of place and opportunities to create their own outdoor childhood memories.

If a child develops an intimacy with a place over time, they tend to accept responsibility for it when they grow up. Going outside, into nature, playing games or nature exploring develops your child's sense of place in nature where they can feel relaxed, at ease and where they can de stress. Regular revisits to places that give children natural joy will create concrete childhood memories. Sharing the natural places or experiences with your child, getting as excited as they are about the small natural wonders, creates more authentic feelings of happiness. Picking a flower, catching tadpoles, watching birds, jumping in rain puddles, creates excitements that do not need artificial stimulants.

This does not need to be a far away place, each place in nature has its own unique characteristics, your own backyard or nearby park of forest will be home to many flowers and animals. Take time to observe, to marvel and to share the moments of awe and wonder with your child. Nature can create many opportunities for parents and children to share connection time that has special meaning for child and parent.

Follow the links below for some of our preschool's children experiences in their nature garden and be inspired to create your own.
- Anja

- The strand of nature (2/3)
- The strand of nature (3/3)

Links:

• Our beautiful garden, a magical place
  
• Gardening and nature study
• A garden walk, feeding mind, heart and body
• We're going on a bearhunt
  

In Harmony with Nature #5

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.

- William Wordsworth

This week, with your child, take a pair of binoculars, a magnifier glass or your own good pair of eyes and watch, watch, watch. Go down, ground level. See the ants, the pill bugs, the spider carrying eggs on its back? What do you find?


Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool

Going Green part 1 - Recycling

As a member of Enviroschools, the New Zealand counterpart of Eco Schools, our preschool is committed to work towards becoming a sustainable community. Being an Enviroschool means we are committed to creating a sustainable physical environment that fosters greater understanding of the interrelatedness between all living things and a concern for the particular place we live in. It promotes and acknowledges our preschool's long-term action for the environment. We start environmental education at a young age with hands-0n experiences.

As an Enviroschool we raise our childrens' awareness of environmental issues through talking, sharing and doing. Young children learn what they are taught and it is important to teach them basic skills that will influence and shape habits. Habits, such as recycling, are then reinforced over their entire lives.

To recycle means to collect and remake an item into the same thing or into something else. The recycle symbol means that something can be recycled or that it has been made from recycled material. In order for something to be recycled, however, it needs to be saved and taken to a place called "recycling centre".



At our preschool, we collect our recyclable items in separate bins. Once they are full, the children put everything in bags, which can be tricky when your are only three years old! The bags are then put back in the recycling bin and taken to the kerbside, to be collected by the recyclers. The "trip" to the roadside letterbox, to put the recycle bin at the kerbside for collection, is a major highlight, as the children feel very responsible carrying out the lot.

Waste reduction and recycling is part of being a green school and our children are totally involved, as it is integrated into our curriculum and part of our whole school environment. Not only does recycling teach our children eco literacy, environmental awareness and social responsibility, it also teaches skills in classification, matching, sorting, sequencing and critical thinking.

Teaching young children about recycling doesn't have to be elaborate or complicated. Keeping it simple is key to making it successful. Young children easily learn to distinguish between glass, plastic and paper, the three main properties we separate from our garbage to be collected by the recycling people.

A good children's book to share with your child about recycling is "George Saves the World by Lunchtime" by Jo Readman and Ley Honor Roberts.

It is a story about a boy who is determined to save the world, but is not quite sure how. A trip to the recycling bank, charity shop and local farmers’ market show how recycling and re-using materials, and using less petrol and local produce can really help save the world.

At home you can take recycling a step further by talking to your child about waste reduction. You can teach your child about the use of trees to make paper products and looking at all the packaging in the supermarket when you are grocery shopping together. You may even want to start your own vegetable garden, pointing out to your child how you are saving trees by not having to buy the packaged products in the supermarket.

Children love to be involved and to be active and the feeling of helping out nurtures their self esteem and worthiness. Recycling is one action that teaches young children responsibility and respect for planet Earth. But remember, you are your child's greatest role-model!
- Anja

- Going Green part 1 - Recycling
- Going Green part 2 - An enviro care code
- Going Green part 3 - An edible garden

In Harmony with Nature #4

A weekly nature quote, to awaken your sense of awe and appreciation for the beauty of our natural world, inspiring you to share the daily wonders of nature with your child.

Never lose an opportunity to see anything that is beautiful.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

This week, look for a tiny creature, and have your child observe it. Does it have eyes, mouth, legs, tail, wings? What does it need and what does nature provide for it to survive?

Your experiences will inspire others, share them here. We love to hear from you.
- Anja

photo source: © Tawa Montessori Preschool