Spring is here!

Officially Spring doesn't start in New Zealand until the first day of September, but no doubt it has arrived. One of our youngsters arrived today at our preschool with a baby lamb, born at five o'clock this morning. The lamb needs around the clock care as its mother has rejected it. There certainly were enough helpers at hand to help with the feeding!

Animals play an important part at our preschool. While we home rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, birds, mice, turtle, snails, fish, and frogs, we also regularly host visitors. Lately we have had a dog, a cat, a pair of geckos and a baby goat visiting us.

Cultivating relationships between children and animals is an important part of our preschool programme. Young children are naturally drawn to animals, they talk to them, they bond with them, and they relate to them. Animals play an important role in a child's development as they help the child to make sense of their world and foster a caring attitude and a sense of responsibility. You can read more about the animals at our preschool in the post about "baby animals at preschool".

In addition to regular contact with nature, one of the best ways to foster empathy during early childhood is to cultivate children's relationships with animals.
- Anja