Budding Naturalists at Waipāhīhī Kindergarten
“Ok, tamariki ma, let’s sweep up all the pebbles together,” was heard everyday at Waipāhīhī Kindergarten during clean up time. There had to be a better use for the strip of dirt by the concrete than storing a supply of pebbles the tamariki could just spread around. Why not turn it into a garden that the tamariki could take ownership over? Kids Greening Taupō thought this was a great idea.
Heidi and the tamariki spent a morning removing all the rocks. They found poor soil underneath. Tamariki were able to learn how the waste food from the kai tables turns into compost. The compost is then dug back into the soil. All the nutrients are returned to the soil to help the plants grow. The tamariki now see the purpose of disposing of their food properly.
Plants were added. Each tamaiti had a job to do, be it to dig holes, put in fertilizer tabs, tickle the roots of the plants, or use their ninja hands to pack in the soil. They all joined in with enthusiasm.
The tamariki soon learned that you cannot just plant plants and walk away. They need care. The children would carry buckets of water to carefully give each plant a drink. Little weeds that sprouted would be pulled out. The little garden grew till finally a flower emerged
Though the tamariki have put in a lot of work, they are still not done. They want to be able to add more plants as well as mulch around them. They are looking forward to having a little space they can enjoy hunting for bugs, maybe one day see a lizard, and know that it was all due to the and the work that they did.
