Learning through nature at Matakana Village Preschool
At Matakana Village Preschool, the philosophy is to learn through nature and the real world using the Reggio Emilia approach.
The preschool backyard is the heart of the daycare. Tamariki are encouraged to get their hands dirty growing kai, looking after free-range chickens and playing. “They look after the garden, they plant everything, they collect the eggs in the morning and feed the chooks” explains preschool owner, Tania Goddard (aka “T”). Tamariki are the kaitiaki (guardians) of the kai grown and take responsibility for the garden.
This focus on nature and the outdoors enables Matakana Village Preschool to grow a community around tamariki with whānau also getting involved.
A home away from home
Nestled in the beautiful community of Matakana Village, Matakana Village Preschool consists of 3 kaiako (teachers) and 18 tamariki. T has created a ‘home away from home’ for children to comfortably and confidently explore and learn through the environment around them.
T spoke of the vision for her preschool when she took ownership one year ago, “I really wanted it to feel like you were just coming home, and everyone felt like they belonged”. The children are given the space to play at their own pace. You might find some tamariki climbing the playground while others are getting into the weeds of the garden beds with kaiako.
For lunches, the preschool recognise that each child has unique tastes, so packed lunches are encouraged to reduce food waste.
Learning about sustainability
“Having chickens is pretty easy” says T. “They just roam around, when the kids play, they hang out in their outdoor pen.” Tamariki are actively involved in feeding the chickens and collecting eggs.
The preschool worm farm is another way that tamariki learn about the cycle of nature. Kids put their afternoon fruit scraps into the farm and collect worm juice to recycle back into the garden beds. The fertiliser supports the growth of the crops.
With summer arriving, tamariki have recently planted more new crops and look forward to this season’s harvest.
Bringing learnings back home to whānau
With a gold coin donation, whānau can also take home eggs and crops grown by tamariki. This in turn supports more learning at the preschool, as donations are used to purchase more chicken feed.
“The kids absolutely love it, the families love it,” says T.
Resources
Recipe: Playdough [PDF]