This month we celebrate world environment day. The educators and children at Footprints will be looking at this over the month of June, extending this focus from just a one day  focus into an ongoing learning experience.

Each room will have their own educational focus.

Nursery will be planting plants in their own 'gardens'. Each child that is in the room will have a chance to experience preparing their own garden, planting their own plants and caring for their gardens e.g. watering the garden. By creating the garden in the nursery the children are learning to help friends if a child is away the children that are there for the day will have a chance to water/ helping their friends out by watering their friends garden. this is teaching the children to work in a team. The nursery children are starting to learn how to care for the environment by starting small then going to move on to bigger things.

Toddlers are looking at creating outdoor musical instruments. Musical instruments offer a unique  way for the children to be creative and express themselves in both physical and emotional capacities, it is also a great social learning tool as well. It will provide sensory stimulating experiences and will bring the recreational setting outdoors to life. Whether one instrument or ten are playing all sounds created will be beautiful. The Toddlers will be creating these instruments and so are asking families to bring in any old paper towel rolls (no toilet rolls please for hygiene reasons) and any formula tins. Also too if you have any old musical instruments, pots and pans, spoons of all sorts we would appreciate donations to assist us with being able to bring to life this months focus.

Pre-Kindy  children will be creating their own individual veggie gardens. The first veggies that the Pre-Kindy room are going to start with is green beans. The Pre-Kindy are also going to be helping the kitchen by growing different herbs that Miss Eseta will be able to use when she is cooking our lunches. To grow the herbs and the green beans the Pre-Kindy are going to be using recycled milk bottles. The children from Pre-Kindy are able to watch and see the plants grow from a seed to become that plant that they will become, this means that the children will be able to see the life cycle of the plants but the best part of this experience is that the children are able to taste the final product either here at Footprints or at home with their families. If families could donate unwanted milk bottles of all sizes.

Kindergarten One will be learning that you are able to grow food from itself e.g. using the bottom of the plant or the seeds of the food. By doing this the children are able to see with their own eyes that certain food doesn't need to be thrown in  the bin but can be save to use once more. Some of the food that the children are going to be able to see grow again (regrow) are celery, onions, ginger and garlic this is only naming a few that the children will have a chance to see what will happen. This experience will allow the children to have their own vegetable garden which they will be proud of as the children will be the ones to plant, grow and water their garden. Therefore the children that are in the K1 room will be learning how to prepare the garden, to plant the veggies and then to be able to maintain the garden itself. Maintaining our own veggie garden will be incorporated into the children's daily routine. The K1 class will also be investigating how composting works and what foods you can and can't use. this will also be teaching the children why we are, what does it do for the garden, how can it help the garden grow. K1 will also be working in tandem with K2 to rejuvenate the garden that is in their playground.

Kindergarten Two will be introducing an Aquaponics system to their room. This process is growing their own plants which is sitting on top of a fish tank. This experience will show the children how the fishes and plants are able to work together as a team to help each other survive. As the plants that are growing on top of the tank will be using the fish waste to grow and stay health and the plants that are using the waste from the fish are also helping the fishes to live as the plants are cleaning the water by taking out the waste from the tank and helping to put oxygen back into the water for the fish to live. This will be a on going cycling for the children to see. K2 will also be joining the K1 children and redoing the garden in the senior side playground. This will be a team effort from both classes to help to create and design the garden that they are wanting in their playground.