A new online gardening curriculum – Gardening with Tamariki Online has been created to support the early childhood sector to embed gardening into their curriculum on a regular basis by Anita Croft from Growing Kiwi Gardeners.
Involving children in gardening is more than learning how to sow a seed or plant a seedling. It is a holistic learning experience where children can learn maths, science, literacy, social skills, leadership skills and emotional competence.
Based on the successful hands-on gardening curriculum that Anita has been running in early childhood centres in Christchurch for four years, this one-year curriculum includes eight modules of gardening information, videos and learning experiences for teachers to use with children to build a sustainable and productive garden.
But this is not all…The curriculum includes a monthly webinar for all participants, providing support and in-depth information about what you could be doing in the garden during the month as well as an online community to share ideas and ask questions.
Anita said that “With this programme teachers can be confident in their gardening with children with support every step of the way. The value in the programme is in the monthly webinars and online community where teachers can ask specific questions and build relationships with other teachers interested in gardening with tamariki.”
Media Release 26 July 2022.