At St Mary’s Preschool in Ōtāhuhu, children are at the heart of everything. What has resulted is the start of a garden, led by children and strengthened by the wider community. While their garden is only a few months old, St Mary’s have big plans in store.
“Our kids love getting into the dirt and take pride in what they’ve created,” says Preschool Manager Jenny Wyber. “They are also growing an awareness of fresh fruit and vegetables.”
Getting whānau involved
St Mary’s is part of the Anglican Trust for Women and Children (ATWC), one of Tāmaki Makaurau’s oldest family charities. ATWC has supported mothers, children and whānau since 1858 and provides a wide range of social services.
St Mary’s fruit and vegetable garden replaces an old play area for under three-year olds. Before starting the garden, Jenny sought advice from community garden experts and surveyed whānau about what they wanted to see in the garden.
“We currently have lettuce and bok choy planted,” says Jenny, as she lifts a cover to reveal a planter box of growing vegetables.
Jenny is actively building a network of volunteers, from handy parents to green thumbed elders. Work on the garden also strengthens existing connections with Granger Grove – ATWC’s residential parenting programme.
Getting children excited about fruits and vegetables
“Tamariki are learning that food doesn’t just come from the supermarket,” says Jenny.
Children lead every step of the way, with adult supervision. Watering the garden is a popular activity and there is a roster for all children to have fun and participate.
“Children learn through play,” says Jenny. Skills like maths (counting, measuring), following instructions (building plans), and fine motor skills (planting seeds) are naturally achieved from looking after the garden.
“The kids have enjoyed building and painting small planter boxes. Many have taken their boxes home along with seeds to start growing their own gardens.”
Future plans for St Mary’s include planting more planter boxes, fruit trees and wild flowers to attract pollinators.
“Once the gardens are fully established, the end game is for tamariki and their whānau to come in and pick whatever fresh produce they want,” says Jenny.
Tips from St Mary's Preschool
Gardening activities for kids [PDF]