Month: July 2019

“To nurture ecological identity in young children, we invite them into relationship with the world beyond walls and with the creatures that live there. We invite them into ethical thinking anchored by the compassion that comes from caring and engaged relationships. We invite them to come home to the Earth and to live honourably in that home.” (Ann Pelo, 2013, p.43). Our Flinders Philosophy states that: “We are committed to maintaining our outdoor spaces, placing an emphasis on natural materials to promote a sense of wonder and an understanding of the natural world. We support children developing understandings of sustainability and ways we can actively preserve natural environments; locally, nationally and internationally. We provide resources from natural, renewable sources wherever possible.” You may wonder ‘what does this look like in practice?’ Here are some ways that Sturt House educators have been enacting our philosophy. Maintaining Our Outdoor Spaces For educators, ‘maintaining our outdoor spaces’ not only means ensuring our outdoor spaces are aesthetically pleasing, but more significantly, ensuring outdoor spaces provide opportunities for children to form connections with our natural world. At Sturt House we are currently growing lemon verbena, mint, parsley, broccoli, garlic, spring onion and mandarins. Children watch as these plants grow, measure their progress, notice mini-beasts and developing theories about their worlds. Educators also invite children to use these plants and herbs in our cooking. Recently we have used our garlic and spring onion as some of our toppings on homemade pizza. We have also invited childrenRead more