Enrich Children’s Well-Being through Gardening (Online Workshop)
“To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul” – Alfred Austin
Gardening is more than putting a plant in the ground, giving it water, and hoping it will grow. Engaging tamariki in regular gardening experiences provides the perfect opportunity for holistic learning and development. Gardening enhances tamariki connections to nature, teaching respect and care for the living environment.
This workshop will:
- Investigate current research about the benefits of gardening for health and well-being
- Examine the wider benefits of gardening for tamariki learning and development
- Discuss how gardening helps tamariki learn about caring for Papatūānuku
- Provide practical ideas to engage tamariki in gardening
Facilitator: Anita Croft
About Anita Croft
Kia ora, my name is Anita Croft, and I am the owner and educator of Growing Kiwi Gardeners. I am a qualified early childhood teacher and hold a Master of Education degree where I studied pre-service early childhood teachers' preparedness to teach education for sustainability.
Based in Christchurch, Growing Kiwi Gardeners runs a hands-on gardening programme for tamariki in early childhood services, and consultation on gardening and sustainable practices. I also offer a fully supported 12-month online gardening programme designed for kaiako and/or services starting out in their gardening curriculum that is available to early childhood services across Aotearoa.
To further support kaiako and services to be successful in their gardening and sustainability practices, I offer specialised professional learning and development that is available through webinars, workshops, and whole-centre professional learning tailored to your centre needs.
Notes
- Online teacher workshops are not recorded, but presentation slides will be made available to registrants.
- Each workshop costs: $65+GST (ECC members), $95+GST (non members)
- Any cancellations made more than 24 hours in advance of the workshop will incur a 10% administration fee. Any cancellations made within 24 hours of the workshop will not be eligible for a refund.
- We will endeavour to provide as much advance notice of a change as is possible, but we cannot accept responsibility for staff time or backfilling positions