Workshops tailored may incorporate:
- Horticulture/Landscape Design: Propagation Techniques, Seed-saving. Seasonal veggie growing, Harvesting and cooking. Gardening Principles; organic, permaculture, crop rotation, companion planting. Natural Pest Management. Design components, building a wicking garden bed. Worms and Compost, etc.
- Sustainable Principles: Re-using and recycling materials within workshops, ways to reduce ecological footprint and feel sense of environmental responsibility.
- Eco-Art: Incorporating Ecopsychology (Nature+wellbeing) and creative activities (More info)
- Learning how to design a sensory garden. (PD or consultation)
Early Childhood Workshop examples
‘Children's active and passive interactions with plants and gardening influence their attitudes and actions towards trees and the environment as adults.’
Lohr, V.I. and C.H. Pearson-Mims.(2005.)
Bird and Butterfly Workshop
"Cocoon. Butterfly from a cocoon. Lays some eggs, a caterpillar goes to a cocoon." 3 yr old 
This workshop covers plant knowledge for habitats for local species of birds and butterflies. Butterfly and bird life cycles are discussed with aids. Children assist to plant plants specifically to attract birds and butterflies to their outdoor area.
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"It’s a cocoon. After it’ll be a cocoon it will be a butterfly."
"It comes out to butterfly. How did it get in there?" 3 yr old |
"I can see a caterpillar. Before they turn into a butterfly they have to get into a cocoon, a caterpillar."
Children assist to plant plants specifically to attract birds and butterflies to their outdoor area.
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Discussion about Olive-backed Sunbirds. They will nest nearby if there is a plentiful food source.
"I like finding all those things and doing plants. I like learning about plants with you, Ms Debbie." 4 yr old |
"Ms Debbie created an awareness of gardening and shared the importance of composting and recycling with the children. She engaged them in the different ways of caring for plants and provided hands on experiences for our Preschoolers."
Sherlyn David -Preschool Teacher, Australian International School Singapore. 2012.
Recycled Container Workshop
Includes sustainable options, composting and decomposition. Horticulture plant knowledge
"I put some dirt in the shoe. We plant in there a plant that was already growed. We put it in the garden and watered it. It was funny cause we watered a shoe." |
Using cuttings of herbs demonstrates re-use, plant parts and life-cycles, nutrition and sensory aspects
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“Be gentle with plants and water them when they are thirsty.” 5 yr old 
Children repeated the exercise
“Don’t kill the plants when they are alive because plants give us air and if we kill them we will have no air to breathe.” 5 yr old |
Observing plant growth and decompostition
Being responsible and caring
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Mini-Landfill, recycling and composting
Discussions around landfill. What it is? What can be re-used or recycled? Decomposition of a variety of materials and how landfill and rubbish can be minimized.
Predicting graphs and observing decomposition over a period of time
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Observations of compost gives rise to conversations about how to compost turns to soil and plant health leading to a greater understanding of human nutrition
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"I am doing planting. Water the plants so them can grow. I planted the seeds in. I like to do so them can grow." 3 yr old 
What can be re-used or recycled? Yoghurt containers are decorated with scrap fabric and used as planters for cuttings
The Dr Suiss book: The Lorax is helpful to demonstrate concepts
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Recycled containers used for growing and observing seed growth
"I like digging the dirt because then you have to put banana skin in the compost. It makes them grow happy and even bigger. I like to water plants because then plants will be happy. " 4yr old. |
Connecting to Nature using our Senses
"Touch them, you connect. We be careful with it. We breath in, you give back your gas to the plants."
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"It feels really tickly. I cant smell anything. I breathed air on it, it gives us air, nice air. Air gives you oxygen cause they have air. If it doesn’t get sunshine and rain it wont grow. " 4 yr old 
"I was connecting to the banana tree. I was breathing air into it. If you touch the plant you can feel it’s life. If you blow air on it give you air. Make friends with it. It gives you air. I kissed it."
"It’s alive because it feels like it’s real. I’m breathing in and I’m breathing out. It takes air in the leaves."4yr old. |
Plant labels display how children may interact with the plant. Edible plants and safety are discussed. Aspects of feelings with sensory interaction are explored.
"Touch it carefully, it feels good. If you breath you give air to it. I breath good air."
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"I feel fluffy leaves. Doesn't smell like anything. It has green leaves. It makes me calm breathing in and out. I breathed in, I breathed out. They get air for us." 4yr old 
"If you touch them they move. Gentle, really gentle so they don’t die. ‘Cause you touch them they close up."
“When you touch Mimosa and it close up it’s special to me. Plants give us air and I give air back.” 4yr old |
Chinese Brush painting Art
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Demonstration and workshop with Preschool children
These 4 and 5 year old preschool students were using materials that were foreign to them. They had no hesitation in trying something new; being a risk-taker. They demonstrated they had listened well to instructions, and used precision in their work. Reflecting later clearly showed they understood their materials, the origin of the painting style, how to repeat the exercise, enjoyment of the workshop and pride in their accomplishments.
"I was doing a tree blossom painting. I first did a tree truck and also did the flower. It was on a special type of paper." 4yr old |
"Touch it carefully, it feels good. If you breath you give air to it. I breath good air."
Bamboo and Cherry Blossom. China brush painting. I painted it green. It looked good.
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Chinese brush painting. You get a Chinese brush and paint Bamboo or Cherry Blossom. I done the Bamboo. You go a line, then stop, do another line then stop and then you do the leaves.
Painting Cherry Blossoms. I paint it pink and black because I'm clever.
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I was painting Cherry Blossom. I paint then stop, then paint and then stop. Green and black and pink the cherry blossoms.
I try my best. Paint with a Chinese brush, I painted a Cherry Blossom and a Bamboo painting. I like the Cherry Blossom because it is really pretty about the pink. It feels good when I paint.
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CONTACT
Melbourne Australia
+61 0431 838 382
AIS Newsletter Publications
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© Deborah Punton
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