Mairtown Kindergarten: Christmas for good!

This year we recognise that 2021 has again been a challenging and demanding ride, and we are so grateful to have shared that ride at kindergarten with this beautiful and caring community we share. We can see, every day at kindergarten, the evidence of the rich learning and love our tamariki have benefitted from as they have shared this year with their covid ‘bubbles’ protecting and nurturing them.

As we are not able to enjoy our usual Mairtown Kindergarten whānau Christmas traditions, sharing kai and celebration with our whānau, we decided we would like to begin a new tradition; and in that spirit we offer our gift to you this year – some new potatoes to add to your Christmas feast, planted with aroha and manaaki by the kaiako and tamariki of Mairtown kindergarten! We hope that this small offering brings to your Christmas table a sense of kotahitanga, a way to acknowledge and appreciate the unity and care which shines within our community.

“You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results.” Mahatma Gandhi

And it may be that the bounty of our gift is unpredictable; also a little like the year we have experienced! For we are new at this experience, we launched in and found our way as we went along, so we are not able to promise a successful harvest with absolute confidence!

But we really hope you discover enough success to enjoy. We love the goal and the sustainable spirit of this idea, we have asked our whānau to feel free to return their empty bucket and we aim to keep getting better at the execution with experience!!

We know that being outside connecting to nature in a green space is good for us: we feel refreshed and energised, but relaxed.

This is why, in a time when the hauora (wellbeing) and mental health of our tamariki is so important, creating an edible garden provides a great resource. Building a connection with te taiao (nature), te whenua and Papatūānuku (the earth) can help restore any imbalance in your personal wharenui, offering

· shared discovery and cooperative learning that takes place in the garden grows children who are connected to each other, helpful, and empathetic.

· the satisfaction children feel when harvesting and cooking with their produce boosts their self-confidence.

· produce can be shared as a whole school or with their families and community.

· taking pride in the knowledge they have gained and sharing this with others.

· health benefits of physical work in the garden.

· learning in an outdoor space and recognising green spaces can be for more than just play.

· recognising that they can be a part of nature, working with it, rather than being better than it.

· children become more appreciative of nature and take on the responsibility of looking after it.

· promotes conservation and environmental issues at school, in their community and globally.

Papatūānuku does much more than simply provide the essentials for life such as food and shelter: in fact, she has the capacity to improve the wellbeing and mental health of our tamariki. (Enviroschools Malborough, 2021)