As implied by the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), practicing sustainability empowers children to construct knowledge, explore values and develop an appreciation for the environment
education
Description
As implied by the Early Years
Learning Framework (EYLF), practicing sustainability empowers children to
construct knowledge, explore values and develop an appreciation for the
environment and its relation to their world. Embedding valuable and
holistic sustainability experiences within early childhood programmes, is an
important factor of nurturing children who are the next generation, this can be
shown and see through hands-on experiences where
it will ultimately lay the foundations for an environmentally sustainable
adulthood. Ultimately, through engaging
in activities that promote sustainable thinking children will develop
the creativity and critical thinking skills necessary to make informed decisions for change, improving the quality
of their lives, and those of future generations.
In process of developing
the ‘Egg Planter’ herb garden activity a discovery made in the investigations
was the benefits of ‘sustainable food’
education in the early childhood environment. Subsequently reflecting upon our personal
experiences and evaluating several sources of credible research in addition to
relevant curriculum documents, we found that food is arguably one of the
biggest components of waste production in our society and thus a significant
element of sustainability education. Moreover, food is an integral part of our
daily lives and a familiar source to all children. Using their already acquired
knowledge of and experience with the ‘food’ allows educators to build upon
their prior understandings and construct a sustainable learning experience that
is directly linked and relevant to their experiences in daily life.
Furthermore, combing the concept of sustainable food with a physical activity
such as gardening; children engage first-hand with fundamental principle of sustaining
life on earth. In addition, engaging with natural resources such as soil, seeds
and water promotes their respect for the environment while planting seeds
specifically encourages children to appreciate how their own actions can
contribute to bettering their world. Ultimately It is the combination of these
ideas which assisted us to develop the concept for our lesson ‘Egg Planter Herb
Gardens’.
