Tamariki-led learning is at the core of Kidz Corner Miramar’s day, and this became one of their stories during the sharing celebration for their Holistic Reflection in Term 1. Kaiako supported tamariki to retell pūrākau with cardboard cutout hooks swinging from the rooftop. This was the 7th iteration of one cardboard box, which had journeyed from a performance stage to a whare to Māui’s hook, celebrating both the imagination of tamariki and the creative responses from kaiako through upcycling.
When staff reached out to Enviroschools to support them with a holistic reflection, they were hoping it would support engagement with the Miramar and Maupuia community and be a way to share the sustainability initiatives they have been undertaking with whānau.
The reflection achieved this, with connections made to Miramar Community Prison Garden and schemes of a plot for the centre, connections to the local Wellington City Council (WCC) ranger, the WCC waste educator, the community centre with their pātaka kai, local feeder primary schools and other ECE centres in the network.
Showcasing their sustainability initiatives
Kaiako reflecting on their Enviroschools journey
Those that attended the celebration enjoyed kai made from apples from the centre’s tree, banana ice cream and roasted potatoes from the centre’s maara kai.
Bug Hotel
Bird Feeder
Rainwater tank
Tamariki got their hands dirty while sharing with visitors about their worm farm and paper brick making, that is part of paperless Wednesdays.
Worm farms
Paper brick making
Kaiako undertook the new Enviroschools ngahere model activities in the lead up to their celebration day, which highlighted priorities for the staff and whānau and what next steps they would like to take. The three qualities kaiako identified and reflected on were ‘Inclusive’, ‘Nurturing’ and ‘Empowerment’.
One hope was connecting with the centre’s pepeha and building a relationship with Maupuia Awa, which runs through the community, was once a wetland at the shops, and flows out to the moana.
“I didn’t realise Enviroschools was also about te ao Māori” – community member
Holistic Reflections are a great way to help a centre’s community understand the breadth of sustainability. Through the Enviroschools Guiding Principles – Respect for Diversity, Learning for Sustainability, Empowered Learners, Te Ao Māori and Sustainable Communities – centres are living and breathing the kaupapa in their practices, which honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and work towards social justice ensuring a peaceful future for all.
Kidz Corner reflected using the ngahere model and chose the humble noke (earthworm) as their tohu. The appropriateness of the noke is how they transform the soil, creating pathways and space for air and water to nourish and bring life to the network.
Māori Advisor for Enviroschools Te Upoko o Te Ika a Maui Ropata Rona attended the celebration day to acknowledge the learning the centre has been doing over a number of years about Puanga/Matariki. It was another celebration point for this centre when tuakana tamariki received their certificate to acknowledge the place their centre is at in their sustainability journey.
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