Our philosophy

We were honoured to be chosen to take part in the Enviroschools programme in 2015. We encourage the children at Pakuranga Baptist Kinderagten to be kaitiaki* who protect and nurture our environment so that it will in turn protect and nurture them. *Kaitiaki is the concept of guardianship, for the sky, the sea, and the land.

Being an Enviroschool means we are conscious of the environment in all we do. We look after our gardens and the worm farm together. We work together composting our food scraps, recycling where we can, and bringing waste-free lunches. We learn about the insects, birds, fish and animals that live in our local area. We run our Outdoor Explorers sessions so children can learn in an ‘outdoor classroom’.

Research shows that adults with a strong connection to nature usually had experiences in nature as children – often periods of self-directed play where they were able to spend long periods of time just ‘being’ in nature. These experiences have a life-long impact in creating a connection with nature. Richard Louv (2005) suggests that early nature experiences are essential if we are to produce future thinkers and change agents.