S ustainable P rojects R ecognising OUTS tanding PRACTICE AWARD (SPROuts)

1. Sustainable Projects Recognising OUTStandingPRACTICE AWARD(SPROuts) What is the award? The Award aims to support and acknowledge those services who have shown outstanding commitment to promoting environmental best practice and sustainability.

2. Caryina Children’s Services Centre2005WinningProject:environmental management plan. Environmental Policy Statement : Carinya Children’s Centre Staff are committed to reducing their impact on the environment and seek to foster environmental awareness, appreciation & education for the children in their care .

3. Environmental Policy

4. Inspiration: A combined commitment and passion for the environment. We want to reduce negative impacts on the environment with children

5. Outcomes: Attitudes of staff have definitely changed a renewed excitement & awareness has been created in children & staff. We are all using environmentally friendly practices in the centre & share these with parents daily who are both appreciative & surprised at our forward thinking.

6. Link with Children’s Services Curriculum Framework and /or Quality Improvement and Accreditation System: We believe that the environment is an essential part of quality curriculum and that this plan links to all areas of the Curriculum Framework as it is an integral part of our programming. Relationships with the environment between people and with the community are an integral part of our philosophy and we are committed to sustaining these relationships.

7. Wollongong TAFE Children’s Centre 2005 Winning Project: Towards better environmental sustainability

8. Project Outline: Began with our gardening day, then to set up of compost bin, worm farm, then development of waste management system, staff training, green cleaning and waste free lunches

9. Inspiration: Interest and general awareness of environmental issues by staff and preschoolers

11. Outcomes: • Better waste management eg. Compost, worm farms, recycling, reusing and avoiding. • Reduction in chemical use in centre eg. Vinegar/bicarb • Children actively involved in working in centre garden and veggie patch • Children and staff have learnt more about growing things, eating fresh produce and using calico bags. • Shared our knowledge with TAFE Children’s Centre staff and exchanging tips • Visited Glengarry Cottage, Wollongong City Council and Yallah TAFE horticulture department to learn more.

12. Link with Children’s Services Curriculum Framework and / or Quality Improvement and Accreditation System: Links in with many aspects of both documents. Children’s learning and development, staff development, nutrition and health, working in partnership with families

13. KU Grevillea Preschool Project: Water tank for the children

14. Project Outline: One of our fundraising objectives for 2005 was to purchase some water walls (a board with detachable and re-attachable channels) which can be used with water or sand in our sandpit. In order to use them with water on a regular basis we had to purchase a water tank to collect rainwater…

15. Inspiration: We were keen to encourage the values of conservation, sustainability and responsibility whilst still being able to provide water so that the children could participate in the enjoyment, physical work, experimentation, learning, cooperative interaction and communication that goes hand in hand with water play.

16. Outcomes: The children now see the link between the arrival of rain and the availability of water for their play. (We still ration the water unless the tank is overflowing.)

17. Most importantly, we are now able to regularly include sand and water play which provide lots of pleasure, emotional release, heaps of great dramatic play, and all the open-ended learning opportunities which they deliver.

18. Link in with Children’s Services Curriculum Frame work and /or Quality Improvement and Accreditation System: This type of open ended experience is wonderful for the inclusion and participation by all children even if they have disabilities or additional needs. It encourages children to use all their senses and fosters ability to learn as they explore, experiment and have fun. Children gain confidence in using their bodies in a non competitive way and communication skills are improved when interacting with the other children in the sand and water.

19. Learning occurs as the children generate new ideas, are creative and solve problems often while working in collaboration with other children and staff.

20. Peter Pan Preschool La Perouse Project:Peter Pan’s Organic Ecosystem

21. Project Outline Preschool made compost and created a vegetable patch. A chicken hatching and raising project – hens were kept, a hutch built from recycled timber. Children now feed hens scraps from their lunch boxes and veggie patch in turn hens lay eggs which are used for kindergarten cooking.

23. Inspiration Discussion about green waste and recycling

24. Outcomes • Increased awareness by children, families and about recycling, used food, • Awareness of ecosystems – hens-feeding- recycling-egg collecting- cooking. • Commitment to ongoing use of renewable resources.

25. Link in with Children’s Services Curriculum Frame work and /or Quality Improvement and Accreditation System: Linking families and children and preschool environment together to create an ongoing partnership and sustainable ecosystem. Includes visions of the thinking child, the social child and the physical child.