1. No category

Newsletter of Environmental Education in Early Childhood (EEEC)
Green Beginnings
April 2015
Edition 1
Environmental Education in Early Childhood (EEEC) is a non profit organisation that provides support,
resources and professional development in relation to Education for Sustainability in the Early Years.
The Farmhouse – Mansfield
Inside this issue
Vale Adam Buckingham
Edendale
Climate Change Responses – research
Cubbies and playgrounds – Australian Owner
Victorian kids go bush to learn from nature
Bush Kinder fact sheet
Sustainability and Cross – Cultural inclusivity
EEEC Professional Development and consultancy
Early Education for Sustainability South Australia
Residential Forest School Study Course in Denmark
RESPECT Award
Environmental Education in Early Childhood (EEEC)
Jika Jika Community Centre
Corner Plant and Union Streets, Northcote 3070
PO Box 5138 Alphington 3078
info@eeec.org.au
www.eeec.org.au
EEEC is co-located with Jika Jika Community Centre and we acknowledge their support.
Vale Adam Buckingham
It is with sadness, a heavy heart and a sense of loss for the planet that I write to let you know Adam
Buckingham who spoke at our conference last year has died recently. Adam was a vibrant and
dynamic individual with vim, vigour and a passion for life. His enthusiasm for Education for
Sustainability was engaging and contagious – this was obvious at Cultivating Caring Communities.
The planet needs many more people of his fabulous ilk. His death is a sad loss to the world, early
childhood education and no doubt in particular to his family – a partner and young children.
Cheryl Cameron (EEEC Convenor)
At the EEEC Conference in 2014, Adam presented Cheryl Cameron with an upcycled weaving wall
hanging made by a group that Adam worked with in New Zealand.
Edendale is a beautiful place to bring your preschool
groups... or they can come to you!
Nillumbik is a Green Wedge Shire – a beautiful place to live on the Melbourne urban/rural fringe,
where environmental sustainability plays a key role in the community and in the work of the local
Council.
Edendale is the jewel in Nillumbik’s sustainability crown – a community environmental education
facility on 7 hectares adjacent to the Diamond Creek in Eltham. Edendale’s mission is to support
sustainable living practices for the whole community, and a key part of that is our preschool and
schools program.
Edendale is a small working farm with sheep, goats, chooks, geese, a turkey, a cow, a pony and
guinea pigs. The site also has a beautifully-restored 1896 homestead, a local native plant nursery
and Café Eden, which sells great coffee and homemade food between 9-3pm 7 days a week.
In recent years, we have worked very hard to develop a variety of activities particularly with
preschool-aged children in mind. Activities are hands-on, fun and engaging – they include the everpopular Farm Tour, as well as A Bug’s Life (focusing on both land and water minibeasts), the
Eltham Copper Butterfly, Hands-on Veggie Gardening, Waste Not and Wonderful Worms.
Olive watering the flowers
Preschool waste
We also offer a popular range of environmental art experiences - the sense of delight as a child
creates their own colourful print from flowers and leaves on a calico bag, or an arty figure from
recycled materials, is priceless.
We have a wonderful group of teachers – highly qualified and passionate people who love
educating children about sustainability.
Most preschools that come to Edendale with a four year old group will choose 2 or 3 activities from
the list. Each activity takes about 50 minutes and we provide breaks between activities. Three year
old groups often come and do a single activity, but we are extremely flexible and will tailor our
programs and activities to fit in with your needs, group sizes and ages.
Most groups will either have a snack or lunch here, or over at the Eltham North Adventure
Playground Reserve. They can also have a play before heading back to kinder, or home. The
Reserve is also the drop off and pick up point for either buses or parent cars – it’s just a short few
minutes’ walk across the bridge to the back entrance of Edendale.
If you are unable to visit us at Edendale, some of our activities may be conducted as an incursion –
the most popular incursions are around veggie gardening and worm farming.
Another increasingly popular choice for preschools is a series of incursions conducted over the
course of the year (once a term), giving children the opportunity to experience a range of
sustainability activities in their own environment.
We would love to see you and your preschool groups at Edendale in 2015. Book early for the peak
months of September and October, when we have baby lambs and goats. If you are interested in an
excursion or incursion through Edendale Education, please call 9433 3706 or email
edendale.education@nillumbik.vic.gov.au
Further information on our preschool program, including a detailed brochure, activity descriptions
and prices, can be found at www.edendale.vic.edu.au under Schools/Preschools – then click on the
Preschools/Early Childhood link.
Carolyn Pickburn and Rachel Bishop
Edendale Education Team
Climate Change Responses – research
El Niño adversely affected childhood stature and lean mass in northern Peru
This article makes a case for links between children’s health and wellbeing and extreme weather
events/global warming.
http://www.climatechangeresponses.com/content/pdf/s40665-014-0007-z.pdf
Cubbies and playgrounds - Australian Owner Builder magazine
The current edition of the Australian Owner Builder magazine (February/March 2015) has a special
feature about cubbies/playgrounds with some inspiring images from various parts of the world. The
magazine is available through most newsagents or online
http://www.theownerbuilder.com.au/Inside.pdf
Victorian kids go bush to learn from nature
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/victorian-kinder-kids-go-bush-to-learn-from-nature/storyfni0fit3-1227302424909
Bush kinder fact sheet
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/childhood/providers/regulation/pages/nqffactsheets.aspx
Sustainability and Cross- Cultural Inclusivity
By Louise Karlstrand
Louise Karlstrand presented a EEEC workshop titled Sustainability and Cross-Cultural Inclusivity. In
this newsletter, Louise shares some thoughts.
Joanne Babalis on Pinterest
This workshop required us to reflect upon our beliefs, values and attitudes about Education for
Sustainability and Inclusion of all. We discussed that we each have our own culture which
influences our daily interactions with children families and colleagues. One activity we explored was
the Foyer
Challenge.
We discussed the following questions – Is our foyer inviting and
welcoming? Is it inclusive – do we reflect the cultures of our local communities? Does it make the
children, families and staff feel like they belong? Are their signs and information in other relevant
languages? Are there plants, natural light, adult furniture for a breastfeeding Mum to sit on and feed
her baby; and examples of children’s creativity in all its forms? A lovely idea would be to do
Arrival Stones with children’s names on them.
As they arrive they move their stone to the
basket – symbolising we are all part of the group and feel connected together. Remember to make
a difference by celebrating our differences!
The foyer in Annie Dennis Children’s Centre
EEEC professional development
More details about these opportunities for professional development will follow soon... in the
meantime; mark these dates in your diary!
Science of mini-beasts and developing compassion
Jika Jika Community Centre Corner Plant Street and Union Street, Northcote 3070
Saturday 23 May 2015
11am – 2pm
EEEC Members $55 Concession $40 Non-members $75
Nature Play Forum - The reality of nature play
Jika Jika Community Centre Corner Plant Street and Union Street, Northcote 3070
Monday 1 June 2015
6:30pm – 8:30pm
EEEC Members $50 Concession $35 Non-members $70
Yarralea Children’s Centre
54 Yarralea Street, Alphington
Saturday 2 May 2015
11am – 1:30pm
EEEC Members $25 Concession $20
Non-members $40
Yarralea Children’s Centre is a community kindergarten located in the City of Yarra and provides 3
and 4 year old kinder and a multiage program. Yarralea has a history of innovative programs
including the playing, telling and sharing of children's stories, a relaxed indoor/outdoor all weather
play program, a culture of sustainability and the introduction of a bush kinder program. Yarralea
has also recently moved to become an Approved Childcare Provider whilst maintaining its
community kinder feel. Come along to hear about these elements and see the rich, natural
and spacious outdoor play spaces that encourage involvement, exploration and learning.
EEEC Professional Development Training and Consultancy
EEEC offers customised professional development in a variety of ways and is able to assist you to
find the format and facilitator that adequately meets your needs. We are happy to discuss
opportunities for professional development or consultancy around education for sustainability in the
early years for both educators and management at your service.
Please contact pd@eeec.org.au for further information and a customised quote.
More information about professional development and training is available on the EEEC website
http://www.eeec.org.au/product_page.php?sp=CustomSupport
EEEC offers consultancy services with a sustainability focus. Services include advice on embedding
Education for Sustainability (EfS) in curriculum, policy assistance and implementation, review of
current pedagogy and practices, learning environment design embracing natural and sustainable
resources.
Contact us to discuss your individual needs pd@eeec.org.au
More information about consultancy is available on the EEEC website
http://www.eeec.org.au/product_page.php?sp=CustomSupport
More than a circuit...
You can now borrow a simple circuit electricity kit from EEEC. The kit has teachers notes, posters,
globes wires, simple motor etc . All you supply is the 4 AA batteries.
If you’re interested in booking this. please email our kits committee member Ann Smith
ann.smith@ratioactio.com.au
Early Education for Sustainability South Australia
‘Valuing children's awe and wonder of the natural world underpins
our desire to to walk softly on the Earth and live in harmony at a local
and global level. We're bringing together people and organisations
focused on integrating education for sustainability into all facets of
young children's lives in South Australia.’
EESSA website
Congratulations to Early Education for Sustainability South Australia (EESSA) - their webpage went
live this month! They have already started to receive applications for membership. You can visit
their webpage http://eessa.org.au/
Residential Forest School Study Course in Denmark
Residential Forest School Study Course in Denmark
3- 6 May 2015
7-10 June 2015
Other dates by agreement
The Scandinavian tradition of using nature and the outdoor environment
as a learning resource and not simply as a place for children to ‘let off steam’ has become an
important aspect of pedagogy in Denmark – where the majority of kindergartens and early year’s
settings use the outdoor environment all year round.
Over the past decade there has been a growing international interest in using the outdoor
environment with children and young people as a way of developing skills and increasing motivation
for learning. Recent research studies illustrate that using the outdoors as a learning resource is
highly beneficial for physical, mental, social and emotional development in children, young people
and adults.
Each outdoor environment is unique to each setting and a pedagogical knowledge is essential to
understanding not only the ‘what’ to do, but also the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of the learning processes – it is
through pedagogy that a sustainable and truly developmental way of practice emerges.
Where: The courses are based in and around Viborg, in the north western part of the Jutland
peninsula. For international participants there is also the possibility of combining a study tour to the
UK to visit Forest Schools there.
Who we are: Inside-Out nature aims to give the necessary pedagogical knowledge to develop
educators own practice in their own setting.
The consultancy, training and services we provide are backed with theoretical and practical
knowledge and give each participant the competence and confidence to use the outdoor
environment as a learning resource with children, young people and adults.
Inside-Out Nature is an established and well recommended organisation offering early years
practitioners from the UK (and beyond) training on the Scandinavian approach to early years care
and education. We have been holding residential study courses in Denmark for the past ten years,
hosting participants from the UK, Portugal, Australia, USA, Bermuda, Greece, China and Canada.
The organisation is run by Jane Williams-Siegfredsen who was formerly lecturer in education at
Bridgwater College and was one of the team who visited Denmark and took back the idea to start
Forest School in the UK. Jane has written about children and nature and early years pedagogy, and
has a book published by Routledge, titled Understanding the Danish Forest School Approach.
The course: The course is accredited by Open Awards, and participants, upon completion and
submission of a reflective account of their visit, will receive recognised certification. This can also be
used in part fulfilment our Open Awards Level 3 Danish Forest School Leader qualification.
The study course aims to give participants an understanding of:





The pedagogical theories underpinning Scandinavian practice.
The use of the outdoor environment in the learning processes and early year’s curriculum.
Design and function of the indoor and outdoor environments.
Visits and observations; the visits will be to different kinds of mainstream and special
kindergartens that illustrate a diversity of outdoor provision.
Seminar, discussions and documentation.
Draft Programme
On the first day participants will be met at an agreed local airport and taken to the motel, where they
will have time to relax before going on a guided tour of Viborg, followed by an evening meal at one
of Viborg’s restaurants. During the meal we will have chance to get to know each other and share
practice. The programme consists of visits to settings covering a range of preschool and after
school care provision and will enable participants to discuss methods and philosophies with leaders
and pedagogues. There will be a seminar and discussions covering the pedagogical theories,
practice and culture of using the outdoors as an integrated part of the child’s learning environment.
It is also hoped to be able to include a visit to ReMida creative recycling centre, part of the joint
project of the principality of Reggio Emilia in Italy. ReMida is a cultural project that represents a new,
optimistic and proactive way of approaching environmentalism and building change through giving
value to reject and scrap materials to foster new opportunities for communication and creativity.
Course fee: 7,800 Danish Kroner
+ MOMS (Danish VAT) if applicable
Included in fee:







Course fee, seminars, discussions and guided visits
Open Awards registration
Accommodation in a motel in twin on-suite rooms (single occupancy supplement available)
Breakfast and packed lunches for the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
Evening meal on the Sunday evening
A guided culture tour of Viborg
Transport to and from institution visits and motel
Not included:

Travel to and from Denmark, evening meal on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, out of
pocket expenses and personal insurance
What participants have said about the course:
“This has been a ‘life changing’ experience. I have learnt so much more than I ever imagined I
would. I have been truly inspired.”
Residential course participant
“Inside-Out Nature training has proved to be an inspiration to practitioners at all levels. The
effective balance of theory and practical (outdoors in all weathers!) has resulted in unprecedented
levels of understanding and development of excellent outdoor practice, from which our children are
now reaping the benefit.” Jean Lane, EYFS Development Team Leader, Bournemouth Borough
Council
“I will make the most of everything I have gained from this trip. It has helped me develop my vision
and understand what I need to do back at home.”
Residential course participant
For further details contact Inside-Out Tel: 0045 86690160 e mail: info@insideoutnature.com
web: www.insideoutnature.com
Nature Tales
We have created a new space in our Green Beginnings Newsletter for
. Do you
have something to share about your Bush Kinder or Nature Program Journey... please email any
information or photographs to info@eeec.org.au.
This is your opportunity to find out …
Questioning sustainable practice,
questioning sustainable ideas
By Tracy Young
Do you have an early childhood sustainability question that you would
like answered? Email your question to info@eeec.org.au and Tracy
Young will seek out the answer.
DISCLAIMER – The products and services advertised in this newsletter, do not imply any
endorsement by Environmental Education in Early Childhood.
What is the RESPECT Award?
Recognition of Excellent Sustainable Practice in Early Childhood Teaching
The inaugural RESPECT Award was awarded in 2008. We felt that early childhood best practice in
education for sustainability should be recognised. Winners are issued a plaque and showcased in the
EEEC Green Beginnings newsletter and finalists will be invited to display their project journey at the
EEEC annual conference.
Be a leader in education for sustainability and share your journey with others.
Award Submission Form due Friday 23 October 2014
Award Category A or B
Category A
Embedding Sustainability- Education for sustainability and sustainable practices are
embedded in curriculum.
This category is about celebrating the journey with children as they are involved in education for
sustainability, as part of everyday practices and happenings. Applicants should consider the following
criteria and explainHow sustainable practices are embedded in curriculum? (the starting point and progress)
Which elements of environmental awareness have been the focus? (i.e.- energy efficiency, water
saving, waste reduction, growing edible gardens and using the produce)
If there is more than one element because you are further in your sustainable journey, how do they
merge together and how are children involved?
OR
Category B
Cultivating Connections- Educators promote environmental awareness with children, as
part of the broader community. Educators support children to be involved in these community
connections.
This category is about recognising how children and educators have been involved in environmental
awareness with children and how this links to the broader community. Applicants should consider the
following criteria and explainWhy the project or journey was started? (the history of the project)
How have educators supported children to be involved in connecting with the broader community in their
learning about environmental responsibility? (i.e.- links to community projects and services)
How has progression and achievement been shared within the community to keep the motivation and
engagement of all stakeholders?
Outline of Submission
Briefly outline your sustainable journey and current practices.
Inspirations
What were your inspirations and intention in commencing this project?
Outcomes
What outcomes and benefits have been observed?
(Impact on the attitudes and practice of staff, children and their families)
Contact Details
Service/ Organisation’s Name:
Contact Person:
Position:
Address incl. postcode:
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Date application submitted:
Visual documentation and support materials
Finalists will be given the opportunity to display their submission at the EEEC annual conference, so
please consider this when submitting documentation - Video, U-tube clips, Photos, Power Point
Presentation, PDF documentation or USB submissions.
Please note, in order for your service to be highlighted in the EEEC Green Beginnings newsletter, your
application needs to also be submitted in a word document. This can be emailed to EEEC or provided
on a USB.
Forward documentation to EEEC at info@eeec.org.au or P.O Box 5138 Alphington, Victoria 3078
For further details visit www.eeec.org.au
Please note, there’s a RESPECT Award application form on the EEEC website.