There was dirt in places that there probably should not
have been at Helen Deem Kindergarten yesterday.
It was all over the St Clair-based kindy’s floor, in
children’s pockets, even in one pre-schooler’s ears.
The children were putting potting mix into recycled fizzy
bottles and planting broad beans, as part of a gardening
workshop with television personality and award-winning
landscape designer Xanthe White.
Anytime there was dirt involved, children would play with it,
she said.
The workshop was part of the Daltons Sunflowers in Kindys
project which gave youngsters the opportunity to plant their
own seeds, take care of them and learn about how plants grow.
Ms White said the main aim of the workshop was not only to
show children how plants grew, but to make sure they
understood the pleasures of gardening.
”There’s a whole world underneath the top layer of ground.
”It’s magical watching these brown seeds grow roots and then
sprout out of the ground.”
Ms White hoped the project would help grow a whole new
generation of gardeners in New Zealand.
”So many kids these days think vegetables are made at the
supermarket.
”This lets them see it for themselves.”
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