We have been growing wildflowers to encourage bees and butterflies to visit us at Waterview Kindergarten and this year we embarked on a project to introduce them into art and celebrations as we journey further with our Enviroschools mahi.

Flowers are pressed or dried and are used in place of glitter in playdough and in the art space, and live flowers are carefully picked to decorate 5th birthday cakes. This has replaced our use of traditional glitter as we look to be more sustainable and invest in this project long term.

Tamariki are encouraged to pick only what they need and to always leave enough for the bees. Flowers that are unused are returned to Papatūānuku to generate new growth.

Caring for our gardens gives our tamariki the important role of kaitiaki at kindergarten and encourages an appreciation for all the living beings we have here, as well as an opportunity to marvel at and enjoy nature’s beauty.