Gardening at Nido: Connecting Children with Nature

At Nido Early School, we embrace the Reggio Emilia approach by creating hands-on learning experiences that connect children with nature. Gardening plays a significant role in our curriculum, allowing children to engage with the environment, understand the cycles of growth, and develop a sense of responsibility and care for living things.

Many of our early schools feature their own community gardens or garden patches, where children have the opportunity to plant, nurture, and harvest a variety of fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

These gardens are more than just a space for growing food—they are living classrooms where children learn about the importance of sustainability, teamwork, and the natural world.

The produce harvested from our gardens is often used in the Cucina, where children can participate in cooking experiences. This not only reinforces the connection between garden and table but also instils a love for healthy eating and an appreciation for the work that goes into growing food.

Through these activities, we aim to promote a sense of pride and accomplishment in our children, helping them to build a lifelong relationship with nature and their community.

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Hi Georgina,

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the recruitment of Centre Directors and Educators to join the expanding Nido family.

With so many open roles in the sector at the moment, I think we should be talking about the differences that really sets Nido apart. From my own experience, they are not always obvious from the outside, but when you get to meet the Nido family you really feel it.

Leaving my previous employer, who I was with for over 10 years, was not an easy decision. I had interviews with a few different companies, before finding my home at Nido.

I remember walking out of that initial interview, literally with tears in my eyes, I knew I had finally found what I had been looking for.

As you mentioned, honesty and integrity are critical and a given, our Services, resources and environments speak for themselves, and candidates merely need to look at our website to understand how engaging and wonderful they are.

We really need to focus more on what a Centre Director and an Educator will experience at Nido;

Authenticity; At Nido they will get honesty with heart
Trust and understanding; At Nido you are treated from day one, as competent and capable
We have the opportunity to inspire Educators and children to reach their full potential and change their worlds for the better, this still delights me everyday
At Nido you can make your mark in the world and are given the respect and autonomy to do what you love and truly make a difference
Collaboration – we are one team, far and wide we inspire and challenge each other
Nido is a family, for me, I have the overwhelming sense of belonging at Nido, my people and my home, this is what drew me to Nido in the first place

I am continually driven by our purpose;

To provide our Educators with the training, environment, motivation, and empowerment to deliver exceeding quality education to children, partnering with families, and giving children a voice and the opportunity to lead wonderful fulfilling lives.

I love that we seek to make quality early education available to everyone, regardless of their economic position. That we focus more on suburban children and advocate for their rights, Nido is truly a movement and not one to join without knowing you will need to put your heart on the line every single day.

Mary Oliver asked “What will you do with your one wild and precious life”, I cannot think of anything more fulfilling than what I get to do every day at Nido.

Kind regards,
Danika x