Growing Gardens at Nido Pennington

The term ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ was coined by American author Richard Louv and speaks to today’s reality that many children spend less and less time outdoors. Louv contends that this has a detrimental effect on children and their development.

Mindful of this, the team at Nido Early School Pennington have transformed their somewhat overgrown outdoor areas at their school to be mini bush kinder and vegetable growing areas, as well as a sensory garden. The children enjoy visiting the garden, getting messy and watching their vegetables grow.

Nido Pennington is fortunate to have three educators who are passionate about helping the children make the most of the school’s outdoor spaces. One has been appointed as outdoor leader, with the others helping establish small, sustainable growing areas in the nursery yard; places the children really can engage with nature.

One noticeable benefit of these outdoor spaces is the effect they have on the children’s behaviour. Through spending more time outdoors, the children appear to be more self-regulated, calmer and with greater self-esteem.

The gardens are also great for the children’s families. Grandparents, in particular, love attending and working alongside the children and educators to make the most of these spaces. And, of course, an additional benefit is that the fruit, vegetables, and herbs that are grown in the gardens, are used in the Cucina, leading to the children embracing a wider range of foods due to their involvement in growing them.

By transforming their outdoor areas, the team at Nido Pennington are helping the children appreciate nature and enjoy the numerous benefits of getting their hands dirty.

X

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