Essay On Veggie Garden

Every childhood setting must adhere to certain policies, legislation and frameworks when constructing and designing the setting, as well as when providing materials to the children. This means that these policies and legislation can influence the development of the learning environment at the setting. For instance, the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (2017) includes standards for the physical environment of the setting in their National Quality Standard, which includes sustainable practices and support for children to be responsible and respectful of the natural environment. At the setting, key opportunities of learning sustainable practice through recycling boxes, playing in the veggie garden and with the composter

The multicultural environment depicted through creative means enables a key opportunity for learning as it provides children with the ability to “broaden their understanding of the world in which they live” (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), 2009, p. 26) whilst also “connecting [them] with people [and] place” (p. 37). By specifically using mainly artistic materials to form this connection to place, the children are also claiming the setting as their ‘own’ place. The key affordance of sustainability practice has implications for both learning and play as the children play with the worm farm and veggie garden, whilst also learning how to create sustainable practices by recycling their items into specific bins and how to care for the environment. This then leads to a child who develops a connection, respect for and awareness of the natural environment (DEEWR, 2009). Sociocultural opportunities also present implications for both learning and play as the children in the cooking corner practice for when they become adults and perform these stereotypical tasks in a more realistic setting, therefore allowing them to learn whilst