The Little Farmers initiative has been an ongoing project since the end of 2017, after the preschool secured a grant from Southern Cross to build a working garden at the facility. 

Tots on Temoin director Katrina Janhsen said educators could use the garden as a tool to teach children about the importance of sustainability, the environment and the positive impact they can have on their surroundings.

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“Once the garden infrastructure was built, this small gardening project quickly lead into some pretty big ideas on how to really engage children as they children become more socially and environmentally aware,” Mrs Janhsen said. 

Mrs Janhsen said kids discovered life cycles planting their own seeds into egg cartons and watched them grow and develop, identifying what seeds need to germinate. After a slow process the children consulted with Tots sustainability leader Amy Hocroft where they discovered to use worms to fertilise and feed the plants.

“Children were amazed when all their hard work, persistence and patience started to emerge and they could measure further growth from their combined efforts,” Mrs Janhsen said. 

Adding to the initiative local family Ben and Nadine Smith invited the tots to their property to get an up close and personal look at farming.

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Kids enjoyed a variety of activities form patting chickens, hand feeding baby calves and lambs, checking out the workings of an old wool sheds, to engaging in paddock work and taking a closer look at the larger machinery. 

Mrs Janhsen said experiences like the excursion allow children to become confident and engage in hands on learning, helping to develop critical thinking skills. 

She thanked the Central School for donating the bus, and the Smith family for taking the time to share their experiences and knowledge with the children. “It was a fascinating experience, especially for some of the children and educators not from farming backgrounds.”

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Tots on Temoin (Trangie Preschool and Long Day Care) is a community based service which aims to provide the best quality education and care available.

The service value diversities, culture and inclusion, recognising that many children and families come from different backgrounds and enjoy various lifestyles and ways of being.

Educators aim to provide the highest quality experiences which engage children in meaningful ways that enrich their life and begins a lifelong love of learning.

“At Tots, we will continue to nurture both our garden and each child’s learning journey as the years go by and children grow with the continued support from our wonderful community,” Mrs Janhsen said.

“After all it takes a village to raise a child.”