Seedlings Montessori Pre-School in Hilton registered with the Eco-Schools Program in 2011. Our focus of learning has always been on the world around us and over the years our children have been actively involved with various projects and themes that encourage making a difference to our beautiful Planet Earth. We strive to create and keep alive an awareness of environmental issues in a way that is concrete and meaningful for young learners. We have found that the Eco-Schools program and resources have given us focus and direction and especially love the "Year of Special Days" diary that gives dates for environmental events both locally and globally.The children at Seedlings range from 2 ½ to 5 years of age and our environmental learning involves hands-on projects, discussions, experiments, art, songs etc. Some of Eco-Schools themes covered in 2011 included Resource Use, Nature and Biodiversity and Healthy Living. Under these broad headings the children learnt about saving water and electricity; managing waste by re-using, reducing, recycling and rethinking; they planted up permaculture gardens, thus growing their very own healthy vegetables; and learnt about birds, marine life and plants during National Bird, Marine and Arbour Weeks.
Seedlings Montessori has an Eco-Code that includes a very special "Pledge to the Earth" that the learners and staff learnt. This was written by Aline D Wolf and is as follows: "I promise to be good to the earth and all life on this planet – all growing things, all kinds of animals and all races of people. I promise to protect all life on our planet, to live in harmony with nature, and to share everything fairly, so that all people can live with one another in good health and in peace."
The Seedlings children are so proud to have earned their very own Eco-Schools Green Flag award and look forward to many more years of helping to keep our world beautiful for the future generations.