At ToBeMe, our children are commencing an amazing learning journey, providing them with an incredible educational experience.
We’re currently in the process of a brand new project – The ToBeMe Learning Farm!
Our vision for the ToBeMe Learning Farm is to create an organic permaculture farm, where we can self produce our own fruit and vegetables. Ultimately, our medium-term plan, as we envision it so far, is that we will obtain total self-sufficiency in that we will be growing all of our own produce.
This project has, in fact, enabled us to undertake a very special journey with our children, as we are all learning as we go along and of course, acquiring some very valuable hands-on experience (did someone say sensory activities?!).
At the time of writing, the project has well and truly commenced, as the landscape has been carefully and responsibly cleared and the first lot of vegetation has already been planted. This comes off the back of a highly detailed and well thought out planning process. The preparation stage having taken several months due to the meticulous attention to detail and the level of care required to ensure that the garden was well within organic permaculture principles.
According to our research, we are the only childcare centre in Australia, if not the world, to undertake such an exciting project. Currently, we’re eagerly awaiting the results of our application to Australian Certified Organic (ACO), so we’ll be sure to keep you updated on the progress!
In the true ToBeMe spirit, our children and their learning experiences were placed directly at the forefront of the project and its purpose, hence ensuring that our reason for undertaking such an incredible feat was solely to educate and inspire the generations of tomorrow.
The benefits of having a totally self-sustainable farm for children to engage in at their leisure include:
1. Gardening, in and of itself, engages all five senses, proving to be the ultimate sensory activity for children, as they see, touch, taste, hear and smell their way through the experience.
2. Our vegetation will educate and encourage our children with regards to healthy and balanced nutrition, as they immerse themselves in the process right from “Seed to Plate”. They will, quite literally, be planting the very seeds of the foods that they will grow and subsequently eat.
3. The children get to take part in the ultimate science experiments, from photosynthesis right through to decomposition and everything in between, ensuring that the educational experiences expand into other elements of their learning, as we continue our holistic approach to our Unique Early Learning Curriculum.
4. Responsibility, patience and understanding, as well as many other characteristics, are developed, making our children better human beings, better to their counterparts and better to the world around them.
5. We’re creating the next generation of Mother Earth’s caretakers, ensuring that we leave our lovely planet in the best possible hands, most especially as sustainability becomes an ever-increasing issue within society. We’re defining the ethos that they will, no doubt, carry on later in life.
By implementing the principles of Permaculture, we’re protecting Mother Nature; by using natural forms of energy such as solar and wind, as well as utilizing natural resources such as rainwater as well as producing Organic Vegetation; since permaculture does not use pesticides, insecticides or chemicals, we’ll be able to produce the most healthy and nutrient-rich vegetation for our children.
Furthermore, we’ll be reducing waste; Permaculture does this by reusing and recycling where possible and by composting, as well as making informed decisions.
And, of course, the topic of Sustainability & Sufficiency; the entire premise of Permaculture is essentially being able to sustain itself, through the creation of an ecosystem where all plants and organisms live harmoniously.
As we continue on this exciting journey of creating the ToBeMe Learning Farm, we’re extremely proud of all of those who have been involved in the planning, certification and process so far, but none more so than our very own children who have (literally) loved getting their hands dirty and have completely immersed themselves in the experience. It gives us so much joy to see the smiles on their faces as they absorb the environment around them and contribute immensely to the project that is very much their own!
Finally, a special mention to Organic Knowledge, for their amazing efforts so far, truly helping us make this vision come to life.
It’s going to be an incredible journey and we can’t wait to continue sharing it with you.
Stay tuned for more updates!
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