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Kelmarna

Early Childhood Level

Early Childhood Level Activities for Educational Visits

Come experience our
 city farm as an authentic context for immersing your learners in a dynamic natural setting that offers a safe and encouraging space for activities that challenge understanding and present opportunities for positive experiences in the real world.

Early Childhood visits are designed and delivered in line with Te Whāriki early childhood curriculum, to ​support your teaching programs that foster the development of competent and confident learners and communicators, promote health in mind, body, and spirit, and forge connections that affirm a sense of belonging through meaningful community participation.

Have a look below at some of the activities we can arrange for your group, to help you get your learners outside, observing & interacting with the natural environment, investigating key concepts, and practicing essential skills — all while having a great time! Choose from one or more of these to build your session, or get in touch for a bespoke experience tailored to your outcomes.
Activities on this page:
  • Sensory Expedition​​
  • Newspaper Plant Pots  
  • Creepy Crawlies & Composting​ ​
  • Village Green Vacation
Curating Your Session​:
Have a look through these activities, then use the booking enquiry form below to tell us about your group and choose the activities you would like for your tamariki, or to let us know how we can help deliver a bespoke experience that meets your goals and learning outcomes.

Early Childhood visits include a hot pot of herbal tea, picked and brewed fresh with seasonal herbs from the gardens, and served during the visit for teachers and chaperones!

Visit the School Visits main page for more information on our program, health & safety, and charges.
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Sensory Expedition
🧩 Early Childhood Level
​An essential activity at Kelmarna, and one of our most popular, this guided exploration of the farm gives learners the opportunity to slow down and really focus on the world around them, to observe and connect with details and patterns in nature that often ordinarily go unnoticed.

Learners will use all five of their senses to engage with the environment through focused investigation, getting to know the farm and its operations, and
developing skills and interest in exploration that they can apply in any environment.

A staple of Early Childhood visits, this activity is highly recommended for all ages and levels. Never the same experience twice, there is always something fascinating and fun to discover in every season. ​
​Duration: ​30-45min
​​
Te Whāriki
  • ​Exploration | Mana aotūroa
  • Belonging | Mana whenua
  • Wellbeing | Mana atua
  • Communication | Mana reo
Join us with your group
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Newspaper Plant Pots
🧩 Early Childhood Level
​Take the opportunity to get crafty on the farm by learning how to upcycle old newspaper into plant pots and then get hands-on with the soil to pot up and sow a seed.

Learners will practise observing and following instructions, and applying concentration and dexterity to manipulate newspaper into a sturdy structure, then use tools to attentively convey soil into their pot. They will learn an important rule of thumb for sowing seeds at an appropriate depth before focusing again to carefully dimple the soil and sow a seed of their own.
 

A fun challenge for small hands, this activity is recommended for getting hands-on in a controlled setting. All materials are provided, including certified organic potting soil and seeds, and learners get to take home their finished product.
​Duration: ​30min
​​
Te Whāriki
  • Contribution | Mana tangata
  • Communication | Mana reo
  • Wellbeing | Mana atua
Join us with your group
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Creepy Crawlies & Composting
🧩 Early Childhood Level
Take advantage of the unique resources on our farm to introduce your learners to super cool creepy crawlies, and safely handle worms and larvae while learning about the benefits of their poos and wees!

Learners will have the opportunity to observe and interact with tiger worms, used in vermiculture composting, and the larvae and pre-pupae of Black Soldier Flies, used in composting as well as for chicken feed. Both of these beneficial organisms are fun to handle, and they play an important role in generating sustainable natural soil conditioners and whole-food sources for our chooks.


This activity is recommended to provide learners with novel experience and perspective, to gently stretch their comfort zone and frame relationships with nature as positive and constructive.
​Duration: ​30min
​​
Te Whāriki
  • Exploration | Mana aotūroa
  • Contribution | Mana tangata
  • Communication | Mana reo
  • Wellbeing | Mana atua
Join us with your group
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Village Green Vacation
🧩 Early Childhood Level
​The Village Green is our central community space, the only area where grass is favoured over cultivating food, and where we can gather together and spend time over kōrero and kai.

You are invited to make the most of your trip to the farm by taking the time to pause and relax in the space, park up on the Green for a picnic, or simply enjoy the farm outside of a structured activity. Learners are welcome to spend morning or afternoon tea breaks, lunch, or free time on the lawn and around the gardens.

This recreational opportunity is recommended to allow learners to connect with the environment on their own terms and at their own pace. Food and drink not provided. Certain organic scraps may be collected on site, otherwise all rubbish must be taken away.
​Duration: ​15-60min
​​
Te Whāriki
  • Exploration | Mana aotūroa
  • Contribution | Mana tangata
  • Belonging | Mana whenua
  • Wellbeing | Mana atua
Join us with your group
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​Book an Educational Visit
🧩 Early Childhood Level Groups
    What is the name of your playcentre, kindergarten, playgroup, kura kaupapa, or organisation?
    Are you interested in a single session, or keen to set up multiple visits to the farm?
    How many tamariki will you be bringing along? (e.g. "23 learners")
    How old are your tamariki? (e.g. "0-2yo", or "3-5yo")
    When would you like to visit with us? (e.g. "A Monday in March, the 15th would be ideal")
    e.g. "2 hours in the morning, between 10 and 12"
    Choose any that you'd like to fit into you visit
    Let us know your thoughts and any details on how you'd like to spend your visit and manage your time with us
    If you're after something other than or in addition to the available activity modules, please let us know your thoughts and how we can help!
Submit

School Visits - Main Page
Education Programme Policy - Terms & Conditions
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For other enquiries, get in touch with our Education Manager at education@kelmarnagardens.nz
Kelmarna Gardens Community Farm
Charities registration CC51662
  • Home
  • About
    • The farm
    • Our team
    • Supporters
    • Paddock development
    • Farming animals
  • Get Involved
    • Farm Dinners
    • Volunteer
    • Farm shop
    • Farmhands programme
    • School Visits >
      • Links & Resources for Distance Learning
    • Horticultural therapy
    • Visit & tours
    • Photo / Film Location
    • Corporate & team experiences
    • Meat pack sales
  • Workshops
  • Soil Factory
  • Contact
  • Donate