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Designing an Early Childhood Environment

by Toni and Robin Christie
January/February 2011
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Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/designing-an-early-childhood-environment/5019792/

This article originally appeared in The Space magazine in New Zealand.

He aha te mea nui o te Ao? He tamariki, he tamariki, he tamariki.
What is the most important thing in the world? It is the children.

Across the mouth of the Tauranga Harbour lies a piece of paradise, Te Moutere o Matakana �" Matakana Island. It is blessed with an ocean beach with white sand and a mean surf break, tidal flats, wetlands, fertile pasture, and a native and exotic forest. It is home to many species of native birds, including the rare New Zealand Dotterel. It is also home to a maori language nest for the local children �" Te Kohanga Reo o te Moutere o Matakana.

During our initial visits to the early childhood environment we were struck by the passion of the community for a playspace that would provide the children with a real sense of place, a relationship with the island as a whole, and a connection with the work being done by the community to restore the native ecosystems. We would incorporate symbols and landmarks that trigger conversations that extend children’s understanding of the past, present, and future of their home.

Once the Wellington-based Childspace group of nine volunteers, ...

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