Creating a Sustainable Vegetable/Herb Garden in Early Childhood Education and Care Services

This article discusses the importance of promoting life skills and sustainability in early childhood education and care services by creating a vegetable/herb garden. It covers strategies to encourage participation in sustainable practices, involve families and communities, and link sustainable practices to the Early Years Learning Framework. It also discusses one standard, policy, and procedure supporting sustainability that an early childhood education and care service could have.

CHCECE012 Assessment 2 Question 1
Introduction to Assessment 2
Learner Instructions
You are required to assist in creating a vegetable/herb garden at an early childhood
education and care service spaces that promotes the development of life skills and
waste reduction and recycling.
You should include the following areas in your discussion
Question 1 A
Question
 Promote the development of life skills
 Waste reduction and recycling
 How you would discuss with children the natural environment and the
interdependence between people, plants, animals (insects) and the land
 Encourage adults and children to participate in the sustainable practices of
the service
 How you will identify and encourage opportunities for families and community
to be involved
 Link the sustainable practices to Early Years Learning Framework.
 In 50 words each discuss one standard, one policy and one procedure
supporting sustainability, that an early childhood education and care service
could have.
Answer
1: Life skills development is a crucial part to promote positive way of life by adding
values to social aspects. It encourage our knowledge and raise an individual's
knowledge to deal life situations. Some important strategies that may help a child to
develop important life skills are: Focus and Self-control, Communication, Critical
Thinking, Perspective-Taking, Making connections, Self-Directed, Face on Challenges.
2: The term Reduce refers to cut back and minimise the amount of generated trash.
Reuse defines finding of new solutions to bring things usage that was supposed to be
thrown out otherwise. Recycle means to turn something into useful thing . Children's
should made learn about 3R's and their importance for sustainability and to protect
environment. The practice of encouraging resourcefulness guides children to use
substance carefully and make them creative towards the utilisation of product
repeatedly. The items that may be recycled or reused by children include paper,
water bottles, plastic containers, old clothes, discarded magazines, etc.
3: It is important to discuss the importance of environment with the children to make
them aware about the environmental issue and guide them to adopt sustainable
practices. The importance can be demonstrated by explaining them the dependence
of natural habitat on natural resources and interdependence between plants,
animals, humans, and the land. The best way is to explain and make the children

learn about the concept of food chain and develop a habit of gardening herbs and
vegetables among the children.
4: Children can be encouraged to participate in sustainable practices by engaging
them in sustainable practices at home level, like calling them for help when cleaning
their rooms, telling them the importance of food and water and stop them from
wasting it, and assist them in gardening practices at early stage. Indulging children
in discussions like ways of waste reduction, recycling rubbish and waste materials.
The adults can be corp[orated towards sustainable practices by motivating them
through make actions easy and enjoyable, be leverage the leaders, by help people
process information.
5: To involve families and community towards the sustainable practices, people can
be motivated by equip them with the right knowledge and give them the reason why
the action is important to take and instruct them about how to do it. They should be
allowed and motivated to take participation in environmental welfare programs.
Some other ideas that can be adopted to get families involved are: Develop a energy
saving policy, provide children and family members with a “Energy Saving Checklist”
for home.
6: Children at early years can be indulge into sustainable practices by encouraging
them to connect with environmental protection practices. Children can contribute by
understanding responsibilities and follow some sustainable practices like; Energy
reduction, contribute to reduce water, air, and land pollution, use water wisely. Some
of EYLF practices that may help to develop skills in children are: Reuse plastic bags
and paper, avoid to dispose kitchen items, use Eco-friendly products, recycle old
sneakers, etc.
7: Standard: Encourage children to purchase environment friendly products. This
standard can make children understand the importance of environment and they
develop the sense and knowledge of the products that harms the environment.
Educators can embed the nature of sustainability among students by reducing the
use of plastics and purchase materials that are made up of natural materials.
Policy: Recycle waste material as much as possible. This policy can make children
creative about the recycling and reusing the waste things which expands the life of
material as well as results in reduction of polluting from the environment. When
children start indulging in such practices since their early stages of their childhood
they become smart and creative enough that sometimes their mind direct and
instruct them towards the invention of a new, unique, sustainable and useful
product.
Procedure: Develop the habit to donate unused items. This habit can encourage
children to play a important role in society by donating the left over food to the
needy people, by donating their toys to the poor children. These practices are really
good and efficient for the maintenance of sustainable environment.