WINNER – COMMUNITY EDUCATOR 

Balegrow winner of the EEV Environment Education Awards

Mission

To assist educators in Melbourne and surrounds, to implement a sustainability educational incursion program into their centre, that is:

Cost-effective
Low maintenance
Sustainable
Meeting the framework requirements for sustainability and life cycle.

Programs available for all age groups

Please contact us for centres outside of Melbourne for more information.

Child with carrot

Download a copy of the

Educational Incursion Brochure including prices.

Kids garden in a strawbale - Balegrow early learning program

BaleGrow™ Sustainable Education Garden Program

Introducing straw bale gardening, worm farming and the Reduce, Reuse Recycle ethos, we can provide early childhood service providers with an engaging and educational incursion experience for the children and educators, across all age groups.

Our intention is to assist educators by providing them with the tools, method and support to meet their intended outcomes. While delivering a creative, energetic and educational incursion experience for the children that is ongoing once the incursion is complete.

Our sustainability programs are designed to provide a complete and simple solution to assist educators with a successful outcome, with props and language that is age appropriate for the group engaging.

Select from one of the following educational programs

Toddler Patch

A 1-hour hands-on experience for the toddler group that will give the children a real-life food production connection.


Program Details

A 1-hour hands-on experience for the toddler group that will give the children a real-life food production connection. Activities include picking lettuce, spring onion, beetroots and carrots from a mini garden bed, allowing the children the opportunity to see, touch and experience this first-hand makes an enormous impact.

Other engaging activities include meeting the BaleGrow worm farm, a small introduction to recycling easily identifiable items in the home. Also building on the food production connection. The children will participate in activities identifying common farm animals and the food they produce.

The room will be divided into small groups of 4 – 5 for a visit to the Toddler Patch where they will find a scene full of homemade pops, books, dirt and much more. The little tots will also be taking home a small gift bag to start their very own mini food cup at home.

Included in the session:

  • Storytime
  • Wiggly worms
  • Food farm game
  • Vegetable Harvesting
  • Take home seed bag
  • Introduction to recycling

(only available with another program booking)

Demonstration and Farm Building

Ideal for those wanting to support children’s learning with topics such as animals, farming, sustainability, gardening and learning through storytelling.


Program Details

A 45-minute interactive and energetic presentation with an Old McDonald had a farm theme. This program is an introduction to sustainably and gardening through singing, storytelling and hands-on learning.

Up-cycled, hand-crafted props made entirely from recycled materials are a large part of the presentation. They are colourful, engaging and the children will love being emersed a version of this all-time classic. The presentation of the story and the final outcome of the session will be something that the educators and children have never seen before

Included in the session:

  • Storytime
  • Sing-along
  • What we can find on a farm
  • What is made on a farm
  • Who can be a farmer
  • Handmade animal pots
  • Farm made by the children
  • An introduction to recycling
  • Visual props for the children to relate to

Additional travel charges will apply 30km outside of Somerville

Sun, wind and Rain

This is perfect to keep the children engaged in a meaningful way, learning about the elements and providing opportunities for hands-on creative learning.


Program Details

Let’s sing to the wind, dance to the rain and dream through the sun. We will explore weather elements through music, movement and craft using resource-recovered materials. Each child will practice using their fine and gross motor skills and identify materials recovered from home to turn into something new. Each child will participate in the making of an individual sun catcher to keep for display and then to be taken home at a later date.

Included in this session:

  • Singing
  • Dancing
  • DIY Musical instrument-making
  • Fresh and dried materials (foliage)
  • Homemade props
  • Materials
  • Introduction to recycling

Alternative Gardens

This project has a big visual impact in and around your play space.


Program Details

Hands-on garden building with recovered car tyres (3). I will bring all the materials for the group to build an instant garden bed.

Topics will cover

  • beneficial bugs in the garden,
  • resource recovery, and
  • re-enforce the need to think outside the box about waste.

The children will prepare the garden beds for planting herbs, flowers and bugs in the area. Each small group will build a bug hotel in the yard to encourage care for our outside environment.

Included in this session:

  • 3 decorated tyres
  • Engaging props
  • Soil and compost for garden beds
  • Plants
  • Natural materials for the bug hotel
  • Handmade props
  • All equipment needed for the project.

Paper Making

Children use paper, a common classroom material, to engage in a sensory project.


Program Details

The program is a fun, hands-on sensory project for children. The activity includes a short mat session re-enforcing the idea of the reduce re-use and recycle ethos and the household items that can be used in the process. Activities include identifying the items for DIY paper making, tearing up used paper, breaking down the paper in a paper slurry, assisting in using a mould and
deckle, patting dry and handling paper once complete.

Included in this session:

  • Short mat session
  • Small group work
  • Re-usable item identification
  • Paper blending
  • Mould and deckle use
  • Paper drying
  • Each child will have a completed piece of paper

Reduce, Reuse & Recycle – Worm Farming

A 1-hour presentation that is full of energy and new hands-on learning for everyone. This program is based around the important ‘Reduce, Reuse & Recycle’ ethos. This program also comes with educator support.


Program Details

Here we will introduce the children to the concept of the important role worms play in plant health.

We will be spend time on the mat learning all about fun worm facts. As a group, we will build a worm farm with the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ ethos a priority. The children will get to keep this worm farm in their room or outside.

Included in this session:

  •  Worm farm
  • Learning tools made from recycled materials
  • All recycled materials for the worm farm
  • Regular contact to see how things are progressing and assist if needed

Program based on 25 children

Additional travel charges will apply 30km outside of Somerville

Instant Straw Bale Garden

Ideal tool for learning about sustainable growing. Build an instant straw bale garden as part of the experience that you can keep and enjoy over the next 6-8 months


Program Details

An interactive 1.5-hour educational incursion including mat time and planting out 3 pre-prepared BaleGrow gardens.

The first 30 minutes will be full of props such as different methods of sustainable gardening and the unveiling of a well-established straw bale garden. Children will be touching wheat grain, loose and still on the stem.

The next 40 minutes’ will be outside. The first 10 minutes will be with the whole group chatting about what plants we are planting and benefits of growing our own food. Groups will be then split into 5-6 children to plant in their new straw bale garden.

The last 20 minutes will be gathering children back on the mat, re-capping what we have achieved and what the group is going to have to do to help look after the garden. What the garden may produce over the year and why should we eat healthy food.

Included in this session:

  •  Straw bale garden
  •  Seedlings for every child to plant
  •  Take home gift for every child
  •  Resource kit for educators to maintain the garden
  •  Many new and engaging learning experences

Program based on 25 children

Additional travel charges will apply 30km outside of Somerville

Program & Pricing

Complete your details below and we’ll email you the program.

Kids learning about recycling - Balegrow early learning program
Worm Farm
Paper Making
Kids garden in a strawbale - Balegrow early learning program
Alternative Gardens

WINNER
COMMUNITY EDUCATOR

Balegrow is so excited to be the winner of the EEV Environment Education Awards – Community Educator.