Enchanting playtime

By Casey Neill
UPWEY South pre-schoolers now have an enchanted place to play.
The Morris Road kinder unveiled an inspirational fairy garden late last year, turning a quiet corner of the playground into a stimulating and sensory oasis.
Claudia Green from Green Gecko Gardens developed the concept with help from kinder families and teachers, and created a garden complete with arbours, meandering paths and plenty of fairy seating, to inspire budding imaginations.
Cash collected throughout last year and a $2000 grant from the Bendigo Bank funded the project.
Kinder teacher Donna Kenny said the fairy garden promoted dramatic play and encouraged kids to think about the environment.
“It’s a vision to promote the natural aspect of the pre-school,” she said.
They’ve already planted vegies and herbs, and Ms Kenny said the fairy garden helped to bring the outdoor area together.
“The children were playing that type of game there anyway, among the trees,” she said.
“They love it. It’s the best thing we’ve done.”
“It’s given us a new dimension to the kinder.”
She said the “nice quiet spot” was filled with little plants, a mushroom table and chairs under the bushes, dress-ups, wind chimes, and little mushrooms and fairies the kids had created.
“It’s quite enchanting,” she said.
“The kids are creating things to add to it. We hope to build on it throughout the year.”