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Ethical living

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Original poster

Do you think parents would be interested in a "Green" ish nursery

35 replies

Katymac · 15/10/2006 01:00

With Solar hot water/biofuel heating/rainwater harvesting & grey water recycling?

Or is it too gimmicky?

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milward · 15/10/2006 01:26

sounds great - would the kids get involved with the eco aspect - growing veg, recycling?

HumphreyComfreyCushion · 15/10/2006 01:27

sounds really interesting - especially if the children were taught about it all.

HumphreyComfreyCushion · 15/10/2006 01:27

x post

Original poster
Katymac · 15/10/2006 09:40

Definatley recycling

Growing veg might have to be quite small scale due to space requirements

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FrannyandZooey · 15/10/2006 09:43

Organic food

Heuristic play / treasure baskets

Yoga activities

Lots of crafts with natural materials

Visualisation exercise at story time

just a few activities that might fit in with this ethos?

Original poster
Katymac · 15/10/2006 09:48

treasure baskets are a definate (I already use them)

craft stuff - yep (again already happening)

Yoga - maybe DH does a lot of dance with them which he enjoys & I wouldn't want to "cut into" that time - but as the nursery is bigger I'm sure there is a possibility

Organic food - is possible - but we already use locally produce & go as "artificial free" as we can...so would need discussing

I'll think about the other stuff

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belgo · 15/10/2006 09:48

It's a great idea. My dd goes to an environmentally aware nursery school - for example she's not allowed to bring any packaging in her packed lunch - I think parents would be very interested in sending their kids there.

FillyjonkthePumpkinEater · 15/10/2006 09:50

yes

but, and its a big but

the final deciding point for me would be the attitude of the staff. I have a preferance for mixed ages, older staff, etc.

I say this because our local horror nursery (oh god, its awful) is ostensibly a "green" nursery, with recycling and so on. The difficulty is that the staff are obnoxious and don't talk to the kids , and it has a strange smell.

Original poster
Katymac · 15/10/2006 09:54

Do you mean mixed ages with the children?

I am having their separate room areas (but open plan) plus an extra bit in the middle to communal stuff

There might be a bit for community stuff between 9 & 3 in the out of school club "room" (it's really an area)

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Chandra · 15/10/2006 10:00

I think it would be nice but it wouldn't tip my decision in its favour. What I would be more interestred in would be a nice well designed program of activities, caring staff and the least staff rotation. No mater how green the nursery is, if those elements were not present I wouldn't care for it.

meowmix · 15/10/2006 10:00

absolutely - that was a big factor in choosing DS's nursery here - they use non-chemical cleaning products, have sun shades (might not sound green but is the only way kids can go outside in the summer here), have recycling facilities and do campaigns, have policy of sourcing ethically produced/organic fruit etc, the toys are wooden or non-chemically. Do water conservation too (all small steps I know but this is the middle east, they think you're insane if you try to conserve energy)

Run by Aussies, they seem to have higher sensitivity to these things.

Original poster
Katymac · 15/10/2006 11:16

I am anticipating putting the play area on the north side of the building

& maybe an allotment/veggie patch on the south side??

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sassy · 15/10/2006 11:34

My dds go to a nursery w/semi-green attitudes.

Food is all home-cooked, lots grown on site or allotment (older pupils -3+) involved in that), organic as much as poss.

In big room (3+) NO plastic toys - all are wood/organic materials.

A treehouse in garden for use as an extra classroom but with emphasis on natural enviroment.

Weekly forest school for 3+, with campfire lunch etc.

Composting - again kids involved.

My dd1 loves the nursery and the emphasis on outdoors/looking after the world.

Now I will read the thread!

cazzybabs · 15/10/2006 11:37

I would! What about nappies - can you use terries? You could have a multisensory garden.

Original poster
Katymac · 15/10/2006 11:42

Love the idea for a multisensory garden (I think I have a corner for that)

I already offer the facility for mums to use real nappies - some do & some don't - I don't know that I want to impose it (iyswim)

Food is all homecooked atm so that would continue

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sibdoms · 15/10/2006 19:31

I would.
I want my kids to go to Sassy's one. Where do you live Sassy?

threebob · 15/10/2006 19:34

I would love it - however if people of the right mindset then have to travel to get to you, then it kind of undermines the greeness aspect.

Are people pretty green where you live?

Original poster
Katymac · 15/10/2006 19:45

Some are green some aren't

Unfortunatley we live in a cluster of small villages - all several miles apart. My village is only 360 houses and the surrounding villages are similar - with one or two slightly bigger

Not travelling is impossible - there is no public transport at all (well a bus at 9.30 into town and out aggain at about 3 - so no good for working)

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threebob · 16/10/2006 00:28

Well in that case being green makes sense because of the energy used to get to you being offset by your greeness, so you are doing the best possible thing.

I like it.

sassy · 16/10/2006 13:28
Original poster
Katymac · 16/10/2006 15:11

Good I'm glad I won't be in competition with your nursery, Sassy It is nice & far away

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sassy · 19/10/2006 10:52

Katymac - thought I'd let you know the latest thing they've done this week.

They now have chickens - children to help feed and collect the eggs. Some eggs to be hatched in the spring (using incubator so the children can see it happening).

Nursery are carefully monitoring any bird flu news - last year's chickens had to be sent to a local farm when news got worrying but now things have calmed down a bit they are back.

Good luck!

JessaJackOLantern · 19/10/2006 10:57

I would love to send ds to a nursery that was at least vaguely green. Someone I know sends their child to one where the children sort the rubbish out for recycling etc.
I suppose, apart from location, the deciding factor would be cost...I suspect the cost of a 'green' nursery would be higher than that of an environmentally clueless one...

HallgerdaLongcloak · 19/10/2006 11:08

The "Green" aspects you describe, Katymac, would in themselves incline me to like the sound of your nursery. But as I'm not desperately lentil-weavery in other respects, I'd worry a little about some of Franny's ideas (yoga and visualisation exercises aren't me). And I might also be concerned about whether the solar hot water etc. might imply a hippyishness with which I would not be comfortable. I think it would be a good idea to do some market research locally among the prospective users of your nursery and find out what they think.

Original poster
Katymac · 19/10/2006 17:19

I think you are right - the advertising would have to be carefully worded so that I am not "too" green for greens sake

I was hoping to emphasise the economic beneifte of green-ness ie lower heating cost and therefore more to spend on the children

Maybe?

Love the chicken & we ope to have them & maybe a rabbit or two (mmmmm rabbit stew & roast chicken....or maybe not)

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