The tree in front of Kidsfirst Mathers Road has grown substantially since it was opened.
“With the opening of Mathers Road and Ngaire Larcombe, the number of kindergartens in the Association has risen to forty-eight.” – Carol Eggleston, Supervising Head Teacher, Annual Report 1977.
With the excitement of expansion into new communities, there also came an increased focus amongst our Association on the value of outdoor environments.
“A greater emphasis was placed on the outdoor area as an exciting place for learning. Much interest was evident in planting trees and shrubs to make this an exciting and beautiful place to play. Along with provision of activities, within programmes there was a continuing recognition and strengthening of the elements which made for a good pre-school – friends, space and freedom, equipment, materials, first hand experiences, and people to supervise and take an interest in the children and to share their enthusiasm.” – Carol Eggleston, Supervising Head Teacher, 1980 Annual Report.
Shown here is the same tree, decades before the photo above, and the outdoor area as it once looked.
Over time, the tree has grown and become a centrepiece of the kindergarten, with the rest of the big backyard built around it.
betterbecause@kidsfirst.org.nz
03 338 1303
0800 KIDSFIRST (0800 454 373)
Kidsfirst Kindergartens, PO Box 8089, Christchurch 8440
