The curative education daycare centre (HPT, Heilpädagogische Tagesstätte) in Neuburg/Donau, a facility of the Adventist Welfare Association—an association of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Germany (AWW, Advent-Wohlfahrtswerk e.V.)—, took part in the "ÖkoKids – Kindertagesein RICHTUNG NACHHALTIGKEIT" (sustainable projects for the environment made by kids) project for the third time this year. HPT once again received an award for this.
"The project was a complete success, again, this year," reports Andrea Forster, head of the centre. "Tanja Winkeljann and Isabella Maier were able to attend the award ceremony, in Munich, as representatives of our organisation."
From grain to bread
This was the third time that the daycare centre for children with special needs had taken part in the "ÖkoKids - KindertageseinRICHTUNG NACHHALTIGKEIT" project. After two successful participations in the "Ökokids" project, the teachers at the curative daycare centre set off on the next project, together with the children - this year under the motto: "From seed to plant, from grain to bread".
"Firstly, we sowed different types of wheat together with the children. These included emmer, oats, spelt, rye, wheat, and einkorn," says nursery teacher Tanja Winkeljann. "We were able to watch the wheat grow, together with the children. We discussed with them how we could help the grain to grow, and we tended the bed together."
After the successful harvest, the different types of grain were identified within the groups, and they considered what could be done with them. "We were allowed to grind the grain ourselves and then we baked delicious bread rolls," said one child from the centre. The enthusiasm was great. Each child was able to observe exactly how the seed became a plant and how the grain became bread. The grain was ground by hand and each child was allowed to mould their own bread roll.
The project was not only successful with the jury; the topic could be worked through in the centre in a child-friendly way, and the topic of sustainability is still present in the centre. The staff at the centre are already looking forward to the next round of "Ökokids" and are already busy planning and thinking.
LBV and HPT
For 13 years, the Bavarian Association for the Protection of Birds and Nature (LBV), with the support of the Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection, has honoured daycare centres that have carried out an educational project on the topic of the environment and sustainability, in line with the Bavarian Education and Training Plan. The centres received this year's award at two specialist conferences in Munich and Nuremberg.
More information on "ÖkoKids" and a list of the daycare centres that have received the award in 2023 can be found here.
The curative education daycare centre (HPT) in Neuburg/Donau offers space for 18 preschool-age children who have special needs and, therefore, cannot be optimally cared for in an average daycare centre. The target group is children from the age of three until they individually start school.
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