Designing for a childhood focusing on conservation and sustainability: The Lone Pine Child and Family Centre project in Australia

• Main Authors: Jónsdóttir, Svanborg R., Davis, Julie
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands 2015
• Subjects: early years day care centre; Lone Pine; sustainability education; education for sustainability; education for sustainable development; leikskóli; sjálfbærnimenntun; menntun til sjálfbærni; menntun til sjálfbærrar þróunar; Lone; Queensland; Iceland
• Online Access: https://ojs.hi.is/index.php/netla/article/view/1955

In this article we present the development of a project that combines the environment of the Lone Pine Koala and wildlife sanctuary, a children’s day care centre and aims of sustainability. The first author, visiting the site from Iceland, was introduced to the project by the second author. We discuss the importance of sustainability education (SE) and describe the project and the collaboration of the Lone Pine Sanctuary with the Queensland University of Technology. The ideas for the Lone Pine childcare centre build on the Reggio Emilia philosophy of the whole community raising the child and respecting children’s strengths and interests. The intention for early learning in the centre is that experiences will be enhanced by an environmental and conservation focus including routine excursions to the sanctuary. Lone Pine Sanctuary leaders initiated a collaborative project with the Queensland University of Technology, based their expertise in Early Childhood Education for Sustainability. The collaboration created a cross-disciplinary network between academics and students from Early Childhood Education and Design. We conclude that the Lone Pine Project is an example of ambitious goal setting in SE based on quality collaborations between multiple partners. Í greininni segjum við frá þróun verkefnis sem snýst um að koma á laggirnar leikskóla í dýragarðinum Lone Pine Koala, sem auk koalabjarna hýsir margar tegundir af villtum áströlskum dýrum. Leikskólinn mun starfa með sjálfbærni að leiðarljósi. Fyrsti höfundur greinarinnar heimsótti dýragarðinn í september 2014 og annar höfundur kynnti honum verkefnið. Í greininni ræðum við um mikilvægi sjálfbærnimenntunar og lýsum verkefninu og samstarfi starfsmanna í dýragarð- inum Lone Pine og Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Hugmyndir um fyrirhugaðan leikskóla byggja á hugmyndafræði Reggio Emilia þar sem allt samfélagið á að taka þátt í uppeldi barnanna og starfið byggir á styrkleikum og áhugamálum þeirra. Markmiðið er að nám barnanna í leikskólanum eflist með reynslu ...