Evernews

There is something truly special about watching a child carefully place a tiny seedling into the earth. It’s a simple moment, but one filled with curiosity, responsibility and hope.

This week, our children at Everlearn Preschool Clovelly were fortunate to experience exactly that as we welcomed Planet Ark and the beloved Tree of Wisdom from The Wiggles for a very special National Tree Day celebration.

Everlearn was incredibly proud to be selected as the host venue for the event, having been recommended by the City of Sydney, who described our outdoor environment as “the best nature play space in all of Sydney.” It was wonderful recognition of something we have always believed: children thrive when they have meaningful opportunities to connect with nature every day.

The visit formed part of Planet Ark’s National Tree Day celebrations and a new initiative encouraging Australian families to leave a positive environmental legacy through tree planting. While the event helped launch this nationwide campaign, for us the focus was much closer to home: creating a memorable learning experience that inspired children to care for the world around them.

Throughout the morning, children planted Australian native seedlings, met the Tree of Wisdom, danced, laughed and took part in a beautiful “Promise Leaf” activity. Each child was invited to draw or write a promise describing one way they could help care for our planet, encouraging thoughtful conversations about kindness, responsibility and the small actions that can make a big difference.

Perhaps the greatest gift of the day was that the learning didn’t end when our special visitors left.

Planet Ark generously donated additional native seedlings, children’s gardening tools, gloves, watering cans and educational resources, allowing every child to continue planting throughout the day and giving us the opportunity to care for our growing garden together in the weeks, months and years ahead.

Learning that grows beyond the classroom

At Everlearn, nature isn’t simply a backdrop for play. It is one of our most important teachers.

Experiences like these closely reflect the principles of the Early Years Learning Framework, where children learn best through hands-on, meaningful experiences that connect them with their world.

As children dug, planted, watered and cared for living plants, they developed an understanding of sustainability and their responsibility for the environment, supporting Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world. They discovered that even small actions, when shared by many people, can create lasting positive change.

Working together in the garden also strengthened children’s confidence, resilience and wellbeing, aligning with Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing. Gardening encourages patience, persistence, cooperation and mindfulness while providing children with opportunities to slow down, observe and engage all of their senses.

The experience also fostered curiosity and inquiry, supporting Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners. Children explored different plants, asked questions, observed living things and began developing an appreciation of the interconnected relationships between people, plants and the natural environment.

Growing a community that cares

National Tree Day has always been about much more than planting trees. For 30 years, it has brought communities together to care for the places we all share.

That spirit was reflected throughout the day at Everlearn. Families, educators and community partners came together to create an experience that reminded our children they are already capable of making a positive contribution to the world around them.

The seedlings planted this week will continue to grow in our gardens, but so too will the conversations they inspired about caring for nature, working together and leaving the world a little better than we found it.

We extend our sincere thanks to Planet Ark, The Wiggles and everyone who helped make this experience possible. Most of all, we thank our wonderful children, whose enthusiasm, curiosity and care reminded us that the best time to nurture environmental stewardship is from the very beginning.

Because when children learn to care for nature, they also learn to care for each other, their community and the future we all share.