By Erin Martins – GCBR Intern
Greening our early childhood spaces is about more than just making them pretty. It’s about creating safe, living classrooms where kids can connect with nature from day one.
Transforming the Grounds
GCBR’s Environmental Awareness team was joined by Anton Chevalier, a professional forester, for two mornings of work at Pikkewouter Daycare. Together they cleared invasive plants and planted indigenous species along the front of the school. This small team cleared a truck full of invasive plants.
Thanks to support from Hessequa Municipality, six large aloes were delivered to the site. In total, 83 indigenous plants and 2 trees were added to help beautify the area, support local biodiversity, and give children a living example of indigenous vegetation right at their entrance.
Why It Matters
Beyond the numbers, the project does three important things:
- Beautifies the space: A greener entrance makes the daycare more welcoming for kids, parents, and staff.
- Supports local ecology: Indigenous plants need less water and provide food and shelter for a variety of species.
- Teaches by example: Little ones now have indigenous plants to learn from, right outside their gate.
Small actions like this help create healthier environments for both people and nature. We’re looking forward to watching these plants grow, and to seeing the children grow with them.