Thanks to the support of the Bayside Health Peninsula – Health Promotion Team, the delivery of a Vegepod has sparked a green revolution in the toddler room at Explorers Early Learning in Frankston North.
Traditional veggie gardens in early learning settings often face a unique challenge: enthusiastic young gardeners who love to touch, dig, and explore – sometimes a little too much, can make veggie growing hard!
Michelle, centre director noted “With traditional veggie gardens, nothing has the chance to grow in our four-year-old room.” Enter the Vegepod: a raised, self-watering garden bed with a protective cover that allows children to observe and care for plants without disturbing their growth. Placed in the toddler room, the Vegepod became a quiet sanctuary for seedlings and sprouts, offering children a chance to peek inside, water the plants, and learn about the life cycle of vegetables in a less touchy way.
The Vegepod has now inspired the entire centre to think more sustainably. Michelle shared, “We’re now creating a whole sustainable veggie garden, and through selling the worm wee, we can buy more equipment. Thinking chickens.” The ripple effect of the Vegepod has turned sustainability into a centre-wide movement, empowering children to take ownership of their environment and understand the value of caring for the earth.
The Health Promotion team support early childhood services in areas such as:
- Nourishing food and drink
- Food and body talk
- Mental wellbeing
- Tobacco and vaping prevention
- Physical activity and movement
To learn more about the support they can provide, contact healthpromotion@phcn.vic.gov.au
