In New Zealand, Kindergartens are for children who have not yet entered primary schools.  Most Kindergarten programs are moving away from half day programs to full day programs.  Mangere Bridge Kindergarten, outside of Auckland, is in the midst of this transition.  I had a chance to visit Mangere Bridge Kindergarten recently and was impressed by how they use their outside spaces for learning.  Hopefully, the photos will give a sense of some of the possibilities.  One of the ECE’s informed me that most equipment is placed in a different position outdoors every day.

The older Kindergarten students visit a local farm once per week.  They arrive at the site, rain or shine, and then walk across this educational farm and make their way back to their Kindergarten.  This experience was inspired by the forest preschool model that exists in northern Europe.