Grow, Eat, Rest

At My Treehut our focus is on the whole tamaiti. What your tamaiti eats impacts on how they feel, grow and think. At My Treehut tamariki enjoy being involved in growing, preparing and eating delicious kai.

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A group of young children holding hands walks along a sidewalk with a crossing guard wearing an orange safety vest.

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Grow

Encouraging tamariki to be involved in growing food is a great way to encourage healthy eating and sustainability. We love to see tamariki involved in preparing their own kai.

At My Treehut we are actively involved in our vege patch. We are all very excited when we see our new seedlings starting to grow! We plant, water, feed, weed, pick and eat our own vegetables and herbs. Not only is gardening messy, fun and productive, it provides multiple learning opportunities for everyone – our kaiako included. We are busy learning about what to plant where and when. and who likes to be planted next to whom. When the veges have matured, it is an exciting time, after weeks of waiting, to harvest and bring inside.

Everything has a place at My Treehut. Some of our food scraps go to local piggies, some go to our worm farm, and we compost the rest. This compost and the juice from our worm farm help grow our delicious vegetables and herbs which we then use in our kitchen.

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Children sitting at a dinner table, with a boy in the center spreading chocolate on bread, and a girl on the right eating bread.

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Eat

We provide all food for tamariki throughout their day at My Treehut. We prepare all meals on site using fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, and where possible free range and organic ingredients. We source the majority of our ingredients locally – misfit garden fruit and vegetables, our local butcher down the road, and of course from our very own vege patch and that of whānau. We love our whenua kai pantry where our whānau can leave excess produce from work or home.

The children are encouraged to be part of the food preparation – whether this be in the vege patch, in the kitchen, setting the table or chatting with our cook.

The foods prepared are varied and from a variety of different cultures. Mealtimes are an important part of life at My Treehut. Before each meal time we bless our food by saying our kai karakia. Kaiako sit and eat with tamariki, providing encouragement to try new foods. Manners are a big focus. It is a time for sharing and talking about what we have been up to at my Treehut and at home.

We cater for a variety of dietary requirements but also feel that moderation is key – our children are busy and active all day so may need a little bit more by way of a homemade biscuit.

Our menus are written up weekly and are on display by the kitchen.

Sample Menu

Available daily: Freshly baked morning and afternoon teas, fresh fruits and purified water

Monday: Pasta with homemade blended vege sauce

Tuesday: Chicken Noodle Soup

Wednesday: Sweet and Sour pork with rice

Thursday: Shepherds Pie

Friday: Picnic lunch of sandwiches and cooked veges

Children sitting around a large dining table, eating food, with a woman serving snacks, in a room with wall decorations and large windows showing outdoor greenery.

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Children and a woman gathered around an outdoor picnic table having a snack in a wooded park.

Rest

Wouldn’t it be nice to put your feet up and rest after a delicious home cooked lunch? That’s what the children at My Treehut can choose to do every day in our Ngahere Room library. We have a great couch, beanbags and cushions alongside our wonderful book collection, and this room is a dedicated quiet reading nook. The exception is when tamariki are getting ready for or returning from their ngahere outings twice a week.

The day of a preschooler is a busy one, especially when playing and learning with friends, so rest time is an important time for us at My Treehut. This is a time for the children to recharge their batteries, digest their delicious food and prepare for a fun packed afternoon.

The younger tamariki can head into the Snug where they have a sleep, or a quiet rest on a mattress. We consult with whānau about their child’s sleep needs and tamaiti are welcome to bring a comforter if needed.