The physical environment of the day nursery needs to be aesthetic and thoroughly ‘penetrated’. The day nursery, like the archetypal home, is a reflection of the heavenly realm, awakening in the child a sense of well being, of coming home, and distant memories of the cosmic home, thereby supporting the child to maintain the ‘dreamy’ consciousness that is so much part of the child under three years.



It is surely every child’s right to grow up in a garden filled with flowers and herbs, vegetables and fruits, where they feel the grass under their feet and are surrounded by the beauty of nature’s creations. The awe of a sunflower towering above them, or the sound of mother hen chortling to her bevy of chickens, are experiences that can only enhance and strengthen the sense of  life as well as the child’s relationship to the natural world. The nursery’s environment, both inner and outer, offers a variety of possibilities for play and exploration.



The Awhina garden is managed bio-dynamically and the produce and fruit grown, regularly make their way into the kitchen.

If the day nursery is a home then there needs to be the possibility of different spaces. Little children
are better supported in small groups and therefore space is required to make this possible. Sleeping nurseries for infants, away from the centre of activity, the dining room and sitting room, provide different play spaces as well there is a space for art and craft activities. The kitchen, the very heart of the home has space for the children to ‘be’ at the bench safely. Awhina is a home and as such offers all that the home offers.