About Us
About the Founders.
Tara and Naomi are sisters, who grew up on a Waikato dairy farm. Although neither were avid farming enthusiasts, they both appreciate their outdoor, nature-based upbringing. When Naomi had her first child, she wasn’t keen for him to go outside, because she didn’t want to contend with stained clothing in the wash. Two more boys and seven years at Playcentre later, and her washing pile is never-ending. “I’ve given up on clean clothes”, she says. “As long as the boys are clean in their pyjamas, I’m happy.”
Tara
Tara trained as a primary teacher, so had more realistic expectations when her own children arrived. “I wanted my daughter to enjoy getting dirty with animals, like I did”, she says. She experienced the vast differences between urban and rural school settings in her early years as a teacher, and wanted to bring nature-based play activities to all children.
Naomi
The global pandemic fuelled Naomi’s passion to develop STEM Curiosity. “Now more than ever, we need children to feel grounded with the earth,” she says. “Yet, so many children see soil as being ‘yucky’.” The Sensory Science programme helps change that perception and a teacher’s guide to cultivate STEM Curiosity in the classroom provides a resource for the schools to help extend the learning.
