Kindergartens grow winning sunflowers

Nelson Tasman kindergartens have been named among the best sunflower growers in the country.

Dalton's Sunflowers in Kindergartens Project named their winners at the end of last year from more than 235 kindergartens across the country.

Stoke's Birchwood Kindergarten took out the national prize for the overall best photograph of two of their three-year-old students.

Regionally, Grove Street Kindergarten claimed their sixth regional title of tallest sunflower, growing a 240cm monster.

Motueka’s Laura Ingram Kindergarten grew the sunflower with the widest head in the country with a diameter of 26cm.

The goal of the biennial project, which this year involved 866 kindy kids from the Nelson Tasman Kindergartens Association, is to create a platform for children to learn about gardening in a practical way.

They develop skills and a basic understanding of plants, through sowing seeds, growing seedlings, planting them out and daily care of their plants.

Lynette Cain from Birchwood Kindergarten said both the children and staff had great fun participating in the Project.

“Some of our children also took sunflowers home, to grow and share with their whanau.”

As for winning the best overall photo in the country, Lynette was “super proud" of the achievement, and the children’s ongoing support with the garden.

The Laura Ingram kaiako team said they loved growing the sunflowers.

"It was so exciting as our biggest one got bigger, bigger, bigger! It was even taller than the teachers.”

She said they were all so proud it was the widest sunflower not only in our region, but the country.

"What a magical maths lesson we had. Kia ora Papatūānuku and Daltons."