Teacher in the Paddock

Teacher in the Paddock A living 'hands-on' classroom for children to connect with nature, food, the animal world, and themselves
(1)

Teacher in the Paddock is a charity operated by Kevin Powell a primary teacher, and Jane, gardening guru who shares their wealth of knowledge about food. We host school groups, kindergarten children and early childhood centers, where they experience the wonder of milking our house cows, feeding chickens and learning about composting, worm farming and growing our food. Our aim is to foster the connection we feel to nature through understanding where our food comes from and what it does to us. We also host workshops in topics such as culturing, fermenting, cheese-making and other life giving foods.

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME FRIDAY WEEK 2 2026As everyone was arriving to the woolshed a small group of children ...
09/10/2026

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME FRIDAY WEEK 2 2026

As everyone was arriving to the woolshed a small group of children were playing with Louis and a piece of wool. Louis the woolshed cat loves to see all the children in the morning, but this morning he was so full from eating mice in the night that he was unphased by it all. 😂
Our horses were fed first this morning, and new children were introduced to them as they would be riding them after morning tea.
Sticks were whittled, friends strengthened there friendships, and we had some amazing helpers today.
Yesterday we had a fire and today would build another. Our fire warden managed to get the fire going from yesterdays embers. This the other children thought was impossible. Then with a lid making oxygen the fire was soon roaring and more wood had to be put quickly on. Bread was individually made and a sausage was cooked on a stick. Yum. Naked Meats do the best sausages.
For the afternoon we walked to a new area of bush where we are clearing pest trees, and will plant more natives. The children also found a lot of rubbish and explored small caves.
Wonderful mahi, and nice to be in the cool canopy that native bush offers.

Thank you so much everyone. Such a super day for the last day of the school holidays. 💕🐎👍👏😋😆

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME THURSDAY WEEK 2 2026This morning 2 more ship rats were caught with our vector traps. ...
08/10/2026

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME THURSDAY WEEK 2 2026

This morning 2 more ship rats were caught with our vector traps. They were a female and male. We had a great discussion about why these rodents are pests. After observing them we put them in a container to take later to the eels. 😋
All our animals were fed, then the children and youth had morning tea. It was great to see many lunchboxes that were plastic free.
Sticks were worked on, and some were finished which will go home today and tomorrow.
Riding was sooo good today, and Addi hopped on Jacko and rode him around beside the children. This was wonderful socialising for him, and some children groomed him as well.
Lunch was rice risotto, and this we make in our potjie pot over coals. Our fire warden had 2 excellent helpers, and soon a very good fire was underway. It was also super hot. Another group was wood chopping while others cut up shallots and greens from the garden. So delicious with 2 girls at the end scraping the pot till it was clean.
The afternoon activity was a long walk down to Dysons Bay. Here we managed to call 2 eels, who found our rats so delicious that they swallowed them whole. A super show for everyone.
Clay and special sedimentary rocks were found, and pongas were cleared from the water to make a small swimming hole. Hats were filled with water and soon many children were wet.
Kevin came with the trailer to collect everyone, and everyone warmed up in the sun on the way back.
Thank you to all our volunteers today, and well done Addi who is learning to step up into bigger roles. ☺💕🐎👍

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME WEDNESDAY WEEK 2 2026It was a super start to the day as we had ship rats in both trap...
07/10/2026

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME WEDNESDAY WEEK 2 2026

It was a super start to the day as we had ship rats in both traps that the children had set yesterday. 1 female and 1 male. 3 traps were then set by our trapping crew. Such a wonderful team effort from these 2 friends who went through all the stages talking to all the onlookers.
Franklyn our terrapin also came out today and he showed the children how all his scoots are coming off his back. He is getting ready for a clean.

After morning tea their was lots of stick whittling with the new children and regulars are graduating to doing a staff. Both Kilti Star and Dinky were out for riding. A pesty rat was also eating from the duck bowl. In the daylight!!! The children were fixated.

Lunch was the most amazing pizza out, then we walked up the hillside paddock for more exploring. The children identified pest trees which they put a piece of wool around, then those that were smaller we cut down and they will be pasted later. Back at the woolshed we have some natives that the children have grown, and these will be transplanted up in this area.

A fabulous day. Thank you everyone, and thank you to all our volunteers, who the children all love, ☺️💕

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME TUESDAY WEEK 2 2026Wonderful friends have been made these holidays, and friends from ...
06/10/2026

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME TUESDAY WEEK 2 2026

Wonderful friends have been made these holidays, and friends from last week loved to catch up again this week.

Horse riding was loved by everyone after morning tea, and sticks were worked on.

Tuesday is stone soup over the fire, and this is a favourite. A super fire was built, and the tinder was all the bracken used to store our kumara. The children also made bread to have with the soup.

In the afternoon making a wonderful line we walked up the hillside by the forestry road. In the grassy tufts we found their were lots of brown skinks. P**i was the first to alert us of them. With the warmth we explored the small patch of bush at the end, it is so beautiful in this area. We took 2 taiwanese cherry trees out, and cut some woolly nightshade. Both pest plants.

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME MONDAY WEEK 2 2026YAY, it was wonderful to see afterschool programme children at Teac...
05/10/2026

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME MONDAY WEEK 2 2026

YAY, it was wonderful to see afterschool programme children at Teacher in the Paddock today. These children only get 2 hours afterschool, so to experience a whole lot more, and see more of the farm made for a fabulous day.

At feeding time in the morning it was great to see Nacho sharing hay with Jacko. These 2 are becoming firm friends.
Today our focus was on Co operation, teamwork which created some wonderful friendships. Children who are regulars were so good at helping new children, and some of our volunteers did an awesome job too, helping those who were a little shy.
Horse riding happened in the morning, and many children were delighted to work on sticks.

Lunch on Mondays is handmade pasta. YUM. And eating outside in the warmth of the sun was super.
We then walked down to the end of the farm and found an eel, 'Little One' at Dysons Bay. It happily came right up to us. Children did rockhounding finding smooth clay, and obsidian. They also cleared a section of the river where rubbish had made a small dam. Great teamwork from this group today.
The best part of the afternoon was having a ride back on the trailer behind the tractor.

Thank you everyone. A fabulous Monday.!!!!👏

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME FRIDAY WEEK 1 2026The last day of programme for week 1 and so many new smiling faces...
04/10/2026

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME FRIDAY WEEK 1 2026

The last day of programme for week 1 and so many new smiling faces. This equaled new friends for some of our regulars even if it was just for 1 day. 😀
It all started with macadamia nut cracking inside the woolshed as everyone was arriving. Others did art, or made instant friend looking at a book together.

After our morning circle where we welcome everyone, we then fed all our animals who have been waiting patiently. The children then have there morning tea, and we moved on into our activity sessions. Their was wood to prepare for a fire, sticks and tinder to be collected, horses to ride, and 2 boys were called S and L construction. With their team they cleared an area, then put bricks down making an area for the food buckets. Well done!!!
Soon a great fire had burnt away to lovely embers and the children and youth cooked a sausage on a stick. So good and a second one was being cooked on the barbecue. A great lunch.

For the afternoon we then went down the farm to the Ghost Trees. One child is making a structure down there, others are building a bridge, there was plenty of exploring and thick black mud that the children have called dragons blood was too hard to resist.

A big thank you to our big people this week. You are awesome, it was such a super day.👏

SPRING HOLIDAY PROGRAMME THURSDAY WEEK 1 2026Welcoming new children is always so good at our morning circle. It gives ot...
01/10/2026

SPRING HOLIDAY PROGRAMME THURSDAY WEEK 1 2026

Welcoming new children is always so good at our morning circle. It gives others the opportunity to think about friendship, eyes light up, and suddenly those who may be a bit shy feel the warmth of the group.
All our animals were fed, and this can take up to 40 minutes. There are many questions asked and also to answer, as children learn all the differences between ducks and chickens, or the feeding of the cows and the horses. The children learn the daily routines of living on a farm.

After morning tea children and youth were in groups and they had to find tinder in order to make a fire. It was also great to clean up each side of the driveway.
All the sticks and branches were sorted, then the fire building began.
Lighting the fire was also an art that needed the perfect little nest, and a lot of concentration. Soon a roaring fire was underway along with a great fire warden who helped keep things safe around the fire. In and around all of this the children also did some horse riding, and picked up some good barrow loads of poo.
In our potjie pot over the fire we made pumpkin rice risotto. Yum, and with grated cheese on top it was even yummier. The bowl was scrapped clean.

For the afternoon we walked up the hillside paddock. Here some cherry trees are being taken down. These Taiwanese cherries are a pest, and we saw all the berries that can spread through our native bush. These trees however have amazing branches that are great for whittling, so we carried armfuls of it back. Some quite heavy. One too heavy so it was rolled down the hill.

Thank you everyone, it was such fun, with heaps of learning along the way. 👍👏💕😋🐎🐴

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME WEDNESDAY WEEK 1 2026As we weave friendship through our programme, it is wonderful at...
30/09/2026

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME WEDNESDAY WEEK 1 2026

As we weave friendship through our programme, it is wonderful at morning circle to hear what the different children have to say about being a good friend. Younger children have words like 'thoughtful' and 'respectful', and older ones love the idea of a friend being someone they can say anything to, and someone they can turn too.
After morning tea Ella arrived for riding, and it was wonderful to see children connect to our horses. We had so many helpers today.

Lunch was Pizza. 😋and it was super to sit in the warm sunshine outside.
Then for the afternoon we walked all the way to the end of the farm where we found eels in the river. Dysons Bay is there most protected spot.
The children identified so many birds today, and as we walked the younger ones did so well at navigating mud, and wet areas and some navigated the river placing stones so they could get across without getting shoes wet, 👍

Thank you to our big people for all your caring today, all the children love you.

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME TUESDAY WEEK 1 2026 It was so great to see children from yesterday arrive full of exc...
29/09/2026

SPRING HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME TUESDAY WEEK 1 2026

It was so great to see children from yesterday arrive full of excitement, and wondering what they might be doing today. We wait till everyone is here then we have a morning circle. This is where we welcome everyone and introduce ourselves. We also talked about how to be a good friend and what a good friend might look like. Such a wonderful start to our day.

All the animals were fed, then the children had there morning tea.
Activity time, and sticks for whittling and sanding came out. We also prepared wood for a fire, and soon this was lit and was burning away. Horses were ridden, and a few people had a go at milking Awhi with Kevin.
Our lunch on Tuesdays is Stone Soup. ' Soup from a stone, fancy that'. All the vegetables were cut up, the story was told, and soon our potjie pot was bubbling away. Everyone also made a bun to make with this.

In the afternoon there was a huge walk all the way to the top of the farm. We observed alpacas, and other animals, gathered some macadamias, then ended up in the Ghost Trees where the children explored, found mud, and repaired some bridges.

Thank you everyone, it was a tremendous day. 👏👍😆

Address

316 Waitao Road, Welcome Bay
Tauranga
3175

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+64274058209

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Teacher in the Paddock posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category