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
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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 con

nection 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.

AFTERSCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAMME WEDNESDAY WEEK 9 TERM 2 2026Chiseling out the inside of a piece of cherry wood is a wond...
18/06/2026

AFTERSCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAMME WEDNESDAY WEEK 9 TERM 2 2026

Chiseling out the inside of a piece of cherry wood is a wonderful unwind, and gives everyone a chance to just sit and breath in. The groups are so quiet when they are doing this, and the children are experimenting with the many types of chisels that we have on offer. Some of them are also peeling the outer bark off.
Our new duck pond is also super fun, and we are loving it just as much as the ducks.

Great projects this term. 👏

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME THURSDAY WEEK 9 TERM 2 2026As children and youth were arriving everyone witnessed an am...
18/06/2026

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME THURSDAY WEEK 9 TERM 2 2026

As children and youth were arriving everyone witnessed an amazing act of kindness, one of our older youth goes to art classes on Fridays and often brings art to share. This morning a friend brought a handmade book for him. It was very moving for everyone.
At feeding time Nik had 3 children, and Bella had 3, and they all went into horses for feeding, then after morning tea they all took their covers off. It was impressive watching Nacho roll right in front of us.
The new thing today for everyone to see was the duck pond, and everyone loved watching the ducks swimming and splashing. Some of them when standing on the side of the pond were just falling in. It was hilarious.

Lunch today was Thai pumpkin soup, and the red curry paste made it so tasty. Buns were made to go with this. From one child "Yum, tastes just like the curry my dad makes"
Our next adventure was after lunch where we went down to the end of the farm to see Dyson. A child had trapped a rat overnight, and brought it this morning to feed to the eels.😋It was delicious and she took some of it into her home under the hanging grasses. We did some exploring, climbed and ran up the picnic rock, then walked back to the woolshed. These long walks provide space for wonderful conversations among one another. There is fantastic comradery with this group.

Thank you everyone, such an awesome day. 🌿

AFTERSCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAMME / JUNIOR HORSEMANSHIP WEDNESDAY WEEK 9 TERM 2 2026Some of our Afterschool children are l...
17/06/2026

AFTERSCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAMME / JUNIOR HORSEMANSHIP WEDNESDAY WEEK 9 TERM 2 2026

Some of our Afterschool children are loving doing horsemanship, and to see them using the reins by themselves was wonderful. They are gaining so much confidence and trust. The horse is also reflecting this back.

Sticks had also been worked on, and a walk to explore the river was fun as P**i our dog ran here and there sniffing out water rat burrows. Chickens were fed and eggs gathered, ending a super afternoon.

Thank you everyone.

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME WEDNESDAY WEEK 9 TERM 2 2026Today was exceptional, and a project that we have been work...
17/06/2026

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME WEDNESDAY WEEK 9 TERM 2 2026

Today was exceptional, and a project that we have been working on for all of this term was finally completed.
It started with the children opening a huge box that had come in the mail. It was the liner for our pond. 👏💕 So exciting. We also had a wonderful gift of persimmons, which the children washed and ate for morning tea.

After our snack we did more digging of the pond as it was decided that one end should be deeper. We also had to move all the soil and bricks from around the edges as the liner would be expanding out over the edge of the pool.
Soon the liner was in place and the pool was being filled with water. Bricks and rocks were placed around and our pond plant was installed. The children also made an area with larger pavers where the ducks would enter the pond and exit.
Lunch was a welcome break and was miso soup made over hot coals in our umu, and fresh buns were made to go with this. Yum.
Soon we were back into pond work and the pool was filled right to the top. We packed our tools away and let the ducks out.!!! They were quite inquisitive, but not too keen to go near just yet.
As it was only 2pm we walked down to the bridge to explore the nests where we know water rats are living, poking a stick down through some grass one dropped to the river but swam so quickly with the current P**i could not see it to catch it.
Back at the woolshed, and we saw the ducks had indeed found the water and all but one duck had been in the pond. They were hopping in and out, splashing, and it was truly wonderful to see how rewarding a project could be. WELL DONE EVERYONE. 💕👏👏👏

AFTERSCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAMME TUESDAY WEEK 9 TERM 2 2026Some parts of the river are so beautiful this time of the year...
16/06/2026

AFTERSCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAMME TUESDAY WEEK 9 TERM 2 2026

Some parts of the river are so beautiful this time of the year, and down at the end of the farm at the crossing the water was an exceptional colour today. Dyson also came to see us, and we new it was her as she almost came right out of the water, allowing us to stroke her back.
Navigating crossings were tricky for some who were in trainers, and among the rocks we found the jaw of a goat with its teeth very intact.
On the way back to the woolshed we stopped at the bees and collected beeswax that had been scattered around the hives by the bee keepers on there last visit.
At the woolshed there was then time to feed the ducks, and as we were outside, the sun then left us and the mist rose and rolled in till it was all around us. Such a beautiful ending to the day. ❤

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME TUESDAY WEEK 9 TERM 2 2026Over the Autumn we have been slowly collecting seeds from dif...
16/06/2026

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME TUESDAY WEEK 9 TERM 2 2026

Over the Autumn we have been slowly collecting seeds from different plants, and some of them are ready to store then we will scatter them in spring. We looked at dried celosia flowers, and found they contained hundreds of seeds.
At feeding time the children observed some new alterations to the smaller chicken cage. A new back door. 👏

After morning tea we gathered 2 tightly packed wheelbarrow loads of leaves that were under the plain tree and these formed a nice dry layer on our long compost. Once the wheelbarrows were empty, we found lots of springtails jumping around, so we caught them for our frog enclosure. We then found our insect book and looked them up. Some species in NZ are blind, and they are wingless, using their tails to jump. New Zealand also has the largest species of these creatures in the world. Next we walked around the garden and found more, then when we looked in the worm farm we found a huge wolf spider. Impressive and scary for some.
Lunch was individual pizzas, then we walked down to the river. There were no sign of any pests today, and for 2 students who are new this term it was a wonderful explore, with gumboots full of water the experience was even better. 😆

We were back at the woolshed to have a few round of our great game, bagatelle before home time. 2 of our children were very good at adding up all the scores.

An amazing day. Thank you everyone, and to Savanna who volunteers with us today.

AFTERSCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAMME MONDAY WEEK 8 TERM 2 2026Such a fantastic afternoon for the beginning of the week.We wen...
15/06/2026

AFTERSCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAMME MONDAY WEEK 8 TERM 2 2026

Such a fantastic afternoon for the beginning of the week.
We went down the farm to retrieve a sheet of roofing iron that had been found in the bush from the tornado. This came from the roof of the implement shed far away. The children viewed the tall trees that the wind must have lifted it over before dropping it down. Everyone helped to lift it to the gate and an easier place where Kevin could retrieve it with the tractor. We also spent some time in the Ghost Trees exploring, leaving sticks against the Tree which would best protect them from the ponga people.
As we walk around the farm we have P**i on her lead, however we took it off at the bridge, and within 2 minutes she had, with her keen nose, found a home of a family of water rats. First she had a small one, then she found the mum, which was huge. Once dispatched she let it go on the beach so we could observe it, then we nudged it into the water to float down the stream and become an amazing dinner for an eel. These rats are mostly Norway rats, and can swim over 1km in the water. They are a pest in our waterways being a severe threat to our ground nesting water birds, eating eggs and chicks.
Walking back the sunset was beautiful and we were back at the woolshed in time to watch Heidi and Eden feed the horses.

Thank you everyone, wonderful learning and fun.💕

WONDERFUL HORSEMANSHIP Happens on Saturdays during the school term.SLOTS are AVAILABLE !!!! Enquiries welcome for Term 3...
13/06/2026

WONDERFUL HORSEMANSHIP Happens on Saturdays during the school term.
SLOTS are AVAILABLE !!!! Enquiries welcome for Term 3.

All inquiries to [email protected]

AFTERSCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAMME THURSDAY WEEK 8 TERM 2 2026Nik not only bent a chisel today, he also showed the children...
11/06/2026

AFTERSCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAMME THURSDAY WEEK 8 TERM 2 2026

Nik not only bent a chisel today, he also showed the children how he could bend a weathered branch without it snapping.
It was such a fabulous afternoon. The students in the day programme had been using the fire pit. Could their still be some embers the children wondered, as it felt warm. It did not take long to find them, and some paper and pieces of an egg carton were put on. Soon some wind brought some oxygen, and their was a flicker of a flame Quickly the children made small bundles of dried manuka, and this made the fire really flare. Next were sticks, and soon timber was being cut with saws. The fire was so cosy and colourful, magical and full of small surprises. 👏💕

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME THURSDAY WEEK 8 TERM 2 2026Today was a day when lots of small things just filled ones c...
11/06/2026

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME THURSDAY WEEK 8 TERM 2 2026

Today was a day when lots of small things just filled ones cup and one of those was being out in the cold this morning and finding a perfect ice crystal. It just made everyone feel wow, Nature is so beautiful.
Woodworking was continued after morning tea, and Nik had a student out at the horses. All the covers were taken off, then Kilti rolled. 😆Being filthy they brought her in and she was pampered which she absolutely loved.
Meanwhile the rest of the group managed to rekindle a fire from yesterday. This took time but was truly magic. Rice risotto was made over hot coals, and because we wanted to be inclusive of everyone, the bacon was cooked on separate coals.
In the afternoon we walked down the clay path and on the way removed some moth plant and its pods. This is a very invasive pest plant. Next we were just up from the ghost trees, and some of the older children / youth removed a lengthy piece of roofing iron that was in the bush from the tornado, this was picked up from the hay shed, so would have been taken quite high by the tornado.
There was some exploration and rest n the Ghost trees, then back to the woolshed where there was time for a child to finally do some burning on her devils stick.

Thank you everyone. ❤️

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

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