Our preschool groups, part of a P–6 government‑run primary school, viewed this project as a fun and meaningful opportunity to incorporate the children’s ideas, thoughts and perspectives into our design. Teachers introduced the concept by explaining the project and briefly discussing sustainability. Together, we explored reducing, recycling and reusing, as well as how we can care for and protect the animals that share our environment. 

Children then looked through photographs of different scarecrows online. This sparked strong interest, discussion and enthusiasm, with children sharing ideas about what their scarecrow could look like. They were given opportunities to draw and represent their ideas, allowing them to communicate their thinking about the design. 

Over the following week, interested children worked alongside Educators to search through our shed and explore the preschool environment for materials that could be reused. This encouraged creative thinking about how everyday objects could be given a new purpose. 

Children suggested many imaginative ideas, including using a flat ball for the scarecrow’s head, pots for arms, seeds for eyebrows and a stick for the mouth. They also proposed incorporating plants that would attract butterflies and bees, linking their design to caring for living things.