Bush Kindy Australia provides personalised training, mentoring and support that is unique and tailored to the needs of your educator team and contextualised to your service program and setting.
The Bush Kindy Australia team have extensive knowledge and practical skills in nature pedagogy and “Bush Kindy”. They have been living and breathing this for most of their careers. Our team currently work in the industry in Bush Kindy programs and are well versed at navigating the legislative requirements, quality improvements systems and implementing best practice in education and care settings.
We are familiar faces – Bec, Anya, Alex and Rita and have been delivering training at Nature Play QLD, supporting educators to enrich their knowledge and skills to enrich children’s learning and wellbeing. We alongside other amazing outdoor educators will facilitate professional development and support your team.
Who we support:
Early Childhood settings
OSHC settings
Primary settings
Playgroup
Homeschool educators and groups
Nature Play and Bush Kindy private businesses
Community Organisations
WHY IS NATURE PLAY SO IMPORTANT?
Immersion in nature positively affects and supports our overall wellbeing. Nature is healing and soothing and spending more time outdoors benefits our physical and mental health.
Nature play gives space and time for connection to oneself and with others. It plays a powerful role in strengthening our family relationships.
Research provides substantial backing to the immense benefits that nature provides to children’s growth, development, learning and overall wellbeing. Not just for children, but also for parents and educators relationships alike.
Most significantly it allows children to connect with Mother Earth, learn more deeply about culture, the traditions, the ways of First Nations people and develop a real respect, understanding and appreciation of our Australian Indigenous culture. As children learn and play on land, they connect with country, they develop understandings that are only learnt through hands on experiential learning on land. The nature programs foster Environmental stewards in our children, inspiring a generation to protect and look after our country. This is vitally important in our world today.
WHY DOES NATURE PLAY MEAN SO MUCH TO OUR TEAM?
We want to give children back the childhood that is missing in todays society. Some of us can recall a time when every afternoon after school and all weekend we would head outdoors and spend endless hours immersed in free play.
Our imaginations ran wild as we created and constructed, making potions with leaves, petals and seedpods, making cubby houses with sticks and logs and rocks. We took on pretend roles, we collaborated with our fellow friends and created games. We set off on journeys exploring creeks and hills and bushland and discovering wildlife along the way. We climbed trees, we rode push bikes, we rolled down hills, we just had fun and pure delight. It is this joy from real meaningful play the reason why we can recall these happy memories with elation.
These memories are what we cherish, it’s what warms our heart, it’s how we learnt, how we grew. We want children of todays society to have more of these opportunities not less and that’s why we engage with educators to enhance their teaching approaches through Nature Pedagogy.
BUSH KINDY AUSTRALIA WORKSHOPS
Explore the principles and practice of Learning in Nature through Nature Pedagogy, the Forest School model: the history, ethos, approach, and the benefits for contemporary children.