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The Bush Kinder program started in 2021 with children attending Heathland Sanctuary, a beautiful open space right on Cheltenham’s doorstep featuring plenty of flora and fauna that call this area home.
To get to the program, the children and Educators can walk from the service but they have also taken the bus which allows children to understand road safety, stranger danger and how the transport system works. They enjoy either way of getting to the program because they find joy in learning more about their community.
Once they arrive, children are free to explore natural elements of the land including Australian native plants, trees birds and insects.
They use the bush to play and create their campfires and make Indigenous art on the ground. Educators encourage risky play by allowing children to explore and climb trees. The kids also love the viewing deck which allows them to have an exquisite, birds eye view of the areas they have walked and played.
As children explore the environment, lots of discussion takes place, like how we look after the plants (for example, we never take leaves/branches off the trees but anything we find on the floor we can), how keeping our land clean and free from litter is important and the many different habitats animals may live in.
It’s wonderful to see the children transferring their Bush Kinder ideas into the classroom where they’ve been spotted creating crafts using natural resources straight from the bush.
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For information regarding our childcare and kindergarten service go to: Kids House Early Learning Cheltenham
