At The Yellow Cottage, we believe childhood is precious and that an important part of childhood is being outside in nature. We know that children need more time outside in nature which is a concept supported by research, which is why we started Bush Kindy a number of years ago.
And what a fabulous time we have been having on our Bush Kindy days! The excitement for our adventures to Bush Kindy is evident as the children arrive on these days. A day at Bush Kindy is one that certainly requires the children to put many of their character strengths into action; we talked about the value of being part of the team, being curious about our environment, perhaps being brave for some and also knowing when to use some self regulation as we explored the bush.
Each year when we visit Bush Kindy, we are aware that we are taking children out of their comfort zone and pushing them to be brave, to persevere and to experience something that may certainly challenge them, all of which builds on their resilience and their sense of achievement!
We have noticed in the past that there are children who are just very keen to get to the top, while there are others who we need to patiently wait for as they stop to notice every single flower, no matter how tiny, the different leaves on trees and bushes, the smells of the bush, the colours in the rocks and birds we can hear. We also have children who are quite unsure about the uncertainty of a challenging walk, the feelings of being scared and having to really dig deep to find their Bravery, Perseverance and Hope to keep going.
No matter where your child sits in their capabilities with an experience such as Bush Kindy, each and every child has been outstanding in their achievements, and we are so very proud of them!
When we set of on our adventures everyone managed the first part of the track with so many smiles! It was truly amazing to hear their comments as they noticed the little things around them; they loved looking for the Look out signs along the way, they noticed the different plants, they spotted plenty of poo (wallaby or wombat, they couldn’t quite agree, but there was lots!!), they found tiny coloured flowers, plenty of sticks, rocks and moss!
It was also wonderful to hear when they reached out to a friend who perhaps needed help or encouragement, they gently supported their friends with where to step, where to hold on or how to get up a particular part of the path. There were some places where we did experience the challenge of a slippery path, bigger steps, scratchy bushes, then the squashy climb down the eye of the needle and having to climb over or under a fallen branch; however each and every child did such a fantastic job of managing the challenges and finding the perseverance to keep going.