Nature Explorers is an educational program aims to reconnect children with our ever changing environment, while creating a base of knowledge surrounding the importance of community and sustainability. This is a program available to all the children in the community, aged 3 to 5. We currently offer 2 sessions a week in this program: Tuesdays and Wednesdays

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Nature Explorers program is different every day and that is because it is a child led curriculum. Educators are responsive to children’s interests and extend children’s learning 

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Each day may include opportunities such as:

 

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•  Children engage in physical play and movement

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                   Walking to site, running across the dunes, balancing on logs, digging holes in the sand, constructing and building                                        cubbies and shelters. Each activity involves skill development and learning as the children build muscles and co-ordination.

 

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• Children draw on nature to be creative every day

 

                   Whether that is making 3d sculptures from sticks, leaves, bark and flowers, or creating drawings in the sand or mud.                                      They often use our clipboards to plan designs or document their creations, maps or signs. The children engage in early                                             literacy experiences as they do with numeracy as they measure the height of trees, the length of logs, or count the                                         berries they collect.

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•  Educators support children to develop safe practice as they engage in bushcraft

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                   Using tools to cut, saw, chop, whittle, or carve in natural logs. The children practice a range of knot tying and use these                                               skills to construct swings, ladders, and shelters.

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•  The children develop a sense of respect and care for their natural world

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                   The children express wonder and interest in discovering a trail of ants, a shiny bug, a spider egg sac, a cocoon or an ibis or                                       bush turkey that may wander onto site, and the water dragon is a popular visitor. They are curious, which leads them                                     to engage in discussion with others about their discoveries, they inquire and look at resource books to increase their                                    knowledge of our local flora and fauna. They develop and awareness of the impact of human activity on the                                                        environment and the interdependence of living things.

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• The children develop strong connections within the community

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                The children contribute through local programs of rubbish collecting, weeding, dune care, planting and nature research. The                                   sustainable practices allow children to feel a great sense of pride looking after their home town and they develop life                                   long skills.

 

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•  And then there are stories, songs, music, games, imagination, the list goes on

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                …its endless… Every day children at Nature Explorers develop life skills and a love and respect for the natural world.