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
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
Each day may include opportunities such as:
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Children engage in physical play and movement
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
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
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
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
…its endless… Every day children at Nature Explorers develop life skills and a love and respect for the natural world.


