In 2018, Ellie V Pullin Preschool introduced 3 hours of supervised uninterrupted play in the bush for our  four year old groups, using what nature has provided as learning materials.  Children are natural learners. Bush Kinder provides children with the time and an ideal environment for them to learn in.  They will have the opportunity to play in the rain, roll down grassy mounds, balance along fallen logs, get involved in dramatic play, find insects and draw with sticks in the ground. The opportunities for children to construct their own learning are endless. Each child’s developmental progression, advancing skill levels and particular interests will be noted by their teachers. The teachers will use this knowledge to support the children’s learning just as they do during normal sessions at kinder.

Research has shown that benefits of Bush Kinder include:

• Increased confidence, motivation and concentration

• Increased social, physical and language skills

• Deeper conceptual understandings and respect for the natural environment

• Increased social and imaginative play

• More varied risk-taking behaviours and positive dispositions towards risk and challenge

​

What happens in a Bush Kinder session? 
During a Bush Kinder session, children will be given the chance to engage in unstructured, free play. This gives children the opportunity to explore the environment at their own pace and uncover the many wonders of the Bush Kinder site.  Children will be involved in some intentional teaching during their time at Bush Kinder.  Teachers will actively promote children’s learning through worthwhile and challenging experiences and interactions that foster high-level thinking skills. They use strategies such as modelling and demonstrating, open questioning, speculating, explaining, engaging in shared thinking and problem solving to extend children’s thinking and learning.  This can encourage new interests to form for children, and assists those children who are unsure within the Bush Kinder setting.