Bush Kindy Nature Inspired Experiences
Exploring the outdoors in our environmental yard is an integral part of our Bush Kindy, Nature Inspired program.
Our senses are used within our environment to gather and respond to information, which aids in our survival.
In addition to outdoor exploration play, we highlight natural materials as a monthly focus.
The month of July our nature inspired activities were focused around feathers;
- Painting with feathers as a tool (fine motor)
- Sticking feathers into playdough (sensory)
- Feather tug box (problem solving)
- Feather and nature sensory bin (sensory)
Sensory experiences are an integral component in the way children learn in the Little Fish room.
Exploring nature helps to support children’s understanding of the natural world.
Natural & Manmade Sensory Experience
For a contrast sensory experience we placed a mixture of natural and man made items in a recycled cardboard box and let them explore it in the environmental yard with real grass as their sensory platform.
The purpose was for the children to investigate the differences between their natural and the man-made environment.
Natural and open-ended resources allow the children to be creative and express themselves freely through play and use their imagination, unlike most built materials. For example, a block of wood can be used in play as a car, rocket or boat.
For our experiment the children identified the differences.
The different looks, textures, smells, weight, natural or artificial fibers and the overall feel. The children were most curious about the contrast of weight between a feather and a rock.
Our sensory box contained items like:
- Feathers;
- Artificial leaves;
- real leaves;
- Rocks;
- Pine Cones;
- Sea shells;
- Artificial grass;
- Bark; and
- Wood.
Nature play may help promote learning in children by improving their attention, levels of stress and self-discipline and overall give them an interest and enjoyment in learning.
Try this fun learning experience at home.
Until next month, that’s all from Miss Rachel, Miss Sabrina and the Little Fish( Jalumms)
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