AFSA Approved Provider: Bribie Island Community Kindergarten
Bribie Island Community Kindergarten (BICK) began its journey of venturing beyond our fence line in 2016. The program began with an Action Research Project ‘Standing up for a natural childhood’ and our question ‘How can we reconceptualise the way children will engage with their local surrounds so they can truly embody their connection with the land’. Since then, we have enjoyed Bush/Beach Wednesdays during term time. Uncle Ron Powell accompanies us on all of these adventures and has done so since the beginning. Our thinking and planning resulted in some core principals that would benefit not only our kindergarten children and their educators would benefit from, but families and community too!
These principles are:
- Connecting with local community
- Connecting and interacting with nature
- Exploring our local environment
- Developing deeper understanding of natural environments and earth stewardship
- Learning to assess and manage self-risk
- Freedom to move and accessible for all abilities
- Exploring creative drawing, art, clay and natural found materials on the ground that don’t appear to be animal homes
- Learning about flora and fauna and weeds
- Learning about the Joondoburri people and how they lived on and used this space where we now play
- Experience freedom, joy, fun!
To introduce this program at the beginning of each year we prepare our children and families with what this may look like. We also commence with a story about going to the bush space and beach and we share images of visits from previous years.
As preparation for our Risk Benefit, we also ask the children what they think they will see when exploring the bush and beach. We ask if they have any fears about leaving Kindy on our bush and beach days.
We also welcome parents to let us know if they have any fears or concerns to consider and include within our Risk Benefit. Each year families let us know if their child usually tries to wander off when out and about and this is always considered in our planning to ensure we are aware and vigilant.
The benefits for our children who regularly access nature spaces is immeasurable. When children are engaged in free play in the outdoors, they
are provided opportunities for freedom, choice, and fewer routines. In free play, there is no adult direction or control. Just eyeful watches to ensure safety. Our children can play how they want to play as long as they are respecting the land and each other. When children are given such freedom to play, they are more likely to engage in higher levels of social interaction, cognitive skills such as decision-making and reasoning, empathy, and physical activity. In turn, they are less likely to become inattentive, and anxious. The outdoor spaces we visit have many benefits. The natural green space allows the children to continuously explore ways to use materials, discover the varied environment, and create their own play experiences. We have noted over the years that our children, when interacting with the natural environment, have heightened senses and emotions from the ever-changing topography and the rich stimuli that a natural space affords. This is how our children learn – through experience: by seeing, feeling, touching, hearing and sometimes tasting too. The outdoor environment is a blank canvas on which our children can place their own thoughts, wonders, and creations and very rarely are two days the same. And to add to the delights on our return to Kindy from each Wednesday’s adventure, we are greeted by the smell of freshly baked bread from our oven that is ready for sharing.
To support learning about safety when in bush spaces and within the Kindy environment we also (since 2022) engaged a wildlife expert to come and speak with the children, and to also present some of the reptiles we may encounter and also how we should react. 
We continue with this holiday tradition at the end of each term. This is a gathering of current and past children and their family. Community members are also invited to join us. It is a lovely way to stay connected during the holidays and it also encourages families to continue with getting their children out and about in our community and most importantly in nature. This event each term is an extension of the learning and skill development that occurs during our weekly bush and beach adventures. The children are under the care of their families during the walk, and it is a wonderful opportunity for younger and older siblings to join in the fun. We observe our Kindy children sharing with their families’ the ways they interact with nature when on our excursions. Especially observing with all their senses and paying attention to the tiniest detail of things around them. This time together is peaceful, reflective and strengthens our relationships with and alongside their family. We usually conclude this gathering with a shared morning tea.
Since 2016 the Action Research resulted in ‘The Joondoburri Walk’ This space with the support of a botanist identified 27 plants and species. A sign to represent this with a mud map and relevant Joondoburri Words was created. Each identified species has its own individual signage with botanical name and indigenous use. A second sign was created promoting the Kabi Kabi Language. A mural was created that represented some of the native wildlife in the Joondoburri bush space. A book created with Kindy and other local Jarjums and Elders has recently been published. A final stage of the project ensues as we lobby for all ability natural walkways along the Shirley Creek to enable wheelchair and walker access.
