The children and educators at Pedder Education and Care Service have welcomed many new families to our Bush Playgroup this year. Our Bush Playgroup gives children the opportunity to play, learn and connect on country. Through various experiences, the children explore and investigate the natural world around them.

Recent experiences have included following a mob of wallabies quietly through the bush scrub; a dragon hunt through the forest to find its cave; playing in teepee cave cubbies with imaginative fires and cooking marshmallows on sticks; collecting bush scrub loose parts ‘ingredients’ to make bush tucker for families; sheep wool craft and drawing; exploring the bush with magnifying glasses to discover cicadas, slaters, millipedes, ants and even a baby scorpion; and discussions around keeping ourselves safe in the bush.

We often finish our Bush Playgroup session by sharing a story and morning tea together. Recently we read ‘Welcome to Country’ by Aunty Joy Murphy and Lisa Kennedy which gave the children the opportunity to learn more about country.

From Pedder Education and Care Service