Havilah Road Preschool introduces Bush Kinder, boosts unstructured learning

Havilah Road Preschool, operated by Y Kinders, recently introduced a Bush Kinder which sees children and educators spending several hours once a week engaging in unstructured play-based learning in a nearby natural setting.

The program had its start thanks to a $6000 grant from the Victorian Government’s Bush Kinder grants program in 2023.

With many children spending more time in built environments than in previous generations initiatives such as Bush Kinder are becoming an important part of encouraging children to explore and to expand their creativity. 

“When children are out in those natural spaces, they ask questions, they notice things, and they have that opportunity and time to embed themselves in those activities,” Y Kinders executive manager children’s services Vicki Dobson shared with local news source Bendigo Times.

“The purpose is for children to be completely free of all the resources that can be constraints on how they think and look at something,” she continued.

“A brick is a brick, and while you can build it into different shapes, it will only ever be a brick. But when you’re playing with mud, when you’re playing with sticks and leaves, they can become so many things.”

The Victorian Government has provided several examples of how Bush Kinder grants may be used. Find them here.

For the original coverage of this story please see here.