Discovering Easter through play and faith
Helping children connect with Easter through fun, meaningful and age-appropriate experiences.
Bush Kindy at Catholic Early EdCare nurtures children’s curiosity, confidence and connection with nature through hands-on outdoor learning experiences.
Through our Bush Kindy program, children experience meaningful outdoor learning that nurtures curiosity, exploration, and a deep connection to the natural world. Delivered across most of our kindergarten programs, Bush Kindy is a valued part of early childhood education that helps children learn, grow and thrive beyond the classroom.
Catholic Early EdCare Head of Operations, Susan Chiminodes, reflects “Bush Kindy gives children the opportunity to experience learning in its most natural form, where curiosity leads, and every moment becomes a discovery.”
These experiences take place in local natural environments where learning is hands-on and guided by wonder. Whether exploring bushland, gardens, or nearby outdoor spaces, children are encouraged to observe, question and engage deeply with the world around them.
Bush Kindy supports children to investigate natural environments, notice seasonal changes, and develop early scientific thinking. They explore plants, insects, trees, and weather patterns, often returning with new questions and ideas to extend their learning.
Natural materials such as sticks, leaves, flowers, and bark are collected and later used in creative projects, storytelling, construction and classroom activities. These experiences strengthen early literacy and numeracy, communication and problem-solving in meaningful ways.
Bush Kindy also builds confidence and resilience through supported risk-taking, balancing on logs, navigating uneven ground, and collaborating with peers in open-ended play.
Grounded in the values of Catholic Early EdCare, Bush Kindy fosters respect for self, others, and the natural world, encouraging children to develop a growing sense of care and responsibility for the environment and the earth. Educators support children to recognise their individuality while valuing the perspectives and contributions of others and understanding their role as caretakers of the world around them.
Susan Chiminodes shares “Respect is at the heart of every Bush Kindy experience. Children learn that they are part of a wider community, one that includes people, places, and the natural environment and that we all have a role in caring for creation.”
Bush Kindy learning can continue at home through simple outdoor experiences that nurture curiosity, strengthen connection with nature and encourage care for the environment.
Explore at home: Bush Kindy inspired ideas for families
Let your child lead their exploration. Pause together to notice what captures their interest and encourage their thinking with open-ended questions like, “What do you see?” or “What do you wonder?” Use everyday outdoor moments as opportunities to explore together.
Gather natural items such as leaves, sticks or flowers to explore together at home. Talk about their textures, shapes and colours, then return them to where they were found to show care and respect for nature.
Support climbing, balancing, and movement in natural spaces such as parks, backyards, or bushland. These experiences help build confidence, coordination, and resilience through age-appropriate risk-taking.
Return to familiar outdoor places and notice how they change over time. Talk together about weather patterns, plant growth, animals, and the shifting environment across the seasons.
Use natural materials collected from outdoor spaces to support creative play at home, such as art, storytelling, construction, or imaginative small-world play. This extends children’s outdoor discoveries into meaningful creative expression.
Bush Kindy remains a valued part of Catholic Early EdCare programs, supporting children’s wellbeing, confidence, curiosity, resilience, and respect for the natural world, building foundations for lifelong learning and a deep care for the earth.
To learn more about how we foster respect, connection and learning through nature-based experiences, visit: https://www.catholicearlyedcare.qld.edu.au/watch-them-grow/respectfully/
