Nature Play Week at Aspire Bella Estate
From April 8-18th, Australia celebrates Nature Play Week, which is developed by the Kids in Nature - Activities for Families. Nature play is a term used to describe the creation of simple play opportunities in the natural environment. Nature Play week is all about encouraging children and parents to play, explore and enjoy time out in the outdoor environment.
Getting your kids involved in Nature Play doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming, and it can be as simple as a visit to the local park where the kids can roam free and explore.
Despite the wet weather in Melbourne, there are lots of opportunities to play and have fun outside, and it doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. It can simply be a visit to the local park where kids can roam free and explore.
Experiencing nature in early education settings is important for several different reasons. Nature offers a sensory experience for children with different sights, sounds, smells and textures which develops their cognitive processing. Playing in nature also offers open-ended play and sparks stimulation and creativity in children. It also gives them a greater appreciation of the environment and how we can protect our natural world.
Aspire Bella Estate recognises the importance of bringing awareness to Nature Play Week, and implemented various activities throughout the week to explore different natural resources. The Nursery children also had the opportunity to adventure to the local park to explore the outdoor environment.
Discover more about Nature Play Week at our Bella Estate centre below.
Nature Excursion to the Local Park
Aspire Early Education Bella Estate recognised Nature Play Week and went on an excursion to the local park with the Nursery children. The children had the opportunity to experience nature, feeling the different textures, different leaves, flowers, and different shapes and colours.
This experience helps the children enhance their sensory skills, verbal, fine motor, colour recognition and appreciation of our environment. The children also collected some leaves and flowers to use for activities back at the centre as part of our curriculum.
Nature Activities and Exploration
During Nature Week, the children also engaged in different activities across each of the rooms. In the Toddler rooms, children explored their imagination as they created art frames using recycled cardboard to look through at nature. This hands-on activity promotes fine motor skills, discover new things in the environment and learning to appreciate their surroundings which it allows to see at the nature in a different lens.
In the Kinder rooms, the 3–5-year-old children engaged in a fun filled sensory adventure, crafting seed bomb using soaked green and blue recycled paper. Using their finger muscles, the children moulded soil and snow peas seed with the soaked paper. This activity promotes eco- awareness among the children by instilling early gardening skills.
The Kinder children also delved into the world of art by exploring the textures and shapes of various leaves around them. Here they used the leaves as paintbrushes and painted by tracing the leaves to discover different shapes and textures.
These activities all promote a sense of creativity and imagination, while allowing children to explore different parts of nature, and learn more about the outdoor environment. Check out some photos of these activities below!
If you would like to learn more about our Aspire Bella Estate centre, book a tour today of our centre or contact our Enquiries team on 1800 978 429.
