Category: Sensory Diets

Playing Outside this Winter

As winter begins we hear many concerns from parents about their children spending time outdoors in colder and wetter weather. It’s natural to worry about your children’s health, but rest assured, outdoor learning during winter is not only safe but also beneficial for overall well-being. Contrary to common myths, medical experts confirm that getting a…
Challenging the Senses at Bush School

A return to the old boat shed space, with a difference! Presented with the provocation of being early settlers on their way to Western Australia, the year 4 students at Guildford Grammar found themselves confronted by a new land and new experiences at Bush School today. We asked the students to imagine they were getting…
Botanical Literacy

Recently Daniel and Fay had the privilege of attending and presenting at the Early Childhood Education State Conference in Perth. Surrounded by like-minded presenters and attendees, they had the opportunity to sit in on some presentations about the importance of play and connection to nature. One of these presentations was facilitated by Kimberly Beasley, an…
Being Barefoot – reconnecting with the earth and developing strong minds

As Nature Connection Mentors a lot of our time is spent barefoot. In fact, any chance we get to kick off our shoes, whether it be at our school holiday program (a whole day outside), our afterschool sessions or our school-based incursions, we try to find time to be truly connected to the earth under…
When We Find Comfort in Nature – A Class Story

Blog by Tamara Johnston and Trudi Bennett The Children in Nature Network (started by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods) is celebrating 15 years of the children in nature movement. Richard Louv introduced the world to the term Nature-Deficit Disorder. “Nature-deficit disorder describes the human cost of alienation from nature, among them;…
Finding Joy in Hot Weather

We are currently in the Nyoongar season of Birak which brings hot and dry weather. This warm weather really starts to take hold in the environment and with our bodies. The hot temperature will likely make many of us feel uncomfortable and we may find that we start to speak more negatively about the outdoors.…
Building Confidence – A Parent Reflection

At Educated by Nature, we see children. We care about what they are trying to achieve. Our mentors help them discover new skills, resources and extensions to their ideas. Building confidence in children is at the very core of what we aim to achieve. We believe this is why children (and their parents) love our programs.…
Building Resilience in Children

When Trudi and I started Educated by Nature, one of our main goals was to create environments and experiences where children could find opportunities for building resilience. We found, through our experiences as teachers, we had seen the rapid decline in resilience, self-efficacy and awareness in children of all ages in our communities. Today, more than…
‘Knot’ your average literacy activity

Building a cubby seems like a simple activity, regularly labelled as ‘just play’. We believe in the power of a cubby and are not fooled by this guise. Children are learning more than we could ever teach them in a classroom setting while they are ‘just playing’. Knot tying is a regular activity at all…
Adult Nature Connection

Feeling at Home in Nature What does nature connection mean to you? For me it means feeling ‘at home’ outdoors. Feeling comfortable, feeling safe, that I belong. Comfortable to sit on the dirt, in the leaf litter, on the rock. Safe enough to lie back, close my eyes and relax. But also with a keen…