Today was the final day of this terms outdoor kindy week. It was a typical autumn day, mild temperatures, no rain. Maybe this is why it began with many parents staying around to watch their children, chat by the fire, and immerse themselves and their younger children in the whole outdoor kindy experience.

Our Muddy Puddles Kitchen was the place to be today.  The new sign was proudly hung to welcome everyone.

Birthday cakes, pizzas and all manner of other delicious creations were being stirred, mixed, measured, and baked.  All made the more exciting by many visits to our sensory garden to pick leaves, herbs and even a few lemons.

The children had decided the old table that we have in our mud kitchen was actually a little to high, so armed with hand saws they attempted to remove the bottom of the legs.  The old wood was very hard, and despite their best efforts it was really tough going.  One of the boys decided the best way to solve the problem would be to just use a chainsaw.  We explained we dont actually have one at kindy.  No problem he said “my dad has one and he will come and do it”  He really meant it, a quick phone call (to a rather amused dad) saw him there about 10 minutes later with his chainsaw and the problem was fixed with ease.

The adjacent water course and digging patch were filled with the most amazing learning. Children ‘just played’ and in the process were involved in constant risk assessing, problem solving, team work and explorations of measurement, mixing, volume, weight, capacity,  the properties of water, dirt and mud.

There was food galore as always.  Fruit toast, sausages, pizzas in the pizza oven, a pot of soup and of course no campfire would be complete without marshmallows.  The children are involved with spreading, cutting, washing, chopping, measuring, mixing, sorting, peeling and of course tasting all our yummy creations.

Many of the children spent time at the clay table today.  Lots of natural materials were chosen and added as they extended their own play.  The clay often became more of a tool to fasten things together for some children, while others were more than happy to just use their hands to manipulate and shape the clay.

The way the children use the easel spider web, and the couple of ropes strung across the swing frame is amazing,  The balance, strength, team work, negotiation, risk assessing, upper body strength and problem solving that are evident as you watch the children on these is fantastic.  Today we added and extra set of ropes with a piece of wood strung between the lower one to extend the challenge a little.

There were a few times of coming together.

Mr North visited, played his guitar and sang some songs with us around the campfire.

After lunch he also told us a dreaming story that he had been taught during one of his times in the Flinders Ranges.

After the story was finished many of the children had a turn at telling their own stories in the sand.

This morning we were visited by a journalist from the local paper.  She spent time talking to lee and taking photos of the kids engaged in their play.

We also had a lot of visitors this afternoon, despite the big group of educators from schools and kindys observing the children and the environment, our children remained very engaged in their play – they had their work to do, they were busy being kids, busy playing!

We firmly believe that part of our job as educators is to share our passion for what we do.  To challenge others comfort zones, to get them thinking that maybe they actually could achieve lots of what they dream about in their own settings.  We record our journey on this blog and through other means, not to ‘brag’ or to make others feel like this is the way they have to go to move forward.  We share it because we are proud of what we do, this is our journey,  our way of doing and being, and we hope that it will inspire other like minded educators to try and find a way to provide more engaging outdoor environments to their children in their own way.  It wont look just like what we have – we wouldnt want it to.  It has to be authentic, not just a copy of something seen somewhere else.  It has to reflect the philosophy of the centre, the staff, the children, the families and community in which it is set. It has to evolve, change and grow through reflective practice and programming, and most of all it needs to be child centred – focused not on the results of the childrens use of provocations that are offered, but on the process of exploring them.

All day everywhere you looked there were children engaged in play.  They were focused.  They were happy. They were free to choose, to do, to extend, to take risks, to challenge themselves. They were proud of their efforts and achievements and those of their friends. They were willing to work hard, to make suggestions to help others to achieve their goals. They were enjoying every single thing that outdoor kindy could offer them.

As our focus week draws to a close we will reflect on what has happened.  Discuss what worked, and what we could do better. Assess if our individual goals for the week were realised.  We will talk with the children and families next week, listen to their voice on what they think worked and what didnt, and then begin to work on making plans for how we will move forward from here.  It truly is a journey, constantly evolving to suits the needs of those involved at any given time. Its a journey that we are on together and that we all are totally committed to.  We thank you for joining us, for sharing our excitement and passion. (We would love for you to take the time to leave a comment on one of the blog posts you have read this week – we value the links with the wider community that comments/questions etc provide.)