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Join Rusty Keeler as he dives into the beauty of outdoor play, the power of nature, and how we can create epic, joy-filled spaces where kids truly thrive. Let’s re-wild childhood—one playful episode at a time!

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Practical guidance from KU Children’s Services’ Sector Capacity Building Program on what to consider when planning or adapting your service environment to support all children’s needs.

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More than just a backdrop for children's play, Poppins Bush School's outdoor spaces are designed to spark curiosity, create connections and nurture wellbeing.

Outdoor spaces at Poppins Bush School are thoughtfully designed to provide engaging and diverse learning experiences for children.

Approved provider Mary Klasen, who is also a landscape designer, carefully planned, equipped and arranged the environment to support children's holistic development, their sense of identity, as well as imaginative and risky play.

The outdoor spaces draw inspiration from nature, as well as children's learning environments Mary visited while travelling and meeting early learning communities around the world.

Exploration, connection and active play

"The outdoor environments in our service are designed to inspire physical activity," Margaret Klasen, Nominated Supervisor at Poppins Bush School explained.

"For example, our tennis court area is used as an ongoing excursion for all age groups," she added. "The space provides opportunities for children to engage in a variety of physical experiences and has a vast number of resources to extend, challenge and develop their skills.

"We also have a forest area with undulating terrain, monkey bars, slides, steel cubes, small world play environments, dramatic play spaces and a mulberry climbing tree."

Yarning and friendship circles are also nestled in the expansive outdoor area. "These spaces encourage educators, children and visitors to sit, collaborate and yarn about current events that are resonating with our children," shared Margaret.

Centring children's voices and needs

Poppins Bush School's outdoor environments are designed to be inclusive, flexible and responsive to the individual needs and abilities of each child. Equipment and materials are carefully selected to encourage and enable the participation of all early learners.

Being responsive to children's needs and abilities is also critical to managing risk. As Margaret said, "By having an in-depth knowledge of each child's developmental level and skills, our educators are able to actively scaffold and support the children to take risks and stretch their learning while remaining safe."

The service's educational program and practice is shaped by the voices, priorities and strengths of children, families, their communities and culture, too.

Valuing and responding to their ideas and interests helps children develop agency, decision-making skills and a strong sense of identity. These meaningful interactions also foster positive educator-child relationships, which in turn supports children to feel secure and free to play, explore and learn.

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Inside an ECEC service's outdoor learning environment

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More than just a backdrop for children's play, Poppins Bush School's outdoor spaces are designed to spark curiosity, create connections and nurture wellbeing.

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Tips to meet Quality Area 3 – Physical Environment

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Inclusive and engaging environments encourage children’s sense of competence, curiosity and creativity through play-based learning.

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Child Safe Standards – how they align with Quality Area 3

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Guidance on child safe practices and environments from the Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG).

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Simple ways to promote inclusive play in any early learning environment

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Inclusive play environments areessentialfor children with physical disabilities and sensory processing issues, but they are important forallchildren. Every child is unique and has the right to play, learn and feel a sense of belonging.

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Ever Changing Play Environment

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Dr Wyver's work investigates how outdoor play interventions can impact a range of physical and social outcomes for young children.

"Physical environments provide an important foundation and rich opportunities for children of all ages and abilities to learn and thrive," Dr Wyver said.

Dr Wyver explained that affordance theory is frequently used to understand the relationship between a physical environment and children's learning through play.

Affordances are the possibility of an action that can be performed on an object (i.e. a ball can be grasped and thrown), and this can vary depending on the child's characteristics.

"Physical environments that offer a wide range of potential affordances can create more learning through play opportunities," Dr Wyver said.

"When exploring changes to a physical environment, it is important to consider whether you will be increasing the range of possible affordances - with physical environments involving the use of loose parts and risky play typically offer a wider range of possible affordances.".

An international group of experts reviewed the evidence on the benefits of active play for early development, creating a Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play which noted:

'Access to active play in nature and outdoors-with its risks- is essential for healthy child development. We recommend increasing children's opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings.'

Dr Wyver noted under Element 3.2.1 (inclusive environment) services, as part of their delivery of quality learning experiences, must have opportunities for children to engage and learn to assess potential risks and make decisions based on their capabilities.

Services are required under Reg 168h to provide a child safe environment, this means avoiding any hazards that an infant or child cannot anticipate, which can happen when fixtures and fittings are poorly maintained (Element 3.1.2, Reg 103).

Dr Wyver encourages services to consider how safe approaches to risky play can be delivered, and how the use of loose parts can present a low-cost, high-quality improvement to indoor and outdoor physical environments.
The benefits of risky play and loose parts play
Recent research has found the involvement in risky play is associated with higher levels of physical activity, wellbeing in the form of showing fewer signs of distress and deep involvement in activities from children.

"Increasing opportunities for risky play therefore has important advantages," Dr Wyver shared.

"During risky play, children encounter physiological arousal such as increased heart rate and start to understand how to regulate these experiences and this may support children in learning to manage everyday anxieties.

"We know Australia has a much more risk-averse culture, but we are becoming more and more open to risky play and the benefits it affords children."

There are six categories of risky play that were first observed in Norwegian Forest Schools by Ellen Beate Sandseter, and are now recognised worldwide.

These include; great height, great speed, dangerous tools, dangerous elements, rough and tumble, disappearing/getting lost.

"The infant's body is rapidly changing and rather than learning a set of skills to negotiate their environment, they need to be flexible and reappraise affordances in their environment," Dr Wyver said.

"For example, falling from a safe height is an important part of learning to learn, and infants can be supported in a safe way, with changes in surfaces, gradients, and other challenges."

"For older children, engaging in risky play can help them learn to mitigate and manage risk."

Risk reframing

When changing the physical environment to offer more opportunities for risky play, it is possible that some educators or families may feel reluctant.

"Research I have been involved in shows reluctance comes from an understandable belief they may be neglecting their duty of care or concerns about perceptions of parents," Dr Wyver said.

"It can be useful to engage in 'risk reframing' where together there is a new and shared understanding of the importance of introducing safe risks into the physical environment.

The Outside Play interactive video has been designed for risk reframing with educators and parents, and touches upon the benefits that small, safe changes can make a big difference in children's experiences.

Supporting loose parts play
Loose parts play is generally considered to involve use of materials with no obvious play purpose and typically include items with a range of durability.

Dr Wyver shared that services can consider introducing loose parts play to safely modify a physical environment or enhance an already rich environment, so children can have opportunities to make decisions about the physical environment.

"Indoors often involves smaller objects that can be used for construction and outdoors objects are generally larger and can be used for imaginative and highly physical play." Dr Wyver said.

Services can first start with observing the children, and dependent on the children's ability and comfort levels, can then take taking small steps when introducing new elements of risky or loose parts play.

"In many ways, loose parts play captures the intentions of Element 3.2.2 (Resources to support play-based learning) as children can find multiple purposes for the materials."

Loose parts play can also foster cooperation when larger materials are used, and children's decisions on selection and combination of materials provides a wide range of affordances for regardless of age and ability.

"Cardboard boxes, large and small, can be an important part of a service's loose parts collection," Dr Wyver shared.

"Cardboard breaks down quickly when used in play and can then be composted - this can also used as an important lesson in sustainability, contributing to Element 3.2.3 (Environmentally responsible), by re-using materials.

Dr Wyver shared children should have regular opportunities to engage with the natural environment.

"Playing in nature or with natural elements offers open-ended experiences to children, and through loose parts this engagement can provide important learning through play," Dr Wyver said.

"However, it is important to consider a storage solution for loose parts that is suitable for your location and plan in accordance with Element 3.1.2.

"For some service this may be lockable storage, but for others it may be acceptable to leave items on the playground - this is all dependent on the risks of animal or water In some areas collecting in loose parts."

Resources to get started

Work out your approach to evaluation right from the start.

Involve and educate staff, parents and carers about the use and benefits of loose parts.

Accessing training to equip adults with knowledge, skills and confidence is likely to be a worthwhile investment.

Get your procedures in place for the management and use of loose parts.

Try out some taster sessions.

Develop an ongoing action plan.

Work out where and how you will store your loose parts.

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Loose Parts and Risky Play: Low-Cost and sustainable ways to enhance the physical environment

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Dr Shirley Wyver is a senior lecturer in child development at Macquarie University's School of Education. With a key focus of her research and teaching on learning through outdoor play , Dr Wyver has shared her insights on risky play and loose parts, and how these relate to Quality Area 3.

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AUSTRALIAN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Australian Environmental Education was launched in 2019 on Threatened Species Day. As a day to raise awareness of plants and animals at risk of extinction. It is also a day to reflect on what we can do to make a difference. Australian Environmental Education was my responses to that question, this is what I can do to make a difference.

Developing and delivering Environmental Education programs has been a passion for the last 20 years and I am an advocate of hands on learning. Over the years I have developed a range of programs to make learning natural science easy. Science Made Easy are hands on programs aimed at increasing scientific literacy through investigations and experiments. Programs are designed to empower kids and provide the knowledge and skills to continue their learning.

Australian Environmental Education delivers a range of incursions and virtual excursions to your school, early Childhood Centre and Vacation Care centre to help your students learn about the natural world.

I will also be posting interesting science articles especially related to Australia's amazing natural environments. As a SCUBA diver for the last 26 years and I will share my passion for the marine environments with you.

Contact us

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AUSTRALIAN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION Australian Environmental Education was launched in 2019 on Threatened Species Day. As a day to raise awareness of plants and animals at risk of extinction. It is also a day to reflect on what we can do to make a difference.

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Considering the Principle of Sustainability in Food Practices - Dr Red Ruby Scarlet

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Incorporating sustainability and healthy eating practices in early childhood settings is key for encouraging environmental stewardship and promoting well-being. The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) V2 highlights the importance of educating ourselves and young children about sustainable practices, which includes understanding ecosystems and the impact our food choices have on the planet and other species. […]

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Children at a Sylvania early learning centre are helping turn dumpster surfboards into unique artworks. Natassia Soper reports.

Some of our littlest learners are riding the wave of sustainability, helping save unwanted surfboards destined for the tip and turning them into rad pieces of art.

Children at Chantel's Kindergarten in Sylvania in southern Sydney have been hanging 10 with south coast surfer and father Mathew King to give dozens of old boards a second life, while learning about sustainability and art.

The group of 28 youngsters aged three to five spent the day recently adding their creative designs to donated boards from their local community, using special paint pens and a little creativity.

The children also learned basic surfing skills and mindfulness activities, such as yoga and breath work.

Kindergarten director Erin Rapp said the children enjoyed participating in the workshop and connecting with real-world learning.

"It was an opportunity for the children to connect hands-on with the community through sustainable practices," she said.

"It showcases the importance of reusing items and creating something new out of them."

Saving surfboards

Surfers such as Mathew King are highlighting the waste and sustainability issues around the surf industry.

More than 400,000 surfboards are manufactured across the globe every year and most of them are destined for landfill, with no current way to recycle the non-biodegradable material.

Mr King, the self-described 'South Coast Kook', is on a mission to rescue 300 surfboards from becoming waste and to date has saved 130 boards, through the help of young groms attending his workshops.

"The process begins with collecting donated surfboards and fins from the local community and waste centres," he said.

"Some are in excellent condition but seriously outdated, while others require work to ensure a safe surface for painting.

"The result is a collection of vibrant, one-of-a-kind artworks that breathe new life into discarded items and contribute to a more sustainable future."

The completed artworks are donated back to the services or raffled off to find a new home.

Community connections

The NSW Department of Education is the largest regulator of early childhood education and care services nationally with more than 6000 services in NSW that fall in scope of the National Quality Framework (NQF) and state legislation.

All approved services across NSW are assessed and rated against the NQF, which sets a high benchmark for the quality of all services.

Quality area 6 recognises that collaborative relationships with communities is fundamental to achieving quality outcomes for children and that community partnership is based on active communication, consultation, and collaboration.

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Preschoolers riding wave of sustainability

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Children at a Sylvania early learning centre are helping turn dumpster surfboards into unique artworks. Natassia Soper reports.

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The NSW Department of Education can lead in key areas of sustainability. We understand that sustainability is a broader concept than resource conservation and environmental protection.

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ACECQA’s National Education Leader , Rhonda Livingstone provides insight into National Quality Framework topics of interest. You are not alone if you find yourself challenged when thinking about ‘embedding’ sustainability…

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This article is from the Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment and first appeared in Childcare Queensland's Early Edition - Summer 2012. The National Quality Standard (NQS) encourages educators to reflect on sustainability and what it means in early childhood settings. Standard 3.3 of the NQS invites services to take an active role in promoting sustainable practices in the immediate service environment and beyond, as well as fostering children's respect and care for the environment.
The Standard aims to support children to develop positive attitudes and values by engaging in learning experiences that link people, plants, animals and the land and by watching adults around them model sustainable practices. Many long day care services include environmental practices in their everyday programs - by planting vegetable patches, recycling paper and turning off lights when leaving the room, for example. This is a great starting point and opportunities to build a sustainable program are endless. Early childhood services are at varying stages in the journey to sustainable education and practice. The following suggestions are designed to get you thinking about ways in which your service can build on Standard 3.3.

Sustainability in early childhood

The way in which services approach environmental sustainability will vary depending on the context, the children, the families, and the community in which the service is delivered. Services should encourage children and families to investigate the environment in which they live; rather than to impose a particular set of values or practices.

Learning about sustainability starts with everyday practice. Babies and toddlers can begin by watching adults model these behaviours. They may learn through song or rhyme as adults verbalise what they are doing. Children over three can begin to reason why practices are needed and to understand the impact that their actions have on the planet.

Getting started

It's important to take a holistic look at sustainability across your service. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Conduct a self-assessment or audit of the sustainable activities already taking place in your service. Celebrate these achievements, share them with families and acknowledge staff contributions.

Make sustainability a key component of the service's philosophy and quality improvement planning process, and seek commitment from children, educators and families.

Give children a sense of ownership. Ask them for ideas and get their participation.

Appoint a sustainability officer to champion and motivate the service to 'go green'.

Commit to actions that are realistic and that people are motivated about. Consider experience, knowledge, budget and resource constraints.

Involve other people, groups and organisations in the building of the program. Consider ways to show them the results of their contributions and acknowledge their support.

Where to make changes

During an assessment and rating visit, authorised officers will be looking for evidence that sustainable practices are embedded in service operations.

Assessors may want to observe how children are supported to appreciate the natural environment and to take responsibility for caring for it - be it water, waste, energy, fauna or flora. You can do this by introducing smaller and more manageable activities in to every day practice and helping children to understand why.

Early childhood teacher, Karen Reid from Chiselhurst Community Preschool and Kindergarten in Toowoomba has kindly shared her ideas for addressing Standard 3.3:

Model 'green housekeeping' practices in the service, such as minimising waste, and reducing water and energy consumption. Replace appliances with more energy efficient ones, purchase recycled products where possible and build a compost bin. Engage children in the process so they learn why these changes are occurring.

Find ways to save money and energy by de-lamping lights where natural light is sufficient. Children can be responsible for turning off lights and fans when going outside.

Encourage parents to pack low waste lunches, using washable sandwich bags or plastic containers. After every meal, children can sort rubbish into general waste, recyclables and scrap bins.

Talk about rain and tap water and place stickers or timers at taps to encourage reduced water usage. Collect water in buckets when it rains.

Allow children to choose what seasonal fruit, vegetables or herbs they'd like to grow and seek ideas from families for the design of the outdoor environment. Water plants during the cool parts of the day to maximise absorption.

Observe and monitor biodiversity by keeping a log of all creatures big and small in the grounds. Work with children to research native wildlife.

Looking after animals can be fun, consider sponsoring animals at zoos and sanctuaries.

Build sustainability into policies and procedures, and use this to communicate with and educate the wider community.

Create critical thinkers

Turning off the lights at the end of the day is one thing, but do children understand why they're being asked to do so? During the assessment and rating visit, authorised officers will want to know how children are being supported to develop an understanding and respect for the environment.

Build strategies in to your program that will encourage critical thinking. Prompting children to question where uneaten food scraps go may be one way to do this. Discussing the concept of drought by examining photographs and drawing signs about water conservation can provoke curiosity and creativity in older children.

Early childhood is a critical time for environmental education. Children are more likely to adopt good behaviours if they understand why and how to be sustainable.

Lessons that can last a lifetime

Children can learn a range of valuable experiences through adopting environmentally responsible practices. Respectful attitudes learnt in these early years can last a lifetime.

There are many useful resources available to support early childhood educators to embed sustainable practices, including the Early Childhood Australia website.

For additional information on Standard 3.3 of the NQS, refer to the National Quality Standard page available from the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority website.

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A 'green' thumbs up to sustainable programs

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This article is from the Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment and first appeared in Childcare Queensland's Early Edition - Summer 2012 . The National Quality Standard (NQS) encourages...

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During the winter months, it can be tempting to turn the heating up inside and keep children indoors for play, but there are many benefits to getting outdoors, even when it's cold and rainy. With the more virulent Delta strain of COVID circulating, spending time outdoors is more crucial than ever.

Outdoor learning should be an everyday part of all early education programs. We share some suggestions for how you can get children outdoors no matter what the weather is like, and how you can move through barriers to outdoor programming.

We know that participating in regular physical activity and limiting the time spent being sedentary can have significant benefits for health - studies show children burn more calories outdoors, helping to prevent obesity and strengthen bones and muscles. In addition to that, children are active learners, they learn best through hands-on interaction, play and discovery.

It's a perfect week to consider how we can put more focus on the outdoors in light of this year's NAIDOC Week Theme - Heal Country! The theme invites the nation to embrace First Nations' cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia's national heritage.

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, our connection to Country is a central part of our collective cultural wellbeing, but also of our own individual health and wellbeing," says Dunghutti woman and regular CELA writer Deborah Hoger. "You will often hear Country spoken about as if it is a living, breathing entity, and that is exactly what Country is.

Enabling and empowering children to build this relationship moves this beyond the outdoor environment and creates a connection with country. It can also support children to build a relationship with country beyond the service gate.

Programs designed to expand outdoor learning in Scotland have shown that the biggest initial barriers to take-up are staff confidence in how to deliver quality outdoor learning and encouraging parental engagement. Many ECEC services face similar challenges in Australia.

Here are some ideas on how to move through both of these barriers:

Preparation is the first step

Playing outside in all weather conditions really comes down to one main thing - preparation. And that goes for staff and children.

CELA early education specialist and outdoor learning advocate Kerrie Maguire suggests that educators should plan for outdoor learning by resourcing for it as they would any other kind of learning.

A common excuse for keeping children indoors is their families don't provide enough changes of clothes or are unhappy when bags of wet clothes are sent home. Waterproof onesies solve this problem. They can be recommended to families or purchased by a centre in bulk.

Wet weather clothing allows children to play freely outdoors. Even babies and toddlers can crawl outside for hours without getting wet. Gum boots and children's umbrellas are also great to have on hand for playing in muddy puddles and can be purchased cheaply from large retailers.

When we first started to put a focus on year-round outdoor play, the fear mainly came from the parents and staff, says Outdoor Educator Jackie Illiffe, who promotes the centre's outdoor play philosophy at orientations, initial visits and in all newsletters and family communications.

"It may be that staff are not well equipped and don't have the right clothing and change of clothes. We purchased raincoats for all staff and we have spare gumboots, raincoats and mud suits for the children who may have forgotten them, or who don't have any. You can learn a lot from children when they're out in the rain. You're looking at the rain from their eyes and seeing new things from their perspective."

Jackie also shares that staff and children are never forced to go out in the rain or in cold weather, it's always a choice.

CELA early education specialist Kerrie Maguire recommends having resource boxes for all types of weather so that every outdoor occasion can be catered for.

ACECQA's 'Create the perfect play space' tool is a great document to share at your next team meeting. See page 23 for their recommendations on how to create a 'rainy day', 'windy day' and 'sunny day' resource box.

Moving children and educators from biophobia and biophilia and how this can affect our relationship with the outdoors

Biophilia is our natural inclination to have a positive relationship with the natural environment. It allows humans to experience beneﬁts that facilitated the development, adaptation and survival of human beings.

Biophobia on the other hand is characterised by feelings of fear or rejection of natural elements such as thunder, lightning and wild animals and insects (but can also include mud/dirt/getting wet in the rain).

Researchers have reported that the less children are exposed to natural elements such as wild insects and animals, the more biophobic they become. A recent study in Japan¹ surveyed more than 5,300 school children, examining their perception of local invertebrates (14 insect species and one spider). Most of the students saw the species as things to dislike, fear or go 'ewww' to, or even as sources of danger. The less experience the students had with nature, the more negative their feelings. The researchers hypothesised that "The 'extinction of experience' - the loss of direct interactions between people and nature - has the potential to increase negative attitudes towards nature.

For children's natural inclination of biophilia to develop and for children to become stewards of the earth, they must be given developmentally appropriate opportunities to learn about the natural world based on sound principles of child development and learning, says Randy White CEO of White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group. This includes developmentally appropriate contact with nature in their early years so they can bond with the natural world, learn to love it and feel comfortable in it.

Increased interaction with nature, including 'urban greenery' can also have great benefits for adults. Studies have shown that it can improve our mood, reduce feelings of stress, improve physical health and make you feel more relaxed.

Be clear on the benefits of outdoor learning

According to Nature Play QLD², Outdoor learning has many positive impacts for children, these include:

Driving self motivated learning

Increased creativity

Activating thinking outside the box

Improving health and wellbeing, social skills and behaviour

Encouraging better attendance, teamwork and reduced bullying

Download Nature Play QLD's poster via: https://natureplayqld.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Benefits-of-Nature-Play-short-WEB-1.pdf
But doesn't being outside in the cold and rainy weather lead to illness?

There is a myth that cold weather causes illness, however according to Harvard Medical School, it is viruses that cause illness and they tend to survive and replicate better in lower temperatures and lower humidity. People also tend to spend more time together indoors in the colder months allowing viruses to spread more easily in confined spaces. Getting outdoors has benefits all year round, but especially during COVID.

Health, safety and personal preference are of course always important considerations. Outdoor Educator Jackie Illif tells us that they have a lot of large trees in the grounds of their preschool, which can pose a danger to children and staff when days are extremely windy. While children are supported to enjoy the outdoors on most days of the year, the preschool keeps children out of danger on very windy days or those when torrential downpours are happening and makes sure that all children are appropriately dressed for the outdoors, depending on weather.

The importance of outdoor learning is recognised in the NQS

The importance of providing inclusive and sustainable learning environments that maximise and promote children's learning is reflected under Quality Area 3 of the National Quality Standard (NQS) in particular:

Standard 3.2: The service environment is inclusive, promotes competence and supports exploration and play-based learning.

Element 3.2.1: Outdoor and indoor spaces are organised and adapted to support every child's participation and to engage every child in quality experiences in both built and natural environments.

Element 3.2.2: Resources, materials and equipment allow for multiple uses, are sufficient in number, and enable every child to engage in play-based learning.

Standard 3.2.3: The service cares for the environment and supports children to become environmentally responsible.

Source: https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-04/QA3_TheEnvironmentAsTheThirdTeacher.pdf

Make a start by creating outdoor focused lesson plans

Research has shown that some educators may view the outdoors as a place for free play only, rather than seeing it as an extension of the indoor classroom.

The Educational Leader plays an intrinsic role in helping educators to identify their own personal and professional barriers to incorporate outdoor learning as part of the program. It should be seen as part of the daily program, not a special activity or a reward. says Kerrie Maguire.

Nature Play QLD is the perfect place to start with planning and programming. Their website is a treasure trove of ideas and inspiration including outdoor learning lesson plans, nature play ideas and resources. Challenge yourself to make at least 50% of your week's programming outdoors.

Head to the Nature Play Queensland website for some great resources, including outdoor learning lesson plans.

- https://natureplayqld.org.au/outdoor-learning-lesson-plans

- https://natureplayqld.org.au/nature-play-ideas

- https://natureplayqld.org.au/acecqa-nature-play-and-bush-kindy-resources

Four ideas to get you started

1. Make a day of it, every day of the week

Introduce the idea of more outdoor time by devoting a day each week to an outdoor activity.
What if Monday was Mud-day and Tuesday was Trees-day? Wednesday could be Wet-day and Thursday Thundersday Friday could be Freezeday, Freshday or Frozenday.
Change it every week if you like, or challenge the children to think of words starting with M,T,W and F that relate to weather or the outdoors.

2. Read outside every day in a cosy nook

Create a cosy outdoor nook or tent that has lots of ventilation where everyone can huddle on weather appropriate matting/dry ground.

Make a plan to read at least one story to children outdoors each day no matter the weather.

Extend the learning from the story by using natural found elements to create characters using natural materials and clay such as leaf and stick monsters.

3. Keep a weather journal

Keep a weather journal where children spend time outside each day observing the day's weather and recording their thoughts and observations. Extend learning by introducing STEM projects based on weather or investigations into our seasons. Here are some tips on getting started on seasonal reflections from Little Scientists: https://littlescientists.org.au/resources/reflect/australian-seasons/.

4. Consider outdoor nap/sleep times

There is a long cultural tradition of using outdoor spaces for sleep in some colder countries in the northern hemisphere. In many of these countries the practice is believed to establish a connection to nature and to provide health benefits.

Many early education centres in Australia offer outdoor sleep as part of their program, and it isn't confined to the summer months.

Niki Moodie, Preschool Room Leader at the Rumpus Room in Newcastle, tells us that children at their centre are given the choice between indoor and outdoor activities throughout the day. Offering outdoor sleep was a natural extension of this, and the overwhelming majority of families gave consent for their child to sleep outdoors if they wished.

There is no particular set temperature limit at which The Rumpus Room do not offer outdoor sleep, but comfort and safety is obviously a priority, so the option is assessed on a day by day basis. If The Rumpus Room team feel that they are unable to provide a comfortable and safe space due to weather or outdoor conditions, then indoor sleep will take place instead.
ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF OUTDOOR SLEEP
How much of your programming is outdoors and do you get outside much when it's cold and rainy? If so, we'd love to know what your favourite outdoor activities are and how you go about facilitating all weather outdoor learning. Add your thoughts in the comments section.
Further reading https://www.cela.org.au/2021/05/31/heal-country-unpacking-the-naidoc-week-2021-theme www.cela.org.au/2017/06/08/lets-get-out-of-here-a-story-for-everyone-whos-ever-wanted-to-take-children-beyond-the-safety-gate https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/blog https://natureplayqld.org.au https://www.cela.org.au/2021/05/17/do-you-embrace-year-round-outdoor-sleeping http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/if-we-dont-play-in-rain-we-dont-play.html https://news.sanfordhealth.org/childrens/play-outside
¹ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320719309577
² https://natureplayqld.org.au/blog/benefits-of-outdoor-learning

About CELA

Community Early Learning Australia is a not for profit organisation with a focus on amplifying the value of early learning for every child across Australia - representing our members and uniting our sector as a force for quality education and care.

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The benefits of year-round outdoor education, plus tips to get started

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Outdoor learning should be an everyday part of all early education programs. We share some suggestions for how you can get children outdoors no matter what the weather is like, and how you can move through barriers to outdoor programming.

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Explore a vast range of resources for educators on junior landcare and find out how to connect and share with other educators.

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Quality Area 3 of the National Quality Standard (NQS) describes how early childhood education and care (ECEC) services keep children safe in physical environments, inside and out. The good news is, there is already some alignment between Quality Area 3 and the Child Safe Standards, including:

Child Safe Standard 2 relates to Element 3.1 (Design) of the NQS, where the appropriate design of the physical environment ensures good relationships can be facilitated between educators and children. Strong relationships, where children trust educators, empowers children to speak up if they ever feel unsafe or are harmed.

Child Safe Standard 8 relates to Element 3.1.1 (Fit for purpose), where the physical environment supports supervision. Lines of sight to educator and child interactions, as well as child-to-child interactions, should be clear. Good supervision practices when coupled with sound knowledge of your Child Safe Code of Conduct and reporting obligations (Child Safe Standard 6, 7 and 10) help to create a child safe environment where harm and abuse may be identified and reported.

Child Safe Standards 2 and 4 relate to Element 3.2.1 (Inclusive environment), where the focus is on an inclusive environment. The child safe perspective would focus on accessibility and inclusivity as a way of reducing the risk of harm and abuse. Children should feel welcome and culturally safe in the service.

Whilst digital technology is not explicitly referenced in Quality Area 3, if children are accessing digital devices whilst at your service, you should ensure the physical and online environments support appropriate use and supervision of children when they are online. While there are many benefits to online learning, there are also risks, which vary across the different service types and the way the devices are used.

To help you manage these risks, here are some questions below for you to consider in your service:

Are devices used appropriately and safely within the environment?

Is there adequate supervision when digital devices are used?

Are child safe practices in place to ensure appropriate access? i.e. use education apps only or add security or limitations on internet viewing.

What support is provided to children about online safety, and how do you communicate with families about your digital device practices?

Within OSHC services, do you have procedures around the children's use of personal online devices? How is the use and posting of material managed at your service?

The eSafety Commissioner website has a great range of resources to educate children, families and educators on how to keep children safe online, including the following that are relevant for ECEC services:

OSHC could use the eSafety Commissioner's Toolkit for Schools, which includes checklists and resources to assess and manage online risks. There are also classroom resources, which could be used to educate children at OSHC about online risks in age-appropriate ways.

Other online considerations include:

how information is stored online and the security of apps used to communicate with families

how and when CCTV is used

monitoring any other online forums used such as WhatsApp groups.

If you have any further questions, please contact Rachel Norman at childsafe@ocg.nsw.gov.au

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How do the Child Safe Standards align to Quality Area 3 - physical environment?

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The Office of the Children's Guardian share their insights on how the Child Safe Standards align to Quality Area 3 (physical environment) and share advice for ensuring child safe practices at your service, with a particular focus on online safety.

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Instructions
To use the website, click on the 'grow me safely' sign above, locate the green watering can at the bottom of the web page and slide it from left to right to reveal the elements of the website. Scroll over the elements then click to gain important information regarding plants and gardening with children.

Click here to download a printable version of plants to avoid.

Kidsafe NSW recognises the importance of gardening with children to build life skills, inspire creativity, grow and harvest food, role model safe practices and a respect for nature.

' grow me safely' was developed to provide information for educators, parents and carers to engage children in gardening activities. The information provided is supported by injury data and statistics.

Gardening with children is promoted in the National Quality Framework for Education and Care Services, and the NSW Primary Syllabus.

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Kidsafe NSW recognises the importance of gardening with children to build life skills, inspire creativity, grow and harvest food, role model safe practices and a respect for nature. "Grow me Safely" was developed to provide information for educators, parents and carers to engage children in gardening activities.

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Nominated Supervisor at Aberdeen Preschool, Sharon Jordan, has worked at the service for 21 years and shared that every educator at the service is passionate about the physical spaces, not only for the children and families, but for community and visitors as well.

"We get so much family and community support, allowing us to enhance and make the most of our physical environment, through donations of materials and people's time," Sharon shared.

"For example, we have been fortunate enough to get lots of donations of utensils such as pots, pans, teapots and plates for our sand pit and mud kitchen, not only from families but the wider community as well.

"A parent actually made a sink with wooden crates for us, and another family donated an oven, so we're using real materials as well."

As part of their service philosophy, educators at Aberdeen Preschool incorporate the natural environment into both their indoor and outdoor spaces as much as possible, encouraging children to build connections with their environments.

"We also have a huge range of natural resources both outside and indoors for children to utilise in their play," Sharon said.

"Inside, we have an area dedicated to this full of natural materials the children have shown an interest in to extend them: bark, dirt, wood chips."

Sharon shared the service was successful in obtaining a Department of Education Community Grant in 2021, using the funding to put awooden deck around an established tree in their playground which is now used all the time.

"This addition to our outdoor space has become a very valuable, as we can utilise the natural shade of the tree in so many different ways - from having lunch, to arts and crafts in the shade," Sharon said.

"We've been able to see the significant benefits to our children who regularly participate in these outdoor rich environments and engage with nature."

Learning to take responsibility for the environment is also a priority at Aberdeen, with the children helping with gardening, caring for the preschool's chickens and cleaning up after themselves.

"We have regular conversations with the children about caring for our environment, and have a very passionate sustainability educator who manages our gardening and sustainability practices."

Sharon shared family involvement and contributions have been an amazing support, including a donation of succulents which each child planted and continue to care for.

"Everything that we've developed over the years supports our philosophy of caring for our environment and bringing that home-like environment into the preschool," Sharon said.

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Inclusive physical environments developed with natural elements and community support

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Located on Wanaruah country, Aberdeen Preschool engages with their community and natural surroundings to create physical environments that make children feel safe and secure.

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‎The Early Education Show: Quality Area 3: Physical environment (Exploring the NQS) on Apple Podcasts

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‎Show The Early Education Show, Ep Quality Area 3: Physical environment (Exploring the NQS) - 20 Sept 2022

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Eco-Schools is the largest global sustainable schools program - it starts in the classroom and expands to the community by engaging the next generation in action-based learning. We are passionate about engaging and empowering young Australians of all ages in environmental education and action.

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Planet advocate and prankster Craig Reucassel takes a deep dive into Australia's waste crisis to sort the facts from the PR spin, tracking down everyday solutions to help all of us do our part in the war on waste.

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This series was originally released in 2018 and 2019 for subscribers on our Patreon page. The episodes are now available freely for all, but have not been edited.
This episode of our Patreon-exclusive podcast series Exploring the NQS discusses Element 3.2.1 of the National Quality Standard, "Inclusive environment".

Element description: Outdoor and indoor spaces are organised and adapted to support every child's participation and to engage every child in quality experiences in both built and natural environments.

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Element 3.2.1 Inclusive environment (Exploring the NQS) | The Early Education Show

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This series was originally released in 2018 and 2019 for subscribers on our Patreon page. The episodes are now available freely for all, but have not been edited. This episode of our Patreon-exclusive podcast series Exploring the NQS discusses Element 3.2.1 of the National Quality Standard, "Inclusive environment".

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A WORLD WHERE KIDS CONNECT TO THE EARTH, FOOD AND FARM

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George the Farmer | Fun and educational farming books and toys

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Our vision is a world where kids connect to the earth, food and farm. We inspire kids to learn through picture storybooks, videos, music, toys, free educational teacher resources and more!

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Connecting with practice: Opportunities for learning in natural spaces