To all of our wonderful mums who do so much for us.

 

 

 

 

This week we will be participating in our first Nature Play session for the year.

 

On Monday morning we ask that your child wear long pants, his/her gumboots and rain jacket to school ready to join in the fun and explore the Nature Garden behind the Grange building. We will have Nature Play if the weather is fine or if there is light drizzle. We will not go in heavy rain.

Nature Play will run Monday to Friday of the coming week. Due to Naplan testing in nearby buildings, we will have to vary the times that we can play in the Nature Garden so that the older children are able to be successful and are not distracted by our noise during Naplan.

Why Nature Play?

The obvious answer is that it is fun and kids love it. There has been a lot of research into children playing in nature over the last ten years and the results are very promising. Here are some of the findings;

Children who play regularly in natural settings are sick less often. Mud, sand, water, leaves, sticks, pine cones and gum nuts can help to stimulate children’s immune system as well as their imagination.

• Children who spend more time outside tend to be more physically active and less likely to be overweight.
• Children who play in natural settings are more resistant to stress; have lower incidence of behavioural disorders, anxiety and depression; and have a higher measure of self-worth.
• Children who play in natural settings play in more diverse, imaginative and creative ways and show improved language and collaboration skills.
• Natural, irregular and challenging spaces help kids learn to recognise, assess and negotiate risk and build confidence and competence.
• Children who play in nature have more positive feelings about each other.
• Bullying behaviour is greatly reduced where children have access to diverse nature-based play environments.
• Symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder are reduced after contact with nature.

All of these findings from The University of WA are very positive indeed. So, please help us all to be organised on Monday morning by arriving dressed for Nature Play. Please make sure that you send along school shoes for afterwards to change into. We start at 9am, so don’t be late!