Oxford Falls Early Learning Centre (Located in Sydneys Northern Beaches) sits on Guringai country, the land of the Garigal people and is dedicated to providing a welcoming, inclusive community which values and respects childhood and encourages the development of each child’s identity.
Respect and love of the land, nature and animals is what we embed in our program. We aim for our children to achieve a sense of wonder and a feeling of belonging to the land. We believe that children have the right to play in and connect with nature which encourages young children to develop lifelong respectful, positive and proactive attitudes towards our environment. The children spend long uninterrupted periods of time engaging in outdoor play, negotiating risks and experiencing nature. By being immersed in nature and our natural environment, we hope our children will have a lifelong journey respecting, protecting and preserving the environment and all creatures of our world.
Located on 5 acres of bushland, our fixed play areas include grass, trees, plants, stone and other natural elements whilst the land surrounding us includes a variety of native trees and plants, rock ledges, wallaby paths, lichen and many inhabitants such as wallabies, echidnas, water dragons, kookaburras, whip birds, pee wees, willy wag tails, Superb fairy wrens and more. Many of the creatures appear daily providing the children with the opportunity to view them closely in their natural surrounds.
Our Kookaburra Bush Program commenced in May 2023, will take small groups of children into the bush to learn about our natural environment. As educators, we will follow the children’s lead with their interests whilst also drawing their attention to what we see, hear and feel. During June and July, Adam and Clarence from the Bush to Bowl program will be spending time with us, teaching us about bush tucker and native plants and animals and making connections to the traditional owners of the land.
What will we do in the bush? Each time we journey along our bush track, we will learn, observe and make connections using all of our senses to experience the natural environment. We may learn about animals and their habitats, rocks, wind, shadows, trees, plants, leaves, seeds, pollination and growth. We may learn about bush tucker and have time to hear stories and yarns about the traditional owners of the land. By learning to identify animal tracks and droppings, we will have insight into which animals frequent this area. We will learn about bush safety and what we need to do to stay safe. We will learn to walk on uneven surfaces, what branches are strong enough to support our weight and how to move our bodies safely along paths and over rocks and other obstacles. We will do so in a respectful manner, taking care where our feet tread and using our eyes and ears to discover many things along our way.
Bush safety will be an important part of our bush excursions and will also be practiced during group times and intentional teaching moments at our centre. We will learn what we need to do if we see a snake, a spider or an unleashed dog or cat. We will learn to walk in single file, taking our time to ensure we all manage to manoeuvre over obstacles. Educators will not lift or carry children but will assist children verbally to negotiate difficulties in the terrain, allowing the children to navigate their own body movements. Information about the practice of sun safety, appropriate clothing and footwear and the use of insect repellent will be included in the bush excursion permission form. 
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