✦ At TG's Child Care Urangan, Playing is Learning for Life takes place everywhere. It is nurtured within TG's beautiful award-winning gardens and playspaces, and it also takes place beyond TG's to Urangan's community.
TG's Urangan is harnessing the ancient wisdom of indigenous cultures to support the children in building a sense of identity - this is where they learn how everything and everyone fits together in belonging, being and becoming.
This is thanks to TG's Urangan's Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) where their Heal Country commitment features strongly in their programs and curriculum.
TG's has been implementing indigenous programs in all of their six centres as a way to boost their sustainability values and help children go even further in eco and social intelligence. And in true blue TG's style, all their activities are fun, creative and keeps the children excited and delighted!
Let's go to the beach!
TG's children learn about how they can impact the environment, social aspects and economy of their locations. No one person is too small to make a difference, and TG's educators engage the children in activities that are relevant and identifiable for them. When children are aware they have the power to make a difference in caring for the planet or their communities, it makes them hungry to do more.
This is how TG's children become well-rounded young citizens who form meaningful connections with their world through belonging, being and becoming.
Every fortnight, the children at TG's Urangan go on a Beach Kindy excursion. It is one of the highlights of the activities at TG's, and it is often met by squeals of delight! The children know they are in for a treat and they are going to love exploring the great outdoors and simply soak up the lessons nature has for them.
Every element of the coast, the sand, the sea has something mysterious and magical to reveal. When you look at things through the eyes of a child, the beach becomes more than just a place you go to bathe, suntan and have a bit of a paddle. Experience a Beach Kindy with TG's children and you'll see what a rich world there is in every grain of sand and every wave brings you a little miracle you have seen a million times but never really noticed.
TG's Urangan's Beach Kindy really helps you open your eyes.
Do you know where corals come from? TG's children do! They know why it loses its colour and they are even little experts at the anatomy of a fish! Sir David Attenborough would be highly impressed by what TG's children have learnt from their Beach Kindys!
These outings are when learning is brought to life and the entire world becomes a fertile ground for the children's learning journeys. Even TG's educators openly admit they love being on these trips where they can participate in the children's excitement as they watch where crabs tunnel in the sand, and how they get curious about oyster shells. It is like making time stand still when you hold a piece of nature's miracle in your hands with a child and marvel over every texture and every shade of colour in it.
Most importantly, going on Beach Kindys allows the children to get out into the community and it nurtures a deep, loving appreciation of the land. The children wisely know they only leave footprints. That is what Butchulla lore teaches them. And of course, they also leave a lot of smiles and laughter there, which is perfectly welcome and does not harm the environment - laughter is pollution-free and eco-friendly after all!
The richness of a Beach Kindy does not just stop there. The children learn important life skills such as how to be safe in public, what road safety is all about and also how to be safe in water. The children learn how to take care of themselves and watch out for each other, and what it means to respect the community they are in.
The joy of running on the beach with one another is something every child should have the opportunity to experience and enjoy. There is plenty of room to stretch their legs and develop their gross motor skills. The next time you go to the beach, really feel how the sand moves beneath your soles, how warm and ticklish it can feel when waves lap against your feet. Salt water when it dries leaves a special feeling on your skin, and simply being out in fresh air and the sun makes your body feel strong and open. (Perhaps we are not too different from plants… we need a bit of sunlight to grow well!)
Basically, you will never see the beach or the sea in the same way again after you've experienced one of TG's Urangan's Beach Kindys!
A Fun Trek through the Bush
TG's Urangan's other fortnightly indigenous-culture-inspired activity is their Bush Kindys.
Australia is rich in a variety of landscapes and there is so much to explore, all we need is the time to do it.
The older children go to the Botanical Gardens for their Bush Kindy excursions. There is a small park where the children have fun practising their balancing and coordination skills walking on the swinging bridge and log stumps. They also make music with the big xylophone and they even learn how to pump water. It is easier when you have a friend to help you do it - after all, fun shared is fun doubled! The activities are endless and the children are fully engaged in exploring, experimenting, being curious and having fun.
Visits to the Butchulla garden is something the children love. This is where TG's educators talk about the native plants, what Butchulla lore says and the children learn what can be eaten for bush tucker. As designated and trusted little gardeners for TG's gardens, the children are familiar with learning about all kinds of plants. It makes them open and ready to get even more curious about new species of plants they do not recognise. They also get to see and learn about native animals such as native stingless bees (yes, they are friends, and the sugarbag honey these bees produce are a highly appreciated food of the Aborigines), kookaburras and cockatoos. The children learn not just what they look like, but also how they sound, what these animals like to do and how they behave. So if you need a little expert on Australia's indigenous flora and fauna, tap on the shoulder of one of TG's children, and they may just sit down with you and delight you with amazing information about a special plant or animal.
TG's Urangan's Beach and Bush Kindys provide a rich learning experience where the children are engaged in real life. It helps them feel connected to their communities and the environment. They can see everyone's place in it, and how each tiny little thing contributes to making the entire ecosystem or community work smoothly. They also develop their gross and fine motor skills as well as learn valuable social, language and team work skills.
The beauty of it is, the children always come back from their Beach or Bush Kindys with many exciting stories to tell and every excursion brings something new and different. Even families look forward to these excursions, because they know there'll be an interesting talk at dinner time and they'll learn a thing or two from the children!
The Magic of Friendships
Incorporating Butchulla culture into TG's Urangan's curriculum helps to nurture the relationships the children have with their peers, educators and people in their communities.
The children form beautiful friendships during these excursions - perhaps it is being in the loving embrace of nature and indigenous culture that enriches these connections even more. These friendships help the children with communication and socialisation development. And of course, what is just as priceless… oodles of giggles and happy memories!
TG’s supports the children to grow strong friendships and the bond they form with one another helps them feel safe, connected, loved and supported. Childhood is a magical time for friendships, and it forms part of TG's magic and sensation of how it 'feels just right' when you step into TG's gardens and playspaces. The children are part of generating this magic too.
Taking Indigenous Wisdom into the Future
As Butchulla's three lores align perfectly with TG's sustainability values (social, economic and environmental), TG's Urangan has been going full steam ahead with their Heal Country commitment.
The 3 Butchulla Lores are: 1. What is good for the land comes first. 2. Do not take or touch anything that doesn’t belong to you. 3. If you have plenty, you must share.
The children build a sense of pride and responsibility learning they have the skills and knowledge to take care of their environment. It is an empowering feeling when a child realises there is so much they can do, and size really does not matter.
Each of us can make a difference. The beach and the sea may be there for us, and we are free to explore the sand and sea life, but it is also important to have an awareness of the impact our actions can have. The children have incorporated a genuine respect for their environment, and it is something that comes naturally to them now. What TG's Urangan is so proud of is how the children, in their own unique way, are all leaving beautiful footprints on the land.
TG's children have become the trusted stewardship of their planet's future. We trust in these little but strong hands, and they are becoming confident leaders who are supported by the ancient guidance of Australia's indigenous peoples.
A Beach or Bush Kindy this weekend, anyone?
TG's Urangan is celebrating with an Open Day on 15th January 2022, from 11am to 2pm at TG's Child Care Urangan, 61 Miller St, Urangan QLD 4655, Australia. Come celebrate the joy of Playing is Learning for Life at TG's Award-Winning Gardens.
TG's Child Care and Kindergarten
61 Miller St, Urangan QLD 4655, Australia
(07) 4184 2282
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