A Child more than anyone is a spontaneous observer of nature - Maria Montessori
Bu - 6 weeks to 12 months
Nature treasure basket; Create a basket of nature-based materials to explore
Resources needed:
- Cones
- Leaves
- Wooden pegs
- Flower
- Herbs
- Basket
Engagement/Learning
- Sensory exploration
- Hand eye coordination
- Exploration and investigation skills
Perridak
1 to 2 years
Playdough printing; Make playdough, and using the natural materials found in the garden use them to manipulate, print and share the playdough
Resources needed:
- Playdough (flour, water, oil and cream or tartar)
- Sticks
- Leaves
- Herbs
- Flowers
Engagement/Learning
- Fine motor
- Creative arts
- Exploration and investigation skills
- Sensory exploration
Go-Yin
2 to 3 years
Potions and lotions; Using collections of herbs, sticks, flowers, leaves mud/sand and water allow the children to mix, mash and create with their imagination
Resources needed:
- Cones, Leaves & Flowers
- Herbs
- Sticks
- Pestle and mortar
- Tub
- Water/sand/mud
Engagement/Learning
- Creativity
- Balance
- Hand eye coordination
- Fine motor
- Physical development
Ngurr-Ngurr
3 to 5 years
Picture collages; Using the natural materials, you have collected create portraits and pictures of yourself and families
Resources needed:
- Cones
- Leaves
- Flower
- Sticks
- Herbs
- Cardboard
- Glue
Engagement/Learning
- Creative arts
- Effective communication
- Fine motor skills
- Physical and emotional wellbeing
Yurn
4 to 6 years
Easter garden creations; Using sticks, grass, gum nuts, pebbles and leaves create yourself a Easter garden where fairies and the Easter bunny can visits and play
Resources needed:
- Cones, Leaves & Flowers
- Sticks
- Herbs
- Potatoes (for the bunnies/chicks)
- Carboard
- Grass
- Pebbles/gum nuts
Engagement/Learning
- Fine motor
- Learning dispositions of concentration and persistence
- Connect to the world and the land
- Creative arts
Mon.Garrk School age
Bug hotels; Using the natural materials found and collected make a bug hotel. You may like to use a tin as the outer frame, or wrap wood around a cardboard box to form a hotel
Resources needed:
- Cones
- Leaves
- Flower
- Herbs
- Sticks
- Gum nuts
- Bamboo sticks
Engagement/Learning
- Enquiry
- STEM
- Art and design
- Fine motor
- Physical education
Family-Friendly Recipe Idea:
Mon.Garrk balls (Echidna balls) - Serves 6-8
- 1 kg minced meat
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 cup of cooked white rice
- 500mls of passata
- Dried Italian herbs
- 1 Grated onion
- 2 grated carrots
- 450g of mushrooms chopped
- 2Tbsp of oil
Method
- Sautee the onion in a pan for 2 mins with the oil
- Add the carrot and mushrooms and herbs and continue to cook for another 5 mins – stirring regularly
- Add the passata to the vegetable mix and simmer for another 5 minutes (for fussy eaters blend this sauce until smooth)
- In a bowl mix the mince, eggs and rice together
- Form balls with the meat
- Add the balls to the tomato mixture and cook for 45 minutes on a low heat.
- When the rice pops through the balls to make them look like echidna’s it is ready to serve