Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Bush kinder.

On a Tuesday...

my smallest and I rug up in our warmest gear.

We meet our friends (sometimes many and sometimes few)...

and with our backpacks on our backs, we head into the forest.

By now we are all familiar with the routine. We sing, we climb, we balance and we discover.

We look out for interesting things and collect treasures in our basket.
We make mud cakes and mud pies and mud smoothies.

 Over the wintry months we light a small fire.
We share some morning tea and a much needed hot drink,

and a row or two of our knitting.


After morning tea we wander through the forest to the kookaburra tree, the story spot, the horsey tree and the goodbye place.

In the depths of winter it is often hard to imagine getting out and spending a few hours in the middle of the forest, but we are always happy when we have.

I've never taken my camera along before. Some things are better experienced in the moment. But I'm really glad it was sitting on the front seat of my car yesterday and I did. Bush kinder has been such a wonderful part of our lives over the past few years, and I'm thrilled to have captured a moment or two.

I feel so anxious every time I think about Miss Pepper growing up and heading off to school next year. I feel the need to prolong these next few months. To embrace her childhood with everything I have. On bush kinder days I feel like I have succeeded.

See ya later,
bushy potato. xx

48 comments:

  1. sounds just devine....

    cheers Kate

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  2. I applaud you parents for leaving the comfort of a warm home and giving these littlies experiences that will be with them for life. I just love what you've been doing...an amazing idea.

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  3. This just looks like so much fun! I know just what you mean about wanting to prolong those months, enjoy the moments Kate..x

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  4. I completely understand. My youngest is at Kinder too and I'm feeling the time slip through my fingers. I get teary just thinking about it.

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  5. Hi Kate, I love your blog :)
    I am totally jealous that you have found a bunch of like-minded people to share such a thing! My little Ivy and I go on 'bush adventures' all the time, but how unbelievably cool that you all get to do this together as a group. I love this idea, 'bush kinder', one of the coolest things I have ever heard! Bianca.

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  6. What a great way to spend your Tuesdays!

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  7. This post made me want to pack up, abandon my tropical abode and hunt down some frosty cool forest. And I *hate* the cold. So so gorgeous, Kate.
    x

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  8. all so sweet!!! Thank you for sharing these moments with us!
    xxx Alessandra

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  9. This is so cool!
    Thank you so much for taking some photos for us -
    and you!xx

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  10. This is lovely, we do a creek walk in my part of the world, looking for the Gruffalo and his friends!

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  11. absolute preciousness.... is school next year? I would love to come to bush kinder with my knitting.... perhaps I shall just make my own little spot in my yard! xx

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  12. I love the idea of Bush Kinder (especially in Australia). My friend's brother lived in Germany and their son was going to a Forrest Kindergarden and tbh in Germany that just sounded really cold to me. Apparently there is no unsuitable weather, just unsuitable clothing :-)

    Anyway, I was very happy to see C&K in Queensland is trying to get back to nature for the kids to explore and increase the hours the kids spend outside. I do think kids are happiest outside and your pictures seem to confirm that.

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    Replies
    1. I love that 'unsuitable clothing' quote.
      I think bush kinder is the Australian sister of forrest kinder.

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  13. I'm 32 and I wanna go to bush kinder. Best ever!! Fires and fruit and climbing and mud pies, how could you go wrong?

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  14. This is so cool, i LOVED embracing time with my last baby before he went off to school, the one on one time was amazing. I had to pick him up early today as he fell from the monkey bars at lunch (no broken bones) but just that hour, alone with him - i said that when his sisters (twins) start high school like their biggest sister, it will just be the two of us again, for half an hour, every afternoon while we wait for them to finish. Yay!! Love Posie

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  15. Oh those lucky lucky kidlets and their extra lucky mamas! When we visit Granddad's farm we always put on our boots and go down to "Fairyland" by the creek and look for treasures, how fantastic you get to do this weekly. melx

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  16. I'm overwhelmed by how unreal bush kinder looks! And by the thought of a youngest going to school. *sob* Kellie xx

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  17. I love it! Is it an organised or informal bush kinder. I have heard of some organised ones but never seen one in action. Yours looks terrific.

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    1. It is organised.
      There is a leader, a treasurer, a secretary and an agm.
      It feels very informal but I know a lot of work goes on behind the scenes.

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  18. I love reading your blog. I live in New York and love to read about your country and life. We have opposite seasons, so I like to read about your winter while we are in summer. Tell us that dont know what is a kookaberra tree?

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  19. What a magic time the poppets...and their Mummas must have! Such beautiful simple, natural play. Bijou is off to kindy next year and although only two days a week I too am holding onto these last few months with all that I have. Enjoy your special time with you special girl :) x

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  20. Bush kinder sounds and looks like the best, wish we had bush kinder for adults! xo

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  21. Bush kinder looks like such fun Kate. I hope that Pepper relishes every minute of it before she has her big adventure at school!

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  22. my word this is so inspiring. i've looked at forest schools (in readings only) in a professional capacity, how silly not to consider just doing this! oooh, i could do sea kinder! right, that's it. grab your boots, kids!

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  23. Love love love!

    I'm thinking there needs to be a bush kinder for mums ;-)

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  24. oh how absolutely wonderful, a day to be cherished

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  25. Children are precious no matter what their age - you grow with them. A teenager needs you even more than a little one in so many ways. From the moment of birth they have their own characters so no matter how old, and mine is 25 years old now, they are always your child (and you are always their soft place to fall, if you want to be). I loved the tiny baby, the toddler and the school years simply because throughout all the changes, the one constant was the spirit of my daughter that essence that makes her different and my daughter. I don't miss any of it that has passed, but I enjoyed all of it as I am still doing. You will never ever stop being Mummy. I only got to do it once and it's still good. (Well, you know in between the bits where you tear your hair out). Don't spoil the present by worrying about the future. Now is all there is.

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  26. How simply beautiful! I felt as if we got to join your adventure. What a lovely thing to do with them. Your knitting looks divine - can't wait to see what it is! =)

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  27. I saw a commercial last week that made me think of you, it's a Subaru commercial...and it just seems fitting with your post today...
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqhnSYw1W58

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  28. Beautiful pics!! Great idea to spend fruitful time with children.. We do not have any jungle left here near our city, but my village is nearby so whenever we get time we head to the fields where the children get feel of nature at its best. Fields growing wheat, mustard, rice and spices..

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  29. Oh I am totally smitten with bush kinder Kate, looks and sounds like an amazing way to spend time out in nature.
    Xx

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  30. oh how I wish I had a group of mama friends to do this with.
    We go to a Steiner Playgroup which is just lovely, but your Bush Kinder looks like its for the mamas too.
    I'm sure you will always hold those rugged up wintery days in your heart. As will your littlies.
    I'm a new reader of your blog. It's nice to have found you.
    Becks
    x

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  31. What a precious time to share. So glad that you got some of (your usual) gorgeous photos for memories.

    I do miss my time with the kids now that they are in school but we are all thriving.

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  32. i am in love with bush kinder. wishing we had something like that here where we live.

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  33. That is so super special.....it looks like very precious time spent together....all those girls too. x

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  34. What an incredible childhood. What I would give for my children to grow up like this! Alas my partner is far from a farmer, a complete city geek who grew up in a flat and doesn't get how alive you feel in the bush. The best I've been able to do is convince him to buy a vintage trailer and come on a road trip.

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