Play Based Learning Program

At our kinder, learning grows naturally through play, guided by each child’s interests, ideas, and sense of wonder. Children lead their own learning, with educators supporting and extending their thinking as they explore, create, and discover together.

Our beautiful outdoor environment is at the heart of this experience. Built with natural timbers sourced from the Dandenong fires, our playground offers a rich, ever-changing space where children can truly connect with nature. With growing trees, an orchid, a digging patch, sandpit, two creek beds with accessible water, and even a tree to climb, children are encouraged to take safe risks, use their imagination, and engage deeply in nature play.

Our program celebrates imaginative play and a strong connection to Country. Children explore the elements, feeling the wind, warming in the sun, noticing the moon, and observing the changing weather and seasons. Through this, they develop an understanding of local flora and fauna and begin to learn why it’s important to care for and respect the land around us.

Throughout the day, children are building friendships, solving problems, expressing ideas, and developing confidence and independence. While their learning may not always come home in a physical form, it is deeply meaningful, supporting their wellbeing, curiosity, and lifelong love of learning.

Excursions And Incursion

Our kinder program is enriched with a wide range of engaging experiences designed to spark curiosity, build connections, and support children’s learning in meaningful, hands-on ways.

The Rainbow Lorikeets participate in a variety of incursions within the safety and familiarity of the kinder environment, while the Rosellas enjoy both incursions and excursions that extend their learning into the wider community. Children experience incursions including Seaweed Sally and Wiggly Worm drama sessions, as well as a dedicated Butterfly and Bee incursions. Excursions for the Rosellas include visits to Twisted Science, Rickett’s Point, the local library, nearby parks, and Cheltenham Park alongside Trish, a Bunurong Elder, who shares her knowledge and connection to Country.

Our program also includes weekly Play Ball sessions and a farm excursion to Big Goose Farmyard in Balnarring. We value community and wellbeing, offering Child Safety sessions for both parents and children, along with family picnics that bring everyone together.

These experiences help create a warm, inclusive environment where children can explore, learn, and grow with confidence.

Learning in Connection with Country, Nature and Safety

Our program is grounded in children’s connection to Country, nature, and community. We honour the land we learn on and provide rich opportunities for children to develop a sense of belonging, respect, and care for the natural world around them. Learning is supported across all areas of development in line with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLF), including emotional, social, language, physical, and cognitive learning. These areas are nurtured through meaningful experiences that emerge from children’s interests, relationships, and curiosity about the world. Educators observe and respond to each child’s ideas and development, extending their learning through play, conversation, and shared discovery.

Learning is seen as a shared journey between children, educators, and the environment. Indoor and outdoor spaces are thoughtfully prepared to invite exploration, imagination, and hands-on engagement with natural materials and real-life experiences that reflect children’s everyday lives and connections to Country.

Our program values the diversity of each child’s strengths, interests, and ways of learning. Children are supported and gently challenged as their skills and understandings grow, with time and space to explore ideas deeply through questions, wonder, and active involvement.

We are committed to Child Safe Standards, ensuring every child feels safe, respected, and heard. Children are empowered to recognise their own rights and to understand that their voice matters. We promote key messages such as “My body, my rules” and encourage children to speak up, seek help, and trust the adults around them. Children are supported to build confidence in expressing their feelings, ideas, and concerns in a safe and nurturing environment.

We embrace cultural respect, inclusion, and equity, ensuring children see themselves and others reflected in the experiences and materials within our program. The rhythm of the day is calm and flexible, allowing for a balance of rest, active movement, and uninterrupted play. Children are never rushed, with time to follow their interests and engage fully in their learning.

Outdoor play is central to our philosophy. Our outdoor environment is an extension of our indoor spaces, offering opportunities for children to run, climb, dig, observe, and connect with Country. Through this, they build confidence, resilience, and a deep appreciation for nature, seasons, and the living world around them.