This survey will close on Sunday November 13 (midnight).
We've teamed up with Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Parks Victoria, Westgarth Bush Kinder, Early Childhood Outdoors Learning Network, Manningham City Council and the Department of Health and Human Services Victoria to gather key data.
Help us support and grow the Kids In Nature movement in Victoria!
The survey will take up to 20 minutes and is best completed in one go.
All survey participants will go into a draw to win one of five copies of award-winning author Richard Louv's book, Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-rich Life.
We'd love to include your initiative in the new program!
For kids and families, Nature Play Week is a great way to discover and explore the gardens, parks, beaches and rivers on our doorstep in a supportive environment. The program will include a kids active outdoors festival, family nature days, bushwalks, unique encounters with frogs, birds, burrowers, bats and bugs and nature clubs, special scavenger hunts and nature art.
The program will also feature several great networking and professional development events for practitioners, teachers, land managers and parents.
Nature Play Week is a finalist and winner!
Nature Play Week is a Finalist in the Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards 2016 and the Winner of the People’s Choice Award in the community category!
Congratulations and a huge thanks to everyone who has contributed to this signature initiative over the past three years: all partners, event hosts, organisers, participants and supporters!
And massive thanks to everyone who voted!
Nature Play Week 2016 ran from 6-17 April, featured 173 events staged by more than 70 groups across Victoria and beyond. 15,000 people participated this year! Thanks to everyone who staged and event or volunteered their time, energy and expertise. Without you, Nature Play Week would not exist! www.natureplayweek.org.au
Professional Development Opportunity Aboriginal perspectives on Being, Belonging, Becoming.
It's everybody's business
DATE: Saturday 12 November 2016, 9.30am-4.30pm
VENUE: Bubup Wilam for Early Learning Aboriginal Child and Family Centre, 76 Main Street Thomastown
BOOKINGS: Lisa Thorpe or Angie Zerella
lisa.thorpe@bubupwilam.org.au
PHONE: 03 8459 4800
COST: $250
FACILITATOR: Lisa Thorpe and Angie Zerella
Bubup Wilam means ‘Children’s Place’ in Woi Wurrung language. Bubup Wilam for Early Learning is an Aboriginal Child and Family Centre in the suburb of Thomastown in Melbourne‘s north.
Bubup Wilam provides Aboriginal children, families and the community with access to an integrated range of services and programs, including: early years education (including long day care & kindergarten), early intervention and prevention programs and health and wellbeing services.
The philosophy of Bubup Wilam reflects the notions of being, belonging and becoming which will be used as a starting point to enhance our knowledge of Aboriginal Australia and how that relates in early years development. As well as giving us insight into how we can work more effectively, in solidarity with Aboriginal Australians.
Recommended for Early Years Educators and any one working with Aboriginal children and families.
Outdoor Learning Curriculum Series
Nature is the perfect classroom. It provides endless opportunities for students to learn about the real world in meaningful ways.
There are also a wide range of academic, health and wellbeing benefits from learning in the outdoors. From reduced stress and anxiety, to increased feelings of happiness, as well as improved memory, focus and creativity!
This collection of over 40 lessons, allows educators from Early Learning, Primary and Secondary to reap the benefits of outdoor learning, without sacrificing curriculum requirements.
Each lesson is mapped to the outcomes of the Australian Curriculum and contains all the tools required for teachers to feel fully prepared when taking their class outside.
Check out the digital library which is full of videos, infographics, factsheets, research and news articles to support teachers and students to get outdoors.
Picture by Narelle Debenham, Natured Kids.
School Partnership opportunities in 2017 - Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne Gardens.
RBGV''s objective is to parker with schools with a disadvantaged demographic, to prove students and teachers with a learning opportunity that they would not usually have access to. This is achieved by providing access to the Melbourne Gardens, our horticultural expertise, the tools and inspiration to grow and foster their own garden and green space within their school. Click here to find out more!
Everything you need to know about managing risk in Early Years services?
Play Australia in collaboration with Environmental Education in Early Childhood (EEEC), invites you to attend a One Day Conference to be held at the Moonee Valley Racecourse on FridayNovember 25 commencing at 9.30am and finishing at 3.30pm.
Presenters include Dr. Sue Elliott, Mary Jeavons, Elizabeth Cummins, Bron Joslyn, Joey Boothby, Cecile van der Burgh and Dr. Barbara Chancellor.
If you have any upcoming events or news you'd like to share with the network, please do not hesitate to post them to our Facebook pages , tag us in your post, tweet @Kids_In_Nature or email us at info@kidsinnaturenetwork.org.au - whilst we cannot share every single post, we will try to help out where we can. Thanks for sharing your inspiring and important work with the world!
See you soon!
Cecile, Chris, Emily, Sanne, Georga, Kim and Eva.
Kids In Nature Network
About Kids In Nature Network
The Kids in Nature Network is a cross-sectoral network in Victoria, Australia, which acts to empower, connect and grow a movement of individuals and organisations that are committed to reconnecting children and nature. Our network is diverse with leaders from the health, education, environment, outdoors, urban planning, community, arts and many other sectors.
Our vision
Every kid has every opportunity to experience, love and look after nature.
Our work
We work by providing unique opportunities for collaboration and capacity building and through open sharing of experiences, ideas and knowledge amongst our members and allies. We also facilitate Nature Play Week, a celebration of your work and all things nature play. Since 2011, we have held a series of networking seminars with local and international speakers including Graeme Base, Alison Lester, Jackie French, Prof. Tim Entwisle, Dr. Mardie Townsend, Dr. Tim Gill, David Bond, Dr. Michael Ungar and many others. We have co-hosted the Nature Connect Conference in 2014 featuring Richard Louv, Author and Co-founder of the Children and Nature Network in the USA who inspires us deeply. We recently presented our work at the World Parks Congress.
