Since 2017, children enrolled in Merri’s 4-year-old Funded Kindergarten program have the opportunity to take part in the Bush Kinder program at Strettle Wetland Reserve one day per week each term. Merri’s Bush Kinder days change each term to enable all children to have more than one day access to the Bush Kinder program throughout the year.
Merri’s Bush Kindergarten program is an extension of our home Kindergarten Program.
Our Bush Kindergarten Program enables children to;
- Extend their knowledge and understanding of nature
- Explore and take pleasure in the discovery of nature
- Play and use nature to expand their imagination, language and social skills
- Connect to Country and learn about Aboriginal Heritage
- Connect with their local environment by extending their knowledge and understanding of the world
- Learn about natural habitats
- Understand their own capacity of risk
- Learn about the seasons
4-Year-Old Kindergarten Schedule
Term 1 – Mondays
Term 2 – Tuesdays
Term 3 – Wednesdays
Term 4 – Thursdays
Please login to the policy page under Resources for a full copy of all Merri’s Bush Kinder Policies, the Bush Kindergarten Handbook, and Risk Minimisation Plan for more details.
In the second half of 2023 we trialed Bush Kinder for the Three-Year-Old Kindergarten group with great success. This was put on hold in 2024 as the room underwent renovations. We will reinstate the Bush Kinder program for the Inventors room children during Term 3 and Term 4 from 2025, with schedule TBC based on maximising the number children throughout the week an opportunity to participate.