“The best classroom and the richest cupboard are roofed only by the sky.”
Margaret McMillan 

Young children are naturally drawn to the outdoors. Outdoor play is an important aspect of children’s learning, development, and wellbeing and there are many benefits to this type of experience.  

Outdoor play provides children with the opportunity to explore and connect with their environment. Whilst doing so, they are developing their muscle strength and coordination and gaining self-confidence. Active play outdoors also increases flexibility, fine and gross motor skills, balance, and coordination. 

Children have a great need for physical exercise and activity. They need opportunities to use their muscles to run, swing, climb, jump, and ride a bike. They use their whole body when they are engaged in outdoor activity. There are also opportunities for risk-taking and trying new experiences. This helps the children to develop a sense of their own boundaries. As Roald Dahl once said, “the more risks you allow children to take, the better they learn to take care of themselves.” 

It is important for children’s physical and emotional wellbeing that they have time out in the fresh air and sunshine. This gives them a sense of freedom to exert their energy and leads to them feeling happier and calmer. Being outside means that children naturally get Vitamin D, which is proven to improve moods and create a positive attitude. 

Outdoor play is a wonderful way to develop children’s creativity and imagination. The children’s imaginations are stimulated by the natural elements and objects around them. They invent interesting ways of using the objects they have collected from the garden and incorporate these into their play. 

Children gain a wonderful sense of space from being outdoors. It is less crowded and less overwhelming in comparison to the indoor learning environment, and therefore we often find that children are more relaxed and more open to social interaction and small group play. This provides the children with the opportunity to fine-tune their skills in turn-taking, negotiation, and collaboration. 

We value the importance of outdoor play in our ELC and incorporate this into our daily experiences. The children have regular opportunities to engage with our nature-inspired outdoor playscape where they can run, climb, imagine, interact, and create using their whole bodies and their senses. 

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Out of School Hours Care – Term 2 Week 5 Activities

Upcoming activities for Term 2 Week 5 are detailed here.

St Catherine’s School offers an Out of School Hours Care program to all ELC and Junior School families. The program is implemented by our provider ‘After the Bell’ and operates within the ELC building. Parents are reminded that if you need to use the Before School Care or After School Care service, registrations need to be made in advance with ‘After the Bell’. Please allow up to five business days for your registration to be processed before your child can begin attending the program. Registration is free. All families are encouraged to register so that they can use this service in the event that you are unable to pick up your child.

Before School Care – 7.00am to 8.45am

After School Care – 3.00pm to 6.00pm

Registrations can be completed via the ‘After the Bell’ website.

Please phone 9758 6744 for all inquiries.