Being a part of new and innovative ways of doing things can be a difficult journey. From the outset I had my doubts about how all this can work in our Australian educational culture, our political climate and within community expectations. The issues that troubled me were what often led to my reflections within the blog as I teased out the various perspectives that I'd been introduced to, the ways of doing and ultimately what that meant for me as a possible leader in the concept. At times I was discouraged, not by what I saw and experienced overseas, but by how it was received back home in Australia. Comments of 'yea but. . . ' constantly ringing in my ears, the glazed over look you sometimes get when the people you're talking too don't get your passion, and comments that it's all too visionary, to 'out there' for your average early childhood setting. Other times I would meet with equal passion, but increased fear of it being too hard, or too risky.
So it was with all these things buzzing around my head that I visited 'Bush School' at John Brotchie preschool. I was hoping for more answers to the puzzle of how to make it work. Here was a preschool with yet another visionary leader, an educator who has the courage to take a leap based on sound judgement, current theory and research as well as an instinct for what is good for children. Rebecca Andrews is the principal of the preschool and also the recipient of a scholarship to study the ideas of forest schools in Denmark. The bush school that she facilitates began with an idea in the form of a pilot and has grown to become an integral part of the preschool ethos and community partnerships of John Brotchie Preschool.
A DAY AT BUSH SCHOOL
The children arrive and get 'geared up' for the day. This involves a process of preparing for the weather, depending on current reports from the Bureau of Meteorology. They wear high visibility vests and matching hats. The children transfer their food for the day into their bush school backpacks which are sturdy, roomy and designed for the purpose. Each pack includes a bottle of fresh water. If it looks like rain children will be kitted out in protective clothing and boots. The staff wear huge back packs that include such things as first aid, spare clothing, moistened towelettes, fresh water, tarps and the most important thing of all, hot chocolate.
We begin the walk to the bush site. We are in a busy metropolis, distinctively urban but also industrial. The site is about a mile away and the going is slow. The staff allow children time to discover things on the way and use it as a learning tool. With new children joining the group, road safety and reminders of how to stay safe while out and about were consistently being raised. A large drain was pointed out with messages of keeping the streets clean for the sake of sea creatures followed up with rubbish collection along the way. According to Rebecca some of the industrial sites that we passed have become more waste aware from the presence and diligence of preschoolers picking up the lunch waste workers have thrown into the street and putting it in a big canvas bag held by one of the educators.
We arrived at a patch of bush. It didn't look like much. A bit of grass bordered by a combination of native trees and weeds. There was a centrally placed stump and obvious perimeters that are all important in deciding on an appropriate site. It needs basically a clearing, a central meeting place and clear perimeters. What the children do with what is on offer is up to them.
The children were given the freedom to have a snack if they wished or go play, within the boundaries. Many disappeared into the scrub, some scurried to the two climbing trees on either end (and they climbed really high with the support of educators and peers) and some went on an exploration to the far end of the boundary. A few stayed on the tarp to eat and socialise. Two boys went straight to the stump, which was to be their Star Wars space ship and looked for sticks to use as sabers. One child said, 'No, wait, we have to wait for Jake'. I recalled Jake being a part of the conversation at the beginning of the morning when the three boys sat down together, explaining that they were going to 'talk about what we're going to do at bush school'. Once he was ready the three of them played Star Wars for a long time, imagining and innovating fixed and loose natural items to support their play. 'Their language needs to be pretty sophisticated as they play' Rebecca later explained, 'as they need to make it really clear to each other what they are using and how to use it. I've seen a real development in the children's expressive and receptive language'.
I found a tangle of weeds and commenced to make myself a shelter. A little girl eventually approached and asked what I was doing and began gathering stick supports and long blades of grass to use to bind the pieces. A group of children began to show an interest until we heard the blast of a whistle. This is only used as a drill and was an important part of the morning to let the new children know what it meant and what to do if it was sounded in the case of an emergency.
We were then ready to move on to the next adventure, Base Camp 2. A short walk along a grassy path and we discovered a wide sandy clearing. Here we ate lunch, were reminded of the perimeters and commenced to play again. The play here was quite different. Many dug in the sand, a few children created art with sticks and leaves and many followed the path back to the exercise tree.
Some of the boys rumbled and played rough. I was amazed as I saw four boys with heavy sticks playing at being in a fight. Their movements were skilled as they swung the stcks in wide arcs, pulling up at the right moment to not make contact. They mimicked tumbles and wrestled, at one stage a few on top of one. Nobody was hurt, nobody was overly rough, but they were able to use their large muscles in refined and purposeful ways as well as keep their emotions in check. How wonderful to give boys such freedom. In a preschool setting this is often discouraged with a view to children's safety. Here, it was a part of the fabric of the place.
I climbed the exercise tree and watched from my perch as children challenged themselves to negotiate the process of climbing to a branch, sitting on it as they clutched a higher branch and swung themselves to the ground, all smiles. A long twisted branch along the ground was perfect for balancing on, and another nearby tree had a sloping trunk that allowed children to climb to a hight that gave them a sense of accomplishment and danger.
When it was time to return home, we met around an unlit camp fire made of a pyramid of sticks. We had hot chocolate and marshmallows and chatted companionably. The final activity was that of getting ready for the trek home, finding bags, packing water bottles, folding tarps, ensuring we left the place as we found it.
On the way back many people from the community waved and smiled hellos and were greeted by the children. At one of the industrial sites a lady lent out of a first floor office window, called out and asked the children what they had been doing at bush school today. This is a regular occurrence as the community get to see the children being visible within their local environs and have some small part in their day.
On our return I was able to chat with Rebecca and her co-worker Lisa. I'll post my thoughts on that very enlightening conversation a little later.