Our Wattle Glow Early Learning programs provide a nurturing and holistic foundation for young children. Our program fosters the development of the whole child, whilst nurturing children’s minds and senses through our natural, creative and engaging environment.

Our environment is filled with rich experiences that focus on imaginative, creative and organically driven play. Our learning environments are a unique combination of balanced openended child-led play experiences and intentional teaching experiences that are thoughtful and deliberate and meet the individual needs of all children. Children’s development is enriched through imaginative and creative play, bush exploration, artistic activities, crafts, verses and songs,puppetry and fairy tales.

Our days are filled with times for outdoor nature play, circle time, mealtimes, indoor playtime, crafts, rest, storytelling and music and movement. The week has at times its own individual rhythms and seasonal activities such as gathering autumn leaves and planting seed deepen the child’s awareness and understanding of the natural world around them and the cycle of the year. In the natural, rhythmical and creative environment of our Early Learning programs, children are given the freedom, confidence, independence and security to prepare for the next phase of their school life.

Through our daily activities and rhythms a strong foundation is created for the future academic success in young children.

• Songs and nursery rhymes cultivate an understanding of language and the world of words.
• Listening to stories and participating in dramatic play strengthens the power of relationships, memory and imagination.
• Counting games and rhythmic activities build a solid foundation for mathematics and number skills.
• Artistic activities and crafts help the children develop fine motor skills, co-ordination and the ability to concentrate.
• Plentiful time for free indoor and outdoor play enables children to strengthen their bodies, create and build strong social relationships and provokes awareness and curiosity of the world around them.
• Bush Preschool is imbedded into our preschool and pre-kindy, to give the children a love of the natural environment, to climb, discover and explore within our beautiful Blue Mountains setting.
• Natural climbing frames, forts and tree swings offer a change for children to strengthen their gross motor skills and refine their own strength and confidence is their motor skills.
• Storytelling supports children social and emotional wellbeing, giving children a foundation of understanding.

Bush School Program

The Wattle Glow Early Learning Bush School is an innovative and educational based program, which encourages children to spend more time outside immersed in their environment and connecting play to nature. The Preschool and Pre-kindy Bush School Programs operate outside in all seasons and provide wonderful opportunities for discovery and imaginative play. Bush School is intended to motivate, engage and inspire children through offering experiences in natural environments. The Wattles Glow Early Learning Bush School Programs will be held within the amazing settings of our greater Blue Mountains Steiner School allowing us as a community to be active explorers of our natural surroundings. Our bush preschool will recognise the significance the bush has in Australian folklore and the importance of the land in Aboriginal culture. Underpinning the program is the Steiner philosophy and pedagogy of our early learning programs.

Key features of the Bush School Program include:

• Regular periods of play in natural environments all year round
• Children experience the daily and seasonal fluctuations in weather and seasons.
• Our Bush School encourages children to learn from the natural environment, have opportunities to explore natural elements and minimal tools to enable problem solving and creative development, leaving only a footprint behind.
• The program supports children through free unstructured nature play to develop early risk management strategies.
• Children will be supported and encouraged to step outside their comfort zone to develop and foster self-esteem, team building, resilience and a strong sense of being.
• Bush School deepens children’sunderstanding of community and where they fit in, and offers opportunities for children to engage in real life.
• Children will seek and learn a deeper understanding and respect

At Wattle Glow Early Learning we offer two Early Childhood offerings located at our school;

Preschool

2½-5 years • 7.30am-5pm, Monday to Friday

48 weeks per year • Wattle Room

Our preschool is a licensed long day-care centre offering families a

choice of any day that meets the requirements of their individual

needs.

2018 Introductions to Preschool include:

• Nutritional morning tea and afternoon tea will be provided by the centre for all children. Families will provide lunch for their children.

• Wattle Glow preschool has an imbedded Bush School that will run throughout the week.

• Nappy change facilities for those in nappies. Centre will provide organic disposable nappies, however those that wish to use cloth or another nappy will need to provide these from home.

• Sleeping beds for those children who wish to sleep. All children are required to have a rest period, however older children who do not need to sleep past their given relaxation period will be engaging in other activities at this time.

Pre-kindy

4-5 years • 9am-3pm • Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday • School terms • Boronia Room

Our Pre-kindy program is designed for those children who are in the year prior school. We offer a small class size for students so spots are limited.

2018 Introductions to the Pre-kindy include:

• Nutritional shared fruit platter morning tea

• Pre-Kindy has an imbedded Bush School that will run 1 session a week. Families will provide lunch for their children.