Woombye Childcare and Kindergarten

06/06/2026

In Finland, education often extends beyond the walls of a traditional classroom. Some schools regularly use forest classrooms, taking students into nearby woodlands where lessons are conducted among trees, natural trails, and open green spaces. Rather than spending the entire day indoors, children have opportunities to learn in an environment that combines academic subjects with direct experiences in nature.

Teachers adapt many activities to the outdoor setting. Mathematics can involve measuring natural objects, science lessons can focus on plants, insects, and ecosystems, and language exercises may encourage students to observe and describe their surroundings. The forest becomes a living learning space where children can explore, ask questions, and engage with concepts in a more hands-on way. Fresh air, movement, and contact with nature are incorporated into the school day while still supporting educational goals.

What makes this approach especially interesting is that it views nature as an extension of the classroom rather than a separate destination. Students continue learning important subjects while developing a deeper understanding of the environment around them. Many educators believe that outdoor learning can encourage curiosity, concentration, problem-solving, and appreciation for nature. By occasionally replacing walls and desks with trees and open spaces, these forest classrooms demonstrate that meaningful education can happen in many different settings. It is a thoughtful example of how schools can create engaging learning experiences while helping children build a stronger connection with the natural world.

06/06/2026

Learning begins with noticing, but inquiry begins with wondering.
At WCK our experienced team of qualified Early Childhood Teachers intentionally use open-ended questions that invite thinking rather than seeking a single correct answer.

Questions such as:
"I wonder who made these tracks?"
"What do you think happened here?"
"Why might that bird be calling?"
"What else could it be?"

These questions encourage children to share theories, consider possibilities, challenge ideas, and think more deeply about the world around them. Inquiry-based wondering invites children to develop theories, possibilities and interpretations, rather than simply tell us what they observed.

Recently, after noticing tracks in the mud at the farm, the children began researching who they might belong to. They carefully observed the size, shape and patterns of the prints, comparing them to the animals that live on the farm. Some children thought the tracks belonged to a cow because of their large size, while others suggested a pig. As they looked more closely, they noticed the prints were larger than a trotter. Other prints lead to the theorising that they may have been made by cats, dogs or a wild fox. Oh and off course a tractor or the gator tyre print lead to further discussions.

A simple set of tracks became an opportunity for investigation, discussion, problem-solving and collaborative thinking. The focus was not on finding the "right" answer, but on exploring possibilities, testing ideas and learning together.

By valuing children's theories and wonderings, we communicate that their ideas matter and that there can be many possible answers. It is through these shared moments of curiosity, uncertainty and discovery that meaningful inquiry grows

04/06/2026

Gumnuts, native bees and bush discoveries 🌿🌼

Enrol today at WCK for your child to be part of our kindy sessions on country

04/06/2026

04/06/2026

Outside the Gates, Learning Continues

Walking Woombye is about far more than going for a walk. It is allows our WCK Explorers to notice, wonder, connect and contribute to the community around them.

As we walk through our town, unexpected opportunities for learning often unfold. A car bogged offered the chance conversation on the problem that needed solving becoming the starting point for rich conversations

Over the years, our children have built connections with many familiar faces in our community. They look forward to seeing Chris at the library, sharing stories, asking questions and discovering new books together. They have been invited by Frieda to explore and enjoy a picnic in her beautiful garden, learning firsthand about generosity, care and community spirit. They have stopped to listen to the local choir rehearsing, sparking conversations about music, performance and the different ways people contribute to community life.

These encounters help children understand that learning does not only happen within the walls of our studios. It happens through relationships, curiosity, problem solving and participation in the world around them. Children begin to see themselves as active citizens whose ideas, questions and contributions matter.

Walking Woombye allows us to slow down. To notice. To connect. To follow children's theories and interests as they emerge naturally through authentic experiences.

Because sometimes the most important part of the journey isn't where we are going—it's what we discover, who we meet and the conversations we have along the way.

The Woombye Way

04/06/2026

Nature provides some of the richest and most meaningful materials for children to create, explore and express themselves.

This week, the children used leaves, feathers, flowers, sticks, twine, wool and horse and cow hair as both tools and materials for making paintbrushes, weaving frames emerged from sticks and twine, and collaborative artworks grew as children shared ideas, stories and discoveries together.

There is something special about creating with natural materials. Unlike manufactured resources, nature invites open-ended possibilities. A feather becomes a paintbrush, a stick becomes a weaving tool, and a collection of leaves becomes part of a shared artwork. There is no right or wrong way—just curiosity, creativity and imagination.

As children paint, weave, thread and build, they are also strengthening fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and concentration. More importantly, they are developing relationships—with each other, with the materials and with the natural world around them.

Working collaboratively encourages children to negotiate, share ideas, solve problems and celebrate each other's contributions. Through these experiences, children explore their social and emotional identities while developing a sense of belonging and connection to their community and environment.

Nature is always inviting us to slow down, notice, create and wonder - this is the Woombye Way..

29/05/2026

National simultaneous storytime at our local Woombye Community Library where Cathy and her team welcomed us with Luna Roo

28/05/2026

Library welcomes little readers for national storytime

Woombye Community Library Inc news by Cathy Cash

On May 27 we welcomed a group of children and their teacher Rachel from the Woombye Childcare and Kindergarten to join us at the Library for the National Simultaneous Storytime event.

This is an annual event that promotes the value of reading and literacy in libraries, classrooms, bookshops and homes around the country.

It really is Australia’s biggest read-along! This year the chosen book was Luna Roo, about a soccer-playing kangaroo and her underdog team of native animals who defy the odds to win the game and gain self belief along the way.

The children from the kindy often get out and about around town as part of their WCK Explorers activity, ensuring the children have the opportunity to make connections with the local community in Woombye.

We always enjoy having them visit the Library and hope that they come back soon. Hopefully next time the weather will be a bit drier!

A reminder to all our borrowers that as of Monday 1st June the Library will close earlier at 4.30pm Monday to Friday for the winter months of June, July and August.

18/05/2026

This , why not turn your garden into a haven for local wildlife?

With the right native plants and a few habitat-friendly touches, you can help create a space where bees buzz, butterflies flutter and birds stop to visit.

Not sure where to begin? We’ve put together 4 simple steps to help you create a native garden that looks beautiful and gives nature a helping hand.