Development Theory Archives -

Apr 29

Our Multi-Sensory Adventure To Strangler Cairn

By Ashlie Webb | Development Theory, Nature to Nurture

Hidden deep in Conondale National Park is an interesting egg shaped cairn, designed and constructed by British sculpture artist Andy Goldsworthy. We were keen to check it out and embarked on the circular walk with our 3.5 yr old and 6 month old. The walk was mainly forest walking, perfectly shaded with just the right amount of diversity in terms of hills, steps, winds and log climbs to keep us all interested. The walk starts and ends at the Booloumba Day Use Carpark near the information sign. To arrive here there are 3 creek crossings so a 4x4 is recommended. We took our time and enjoyed the journey, covering the full 6.5km circuit. Although the walk suggested a completion time of 2.5 hours, we took over 3 and ended with a dip in the river at the Booloumba Creek Day Use area.

We set the scene for the walk prior to leaving by making up an imaginary quest story to find a mystery egg. Our 3.5 yr old drew her own map of what she thought we would encounter on the quest and how we were going to locate the egg. We collected sticks along the route and pretended they were bow and arrows to keep us safe and warn off enemies who may try to stop us in our tracks! She climbed fallen trees crossing our path, swung on strangler fig vines and looked for animal tracks along the way.

Although the walking tracks are easily accessible I would not recommend taking a pram as some parts are narrow and there are quite a few fallen trees to scramble over. We took two lightweight baby carriers for the girls which worked well, particularly for the return journey when Miss F's legs were tired. The creek is beautiful in the afternoon and perfect for a safe paddle for little ones due to the calm, clear water and shallow areas. If you are looking for a manageable nature walk to shake of the cobwebs after self isolation then be sure to visit the Strangler Cairn. Further information can be found at this Weekend Notes review or at Aussie Bushwalking.

Oct 07

Why Create More Mess?

By Ashlie Webb | Development Theory

As soon as your toddler can move independently to explore the world around them, you seem to find yourself chasing, picking things up, tidying and avoiding situations which could lead to ‘mess’! But why do we avoid this chaos so much?!

The term ‘mess’ is often viewed negatively and is associated with having to do extra and often unnecessary ‘work’. Therefore its benefits are often undervalued. As a result, providing opportunities to play that could result in mess can seem daunting and to be avoided. I too can sometimes be one of those parents! ‘Let’s paint!’ I hear her say, whilst I quickly move away everything from the paints path! This type of request is usually left for outside the home and I am never too far away whilst she plays. I often find that in this early stage of development (my daughter Fern is two), anything I set up for her is almost instantaneously rearranged, poured, spilt and mixed so I begin to question;

Is it really worth the effort?

Why Is Messy Play So Important?

Messy Play, also referred to as Sensory Play, is 100% worth the effort, particularly in the early stages of your child’s development. In early life, babies and young children rely on their sensory input to learn about their environment. Vital neurological pathways are built whilst they engage in sensory exploration, supporting their development of thought, language and creativity. Simply playing and investigating unstructured activities stimulates their senses, supports their ability to interact socially with their peers, problem solve and help give reason to certain situations.

Many sensory-based activities provide opportunity to practice and build upon fine and gross motor skills such as:

1. Squeezing
2. Squashing
3. Grasping and using the pincer grip

Activities promote the introduction and later use of mathematical language and concepts such as size, weight, shape and quantities.

How Do Learning Beyond Walls Get Messy?

All children need mess in their lives on a regular basis so every workshop I prepare is jammed packed full of it! Sensory play is focal to our Stay and Play sessions each week. A shared story from quality literature ignites the fire and fuels a craft idea (usually messy too), and as a result explodes into a small world, a sensory journey that all the children become a part of. They are given time to explore, imagine and create on their own, with their peers or other adults willing to try too. Our workshops always have a sensory, messy play element which supports children's’ learning and understanding, linking to necessary real life experiences. This ‘hands on’, or ‘in’, approach enables learning to move to another level.

Want some ideas?! Let’s get messy!

♦ Choosing a book is always a great starting point. Take from this key characters or concepts that can be creatively expanded upon. Providing children with tactile resources to recreate parts of the story helps them recall or take the story further and retell their own story with a similar theme. Providing ‘loose parts’ gives the child opportunities to use their imagination and give the ‘part’ a new purpose within their play.

♦Incorporate the 5 senses: Consider how the play experience will involve the five senses to help you decide what materials and tools you will need. Often these can be found in and around the home for little effort and cost.

Sensory activities that involve multiple senses at the same time are more engaging and exciting. When designing my Stay and Play sessions I always think about these two steps:

Imagine you have never experienced the taste, texture or smell of an object before
Decide what you would need in order to learn about it.

Coloured cornflour and water makes an interesting ‘slime’, it behaves in different ways depending on how you interact with it and what tools you use. This is a problem solving delight for a child experiencing it for the first time!

Creating small worlds linked to the stories allows your child to make sense of the world and their environment. Carefully choosing materials that correspond closely to the ‘real thing’ can give children new experiences, ones they may not otherwise have at this stage in their life. Mixing together hot and cold, slimy and dry, spiky and smooth enables a developing awareness of similarities and differences.

More Ideas!

For more sensory play inspiration check out our Instagram or our Stay & Play session overview.

View this post on Instagram

This is sensory play at its best! If you are going to do it, get right in there and experience it first hand! Today we were experiencing the fun pigs have in 'oobleck' mud!

A post shared by Learning Beyond Walls (@learning_beyond_walls) on Aug 27, 2018 at 4:23am PDT

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Jun 04

It’s Child’s Play!

By Ashlie Webb | Development Theory, Nature to Nurture

The Importance Of Socialisation & Making Friends In Your Child's Development

Your child is like a sponge. From early years to adolescence, interactions with those around them help to form an understanding about social norms and behaviour - helping them make friends, learn and have fun! Subsequently socialisation through exposure to different people plays a pivotal role in in your child’s development and influences their ability to learn about the wider world.

The Importance of Child Socialisation in The Early Years

The fundamental point of socialisation is for your child to be able to function successfully in a social community - “success” in this context being the ability to communicate and remain relaxed in a social environment. Naturally parents, siblings and the wider family are often the first exposure a baby has to other human beings, the differences in other people's behaviour and personality. From their first months, recognition of your voice and face, rewarded with a smile, form the basis of initial interactions and being the process of socialisation (and brighten your day)!

Introducing additional people to this mix is important to help your little one adapt comfortably to different social groups, changing environments and cope with children of the same age that all demanding the same thing - attention!

Socialisation within the early years (0-4) brings the following benefits:

- Begin to converse with children their own age (rather than with their parent) - this brings a new set of challenges when both participants are at a similar formative stage. It may result in your child taking the lead for the first time

- The recognition that “give and take” is a fundamental quality to human connections. With babies, this is simple game playing with giving a smile when their name is called.

- How to take turns and appreciate the art of patience! With little ones aged 1 ½ to 3 it can sometimes feel like it’s “me me me” all the time. That’s because to them it is! They are egocentric. Placing them in a scenario when other people are competing for attention will start to teach them about other people’s needs.

- Empathy for others emotions and making up when things go wrong. Exposing your child to a scenario where their behaviour causes another child’s unhappiness will help them experience what the dynamics of human communication are and the impact of negative behaviours on others.

- Self-control by recognising that things will not always go their way - having a tantrum - and making up!

- Dealing with rejection! It is difficult to see our little ones facing the tougher lessons of life but not everyone can be friends straight away or all the time. Learning how to accept this “knock-back” is a vital social skill in life.

- Begin to choose words to describe their feelings and thoughts. With exposure to new situations comes exposure to a broader range of vocabulary and the recognition of its appropriate use
- Understanding another child’s point of view and accepting it
- Growth of confidence. Within a group setting, this comes with meeting new friends and exposure to new experiences.

Learning Together With Socialising Together

One quality that is an extremely beneficial outcome from making friends and group socialising is curiosity. Stimulating the exploration of their surroundings through offering fresh environments helps your child learn through experience, from others, ask questions and draw their own conclusions. This sense-making is fundamental to their further development as they approach ages 4 and above.

Child Socialisation Opportunities In The Sunshine Coast

Early Years - 0-5

- Learning Beyond Walls “Stay & Play” session - bring the little one to our weekly "Stay & Play” session. These promote socialisation in a natural setting for ages 0-5

- Playgroup Queensland- join online, your first year is free and you can take part in one of many playgroups on the coast.

- Events at the Sunshine Coast libraries- these are mostly free and provide excellent opportunities to sample some of the well known child centres activities held on the coast. They also run free, weekly ‘Rhyme Time’ for 0-2 year olds and ‘Story Time’ for 3-5 year OLDS. They are often followed by a toy lending library, providing socialising opportunities for parents and little ones.

- Natureweavers has a nature based WildPlay Bush playgroup held every term which incorporates all aspects of the local flora and fauna into their interactive and adventure filled sessions.

- Wildlings Playgroup is held weekly, offering an early taster of forest schooling and a chance for parents and young children to meet with like minded families and spend time together in nature.

- Gymbaroo- also held at various locations around the coast, children will develop their sensory perceptions, gross and fine motor skills and social skills at these exciting, fun sessions.

5 & Above

Learning Beyond Walls ‘3-5, 5-8 and 8-11 Workshops’ - join in one of our innovative, learning workshops. Teach your child to appreciate the natural world by learning within it without the confines of a classroom. See our ‘workshops page’ for further information.

Natureweavers Offers forest school sessions filled with exploration and wonderment for school aged children. As does Wildlings, each with their own unique style and skills. Children can learn Bush crafts and develop their sense of achievement, teamwork and confidence to name a few.

Final Word

Whether they are homeschooled or attend traditional school, exposing your child to managed social environments helps them understand social settings and what is acceptable with other children and adults. This early exploration of new environments and settings equips them with the emotional intelligence to form healthy relationships going forwards.

Want more info?

Get in touch below or at hello@learningbeyondwalls.com with any questions & queries!