The kids at Laverton Community Children’s Centre visited a nearby creek and caught fish, participated in boat races and learnt how to protect the environment in their first excursion since COVID-19.
Educational Leader Tina Ludvigsen said the centre’s aim was to educate children on the best ways to connect with the land.
“We believe children learn best from being in nature and when we went there, we asked the children to observe the plants, animals and the water.” Ms Ludvigsen said.
“We got a small net and we tried to catch a fish. We wanted the children to know that even though it’s a small river, how important the ecosystem that lives there is.”
Ms Ludvigsen said the trip gave kids an up close encounter to creatures they would normally only see at a pet store.
“When we caught the fish, we put it in the jar and we showed the children and talked about where the fish live and what they eat,” she said.
“Then later on we let the fish go, and we talked about how fish belong here.”
The kids were taught that animals preferred clean water, Ms Ludvigsen said, and how important it is for them to take care of local waterways.
“They learn that we aren’t going to throw rubbish into the creek or we’ll pollute the creek,” she said.
Ms Ludvigsen believes the excursions are stimulating for the children’s imagination.
“Some children when they’re inside the centre, they’re really quiet, they wouldn’t say much. But when we get out there, they open up, a lot of conversation happens, they ask a lot of questions,” she said.
“When children are there, we see how they are so happy and free to run around and have so much fun.”
