Celebrating 10 Years of Nature Pedagogy at WVELC: A Home, Not an Institution

This year, we celebrate a remarkable milestone—10 years since Woden Valley Early Learning Centre (WVELC) began its dedicated journey into nature pedagogy. More than just a philosophy, this approach has become the beating heart of our daily practice, shaping not just the environment but the lives of the children, families, and educators within it.

But nature pedagogy is not a garden bed. It’s not a worm farm. It’s not a chicken in a coop.

It’s a way of being—a deep, responsive relationship with the natural world, grounded in research and children’s developmental needs. And after a decade of commitment, we can say with confidence: it works.

🌱 Why Nature Pedagogy?

Research continues to confirm what our hearts already know—children thrive when they are connected to nature. At WVELC, we’ve seen first-hand how a consistent, intentional relationship with the outdoors contributes to:

• Reduced challenging behaviours: With open-ended environments and meaningful, self-directed tasks, children regulate emotions more naturally.

• Separation without tears: The natural world provides a calming transition from home to care, easing anxiety for both children and parents.

• Stronger language and communication: Whether it's storytelling under a tree, negotiating roles in bush play, or explaining the life cycle of a butterfly, children’s language skills flourish in authentic contexts.

• Improved collaboration: Shared experiences in nature foster genuine teamwork, empathy, and problem-solving.

  
  

These are not short-term outcomes—they’re deep developmental shifts made possible by years of consistent, thoughtful practice.

🌱 More Than a Pretty Garden

Too often, services misunderstand nature pedagogy as something decorative—install a vegetable patch, get some hens, and tick the “nature” box. But real nature pedagogy can’t be bought or borrowed. It must be lived, reflected upon, and embedded across every layer of practice.

At WVELC:

• Children play and learn outside every single day, in all weather conditions (with appropriate gear!).

• Nature is not a “scheduled activity”—it is a living, breathing classroom that evolves with the seasons.

• Educators plan emergent experiences grounded in children’s natural curiosity about the world around them.

• Risky play is embraced, not avoided. We believe children grow stronger and wiser when trusted to climb, build, and explore.

• Nature is a co-teacher—not a backdrop. It helps children negotiate space, notice detail, develop patience, and build resilience.

🌱 A Home Away from Home

Our nature-based approach is about more than curriculum. It’s about creating a home-like environment where every child feels a deep sense of belonging, agency, and freedom to be their whole selves. WVELC is not an institution. We are not a business harvesting children for profit.

We are a community—a collective of passionate educators, families, and children, committed to raising kind, capable, and environmentally conscious humans.

And you can’t fake that.

🌱 Looking Back, Growing Forward

As we reflect on this 10-year journey, we are filled with gratitude—for the trust of our families, the dedication of our educators, and the wisdom of the land that guides our pedagogy. Our hope is to inspire others not to replicate what we have done—but to dig deeper into their own environments, values, and relationships with nature.

Nature pedagogy isn’t a trend. It’s a responsibility—and a gift.

Boys, Brains and Big Energy: Why Sitting Still Is Not the Answer

At Woden Valley Early Learning Centre, we’ve seen it time and time again: a child’s spark dimming the moment they’re told to sit still, be quiet, and stay within the lines. More often than not, that child is a boy.

There’s growing concern across schools and early learning environments about the rise in behavioural challenges among young boys. Suspension rates are increasing, and many are being referred for behavioural assessments or prescribed medication — not always because they have a developmental disorder, but because they don't fit the rigid expectations of conventional classrooms. So the question we must ask is: are we designing environments that allow boys to thrive? Or are we forcing them to fail?

The Problem: A Mismatch Between Brain and Desk

Neuroscience tells us that boys’ brains typically develop differently to girls’. Research from Gurian & Stevens (2005) and others has highlighted that in early childhood, boys often have less serotonin and oxytocin — chemicals that promote impulse control and calm. They also mature later in areas of the brain linked to language and emotional regulation. This doesn’t mean boys are less capable; it means they often need different kinds of learning environments in the early years.

Yet, despite this, many schools still expect young boys to sit at desks for long periods, engage in quiet, verbal instruction, and regulate their energy — all before their brains are developmentally ready for such demands.

Risky Play and Movement: A Biological Need, Not a Behaviour Problem

Young boys often learn through movement, risk, and hands-on exploration. Climbing, jumping, building, rough-and-tumble play — these are not distractions from learning; they are the learning. Risky play teaches boys (and all children) how to problem solve, assess danger, build resilience, and regulate their emotions.

A study by Brussoni et al. (2015) found that children who engage in outdoor risky play tend to be more physically active, have better social skills, and show fewer signs of anxiety. Physical play also promotes executive functioning — the very skills we expect in the classroom, like attention, memory, and self-control.

The Consequences: Pathologising Normal Development

The issue isn’t that boys are “too energetic” or “too disruptive.” It’s that we’re asking them to thrive in an environment that often goes against their biological wiring. Instead of adapting the environment to meet the child, we try to medicate, suspend, or label the child.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2023), boys are disproportionately overrepresented in suspension data and ADHD medication rates. This doesn’t always reflect clinical need — it reflects a mismatch between expectation and support.

A Different Way Forward

At Woden Valley ELC, we approach learning differently. We believe in big body movement, outdoor exploration, and nature-based learning. We see first-hand how boys who struggle in traditional settings come alive when given space to move, climb, build, and take risks — safely, purposefully, and with supportive adults nearby.

We’re not afraid of mud, scraped knees, or climbing trees. We know that a child who learns to assess risk in play will better manage risk in life. And we know that allowing boys to be boys — rather than punishing them for it — leads to better social, emotional, and academic outcomes.

Let’s Rethink the Box

What if instead of forcing children to sit still, we reimagined classrooms to include more movement, more challenge, and more agency? What if instead of suspending children who don’t fit the mould, we redesigned the mould?

It’s time we stop asking, “What’s wrong with her/him?” and start asking, “What does she/he need?”

Let’s build a system that honours difference, nurtures potential, and gives every child — boy or girl — the space to grow, learn, and thrive.

References:

• Brussoni, M., Gibbons, R., Gray, C., Ishikawa, T., & Hansen Sandseter, E. B. (2015). What is the relationship between risky outdoor play and health in children? A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(6), 6423–6454.

• Gurian, M., & Stevens, K. (2005). The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life. Jossey-Bass.

• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). (2023). Youth justice in Australia 2021–22. Canberra: AIHW.

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Welcome to 2025 & our Community Garden

By Gabby Millgate

Nature Pedagogy Leader

Summer is an abundant time at Woden Valley ELC and you are invited to the Community Garden, out the front of the service, to enjoy the flowers, beans,  herbs and celery we have growing. And there’s so many benefits to spending time in this garden, to de-stress at the end of the day.

We call it also the Floriade Garden because we participate in Floriade Re-Imagine Program each year. This year we have taken special care to make this garden inviting for families to enjoy in summer.

I see this garden as a wonderful space to invite your child to enjoy with you,  before getting in the car. An invitation to pick a pansy or some celery leaves for dinner can be a great way to help your child transition at the end of the day. It can give them a purpose and an opportunity for them to demonstrate knowledge and agency. Plus it feels good to bring something home from school to share.

How about some celery leaves for a soup or a pansy to put on your desert? Pansies are edible and are used in fancy restaurants, I’ve heard.

Why am I suggesting a quick or longer stop in our Floriade Garden at the end of the day?

Well, sometimes I have observed that children can resist a direct instruction to get their bag and leave their friends who are doing something fun. So, we’ve created a wonderful way to make them a better offer. “Would you like to choose a flower to pick and take home?  Or maybe you can help me find a purple bean to have with our dinner.” - This type of invitation is an example of something I’ve seen resistant children respond to enthusiastically.

Even a short time spent in the garden can help them develop skills and give you both a reason to get in the car besides just - “get in the car!”

e.g. “We’re going to get in the car so we can take this flower or these herbs home for our dinner.”

How to pick the flowers?

A great skill we love to teach the children is to hold the plant with one hand and pull the bean or flower with the other (so we look after the plant and not yank it out of the ground-then it can keep making beans or flowers). This is one of the sustainable practices we will be teaching this year to the younger children and the older children might be able to demonstrate this skill to you.

Don’t worry if they get it wrong. As long as they don’t walk over our garden beds, let their interest in the garden spark your interest. It’s a great way to have a relaxed interaction and conversations with your child. It can be a ritual you establish together.

Maybe you will find a strawberry...

...or a snail eating a strawberry.

Maybe each day you could check on the development of our giant sunflowers that are about to burst into flower.

Maybe, you can pick some of our abundant lemon thyme, to make a tea or add to your Bolognaise.

Maybe you could take off your shoes and walk on our luxurious grass.

In Japan it’s called "Nature Bathing”.

Maybe, if you look carefully, you will find a 4 leaf clover, and notice that we’re so lucky to have a community and parent committee that supports children’s access to nature, in a garden created by the children of Woden Valley ELC, over the last 8 years.