The Nature School Early Years Bush Skills program is for young children aged 3-5 years and operates completely outdoors. At TNS Early Years, experienced facilitators lead seasonal, skill-focused programs which cater to each child’s needs and abilities.
The program fosters the children’s growth as confident and competent young learners by giving them the opportunity to make their own choices, take risks, cultivate their curiosity and develop independent and critical thinking. Small group sizes and low child-to-adult ratios ensure the safety of children in the bush and allow for meaningful interactions and relationships between children and facilitators.
The program operates in all weather, including rain. While children can attend from 3 years of age, to be eligible, they must be able to go to the toilet independently.
Please note we are currently waitlisted for this program.
What do we do?
Some of the skills that we explore can include:
Shelter building
Knot tying and lashings
Tool use, including peelers, whittling knives, hand drills and saws
Fauna and Flora identification
Fire safety and skills
Campfire cooking
Orienteering and navigating in the bush
Bushwalking and navigating difficult terrain such as rocks, tree climbing etc.
Natural resource construction such as weaving, nature paints, clay construction, natural dyes etc
Key Information
When
Monday-Thursday: 9am-3pm
Friday: 9am-12pm
The programs operate in line with NSW state school terms.
Where
Sessions operate from a variety of bushland settings within 5-20 minutes of Port Macquarie. Locations will be provided once you are in touch with the team. Each weekday will remain in the same location for the duration of the term unless there is an extreme weather warning. The Nature School has permits with a variety of stakeholders such as local landowners, and the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council.
Program Fees
Full Program - $88/day
Half Day Program* - $57/day
Annual Administration Fee - $130/student
This covers the cost of administration, insurance, sunscreen and insect repellent.
*Half Day program operates Friday only
Payment Plans We recognise that upfront payment of fees can be difficult for some families, so we do offer a fortnightly payment plan for term fees if requested. It is our hope that this will make our program more accessible for all families. For further information on fees and payment, please contact our Business Manager, Karen, at karen@tns.nsw.edu.au.
To learn more, download our full program guide, or view our FAQs
