Magic Fronds TreeSchool

07/06/2026

Here’s to ‘unconventional education’ in nature! “Learning is a lifelong process-and the best education is never confined to a classroom”.

04/06/2026

What a magical day, spent entirely outdoors in one of our favourite places amongst the gum trees. The children loved cooking their own damper over a fire 🔥 and hot coals, though eating it was the best part!

As they ventured off to play, it was beautiful to watch them team up, dismantle an old shelter and rebuild a new one together, allocating roles, sharing ideas and creating games that drew on bush survival skills and Indigenous knowledge of caring for country. Finding caterpillars, snails and bugs, as well as watching a kookaburra hunt for lizards was part of the natural curiosity of bush play.

The fire burned continuously as we played, ran, climbed, had yarning circles, shared bush stories and had lunch together. The children enjoyed finding dry wood on the ground to add and keep our gentle fire going. Reading about bush fires and Indigenous methods of caring for country through cool fires also sparked conversations.

Interacting safely with fire transforms a potentially hazardous element into a profound learning tool, as the children learned how to collect the right dry tinder and kindling, add paper and observe the careful maintenance of a safe fire. Learning to handle fire correctly provides several developmental benefits:

*Safety Awareness: Directly experiencing the heat and unpredictability of a small, contained flame teaches children to respect its power. It helps them understand why they should keep a safe distance from campfires, stoves, and fireplaces.

*Respect and Boundaries: Allowing children to assist in building, maintaining, or safely putting out a campfire instills a deep respect for the environment and the importance of following strict rules.

*Motor Skills and Focus: Lighting a match or using a flint and steel requires fine motor control, hand-eye coordination, and deep concentration. It builds finger strength and dexterity.

*Self-Esteem and Maturity: Successfully managing a safe flame under supervision helps children feel capable and responsible, satisfying their natural curiosity while building trust with adults.

02/06/2026

Another beautiful winters day enjoying our gorgeous bushland. Beading, exploring Indigenous mermaid stories, making a mermaid necklace, running across and up and down grassy green hills, swinging from a tall gum tree on our ‘magic swing’ and discovering a grove of milkweed with more than a dozen monarch butterfly caterpillars on it!

02/06/2026

A wonderful early winter’s day out on Dharawal country, sharing stories of reconciliation and decorating our own hand outlines with beautiful Aboriginal designs, symbols and artwork.

By tracing and decorating our own paper hands, we pledge our commitment to reconciliation and respect for Indigenous people and their culture, signifying support for justice, rights, and respect for Australia's First Peoples.

Jarrah, the dogs and ponies accompanied us on a beautiful bush and creek walk as we played and shared our learning together.

28/05/2026

Jarrah is our beautiful Jungle-cross-coastal carpet python, now fully grown at almost two metres long! This magnificent creature has inspired so much amazing insight and demystification around ‘fear of snakes’ for the bright young things who I’m lucky to share my nature program with.

The children are fearless and knowledgeable around this gentle reptile, sharing what they learn through hands-on investigation with their extended families.

Jarrah enjoys outings with us into the bush now and then, especially on sunny days, and this week was no exception!

28/05/2026

Four seasons in one day! It’s only just still Autumn, but feels like Winter already! And yet, a break in the rain brought glorious sunshine and we made the most of it! Celebrating rain and the importance of water for all living things with beautiful shared stories as well as walking on country

26/05/2026

A beautiful day of bush play that saw incredible creativity, insight, energy and knowledge building and sharing amongst the children.

26/05/2026

Perfecto!

26/05/2026

So beautiful. So important 🐛 🦋

I think of this quote often🌿

It’s a reminder that although humans have climbed to the top of the food chain and declared dominion over the rest of the natural world, we forgot a few things on the way.

Humility.
Compassion.
Empathy.
Reverence.
Awe.

As environmental regulations in the US are dismantled, public lands exploited and wildlife wiped out in the most cruel ways, we desperately need lawmakers who understand that humans are just one of millions of species on Earth and that we’re all deeply connected. In fact, while we humans are dependent on other species for our survival, wildlife would get by just fine - thrive, even - without us.

And it starts in childhood, through small acts of kindness and connection with non-human animals. Feeding birds in the winter. Watching an anthill come to life in the spring. Or helping a caterpillar cross the road instead of stepping on it🐛
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