Connecting children to nature is something we are passionate about at Learning Links Hector. An enriching programme like this certainly isn’t something that was decided one day and began the next – it has taken a lot of preparation, consideration and dedication.

Well today, our passion became a reality! The group headed off on their expedition within our local community. They began this weekly ritual with a forest karakia and a willingness to explore and test their limits in the dense bush. We are very proud that our tamariki showed such respect for the beautiful forest and its creatures and this will be something that they will remember for many years to come – a huge thank you to our Kaiako, Rebekah and Ana for bringing our programme to life today everyone should have a good sleep tonight!

Our tamariki are becoming increasingly confident and familiar with the forest. They have already gained a strong sense of direction and able to show their kaiako which way could lead us to the destination.

They were lucky to find and try some kawakawa, which we learnt that the leaves can be made into medication that helps our digestive system. We even brought some back to our centre for our friends to try as herbal tea.

No doubt, the muddy puddles was the favourite. It was such fun for each of us to get wet, get muddy and be engaged with nature! We are also amazed to see the growing resilience of our children when they slipped into mud, when they got dirty and when they were in dilemma. They were determined to take risks and challenge themselves, physically and emotionally!

It was equally impressive to notice how tamariki cared for each other and helped their peers out of a challenging situation, they were demonstrating their growing social competence and caring nature in their bush play! We highly recommend getting out into nature – the children will surprise you!