27 Mar Bush Kinder plus one

With the sun setting over the Tolmie hills, Bush Kinder children’s excitement was peaking as they set up swags and erected tents, for tonight was the Annual Bush Kinder Sleepover.

Although Mums weren’t excluded from the event, Dads were certainly the parent of choice as the ‘plus one’ to camp alongside these confident kinder children.

The Bush Kinder program sees children enjoying a night sleeping under the stars with their classmates, teachers and a parent.  As one of the many ‘coming of age’ experiences in the program, the evening celebrates the children’s independence, resilience and comfort in their natural environment.

Dads expertly cooked the barbeque feast and then the shared meal was finished off with toasting marshmallows on the fire and stories told by torchlight.

Worn out by the earlier activities, a Tug ‘o War between kinder groups with their parents as well and some night time exploring, children were later tucked in and sleeping soundly in their swags. Some parents kept the fire stoked for a little longer, with many Dads reflecting how happy they were to be included in such a meaningful way in their child’s kinder journey.