Our Kenwick wetlands are more than just a patch of bush – it’s a living classroom where our Kindy students explore, question, and marvel at God’s creation with awe and wonder.
Did you know that at the Rehoboth Kenwick campus we have an incredible resource right on our doorstep? Yes! We have a uniquely preserved section of nature endearingly named our “Wetlands”. You might be wondering why we refer to it as a ‘wetland’ when it looks more like any other piece of local Australian bush. Well, despite appearing very dry over the summer months, when the rains do eventually begin to fall, the area begins to fill quite steadily with water. This is largely due to the type of clay soil that exists around the Kenwick area and makes for very interesting problems when wanting to build! However, a builders problem becomes our delight as we get to enter the ‘wetlands’ and observe some fascinating changes over the course of our Kindy year.
Throughout the year, we enter the wetlands at least once or twice per term to observe ‘change over time’. We like to see the seasonal changes in the flora as well as the changes that occur with the rising and ebbing of the water table. Pulling on our boots and wading through water and mud is so much fun! Opportunities to engage in play that involves an element of ‘risk’ is essential for developing characters that can build resilience and many of our students thrive when pushing past initial moments of hesitation to explore. Incredible opportunities to discuss complex scientific processes such as ‘evaporation’ happen very organically in these moments as children ponder where the water comes from and goes over time.
We also take note of the local fauna and have many ‘theories’ about the types of animals that may live in our bush. Listening to birds and the sounds of frogs and crickets enthuse us to visit and find more fascinating creatures as we also wonder over the footprints or bones we may find along the way. Who else lives in our bush? Occasionally we may also find a ‘problem’ that requires a solution… why is there rubbish in our wetlands? Where does it come from? How might it affect our beautiful bush and the animals that live there? What can we do to help? Real life problems activate children to respond in real and practical ways.
As Christians living in the world, we believe that we are called to be stewards of God’s beautiful creation. We marvel at the complexity of God’s good design, and we celebrate that God is faithful as He sustains all His creatures, including us. Through our journeys into the wetlands, we hope that the minds of our young students will continue to be activated towards lifelong dispositions of awe and wonder over God’s magnificent world in which we live!
