Children from Little Cottage Daycare were among those who have taken to the nature trail at KGV for a set of outdoor activities as part of the Health Improvement Commission’s Go Wild project, which has returned this year for a third year, welcoming approximately 230 children from across the island’s early years settings to explore the outdoors with a range of nature-themed activities.
‘It’s about encouraging children to learn and be active in nature at the same time,’ said Alex Costen, the commission’s Be Active lead.
‘The kids being in natural spaces encourages movement, so running, climbing, exploring, and that’s what we want to promote.
‘It’s been really well received by the early years settings, because it’s an opportunity for them to come out to a new location, and the kids seem to really enjoy being outside and exploring.’
The project itself sees children engage in a variety of outdoor activities on the nature trail, including ‘minibeast’ hunts, identifying different types of trees and plants, and storytelling through making pictures with natural materials.
Activities also included a bug hotel, courtesy of Grow Ltd, and a treasure hunt, which concluded with the triumphal acquisition of a treasure chest full of fresh fruits and vegetables, provided by BWCI.
‘We have come here the last few years with different groups of children so that they’ve got a different environment to explore,’ said Kristina Griffin, who owns Little Cottage Daycare.
‘It’s good for their confidence to try coming to places that aren’t familiar to them, especially when they’re also getting fresh air and exercise. We’ve got some children that are usually quite shy, and they’ve really come out of their shell here.
'It’s something different to trigger their interest and spark their passion.’
You need to be logged in to comment.