February is the month of hearts, love, and connection—and what better time to extend that love to the world around us? At our early learning centres, we know children are naturally curious about nature, and nurturing that curiosity helps them build a lifelong connection to the environment.
This month, we’re celebrating Nature’s Love—planting gardens, creating nature-inspired art, caring for wildlife, and exploring the little wonders all around us. Through these experiences, children learn that caring for the Earth is just another way of showing love and responsibility.
Why Environmental Education Matters
The early years are a critical time for developing environmental awareness. Experiences in nature shape lifelong attitudes—children who fall in love with the outdoors are more likely to grow into adults who care for and protect the planet.
Environmental education isn’t just about recycling or learning about animals. It’s a whole-child approach, blending knowledge, curiosity, creativity, and practical skills. Hands-on experiences in nature help children think critically, solve problems, and understand their connection to the world around them.
The Benefits of Nature Play
- Cognitive Development: Nature encourages exploration, problem-solving, and scientific inquiry. Observing leaves, water, and wildlife sparks curiosity and creative thinking.
- Physical Health: Climbing, digging, balancing, and collecting treasures strengthen muscles, coordination, and overall fitness.
- Emotional and Social Growth: Outdoor play calms, nurtures self-regulation, and builds cooperation, empathy, and teamwork.
- Language Development: Describing textures, colours, patterns, and discoveries expands vocabulary naturally.
Celebrating Nature’s Love: Activities for February
Loving the Earth
- Plant a Heart-Shaped Garden: Children help plant and care for flowers or vegetables in heart-shaped beds, learning responsibility and nurturing living things.
- Nature Love Letters: Create leaf collages, bark rubbings, or flower pressings as “love letters” to nature.
- Adopt a Tree: Each child chooses a tree to visit and observe throughout the year, building a personal connection.
Environmental Stewardship
- Litter Love: Gentle clean-up walks show children that caring for nature is something they can actively do.
- Wildlife Care Stations: Bird feeders, insect hotels, and water stations teach compassion and interdependence.
- Composting Hearts: Collecting food scraps for composting introduces children to decomposition and waste reduction.
Sustainability Learning
- Water Conservation: Explore where water comes from, how we use it, and ways to save it.
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Turn craft projects into upcycled creations, showing that beautiful things don’t need to be new.
- Energy Awareness: Learn how sunlight provides energy, warmth, and light for all living things.
Nature Play in Queensland
Queensland’s climate allows for year-round outdoor learning, but sun safety is essential:
- Schedule outdoor activities outside peak UV times
- Provide shade, hats, SunSmart clothing, and SPF 30+ sunscreen
Queensland’s beaches, bushland, rainforests, and gardens are natural classrooms. Even playgrounds and community gardens become rich learning environments when educators guide exploration. Organisations like Nature Play Queensland support educators in creating authentic, unstructured nature experiences.
Engaging Families
Take-Home Nature Challenges:
- Spot five different leaf shapes on a walk
- Listen for three different bird calls
- Create art from natural materials
- Enjoy a picnic without disposable items
Family Nature Walks: Weekend walks in local parks encourage families to explore together, building connections and reinforcing learning at home.
Sustainable Tips for Home: Reduce packaging, start composting, grow vegetables, save water, or choose reusable products—practical actions that extend learning beyond the centre.
A Celebration of Nature’s Love
This February, we’re celebrating love for the Earth and the natural world. By nurturing curiosity, teaching responsibility, and modelling sustainable practices, we help children grow into thoughtful, caring stewards of the planet.
When children fall in love with nature through play and exploration, they gain the motivation to protect it. Environmental education isn’t just an “extra” activity—it’s a vital part of early childhood development.
Let February be a celebration of Nature’s Love—for the Earth, and for the love we cultivate in young hearts for the environment that sustains us all.
Sources
Queensland Government Resources:
- Nature Play Queensland
https://natureplayqld.org.au/ - Queensland Government – Creating Effective Outdoor Learning Spaces
https://earlychildhood.qld.gov.au/sector-news-and-resources/news-for-educators-and-service-providers/creating-effective-outdoor-learning-spaces - Queensland Early Childhood Sustainability Network (QECSN)
https://qecsn.org.au/ - ACECQA – Sustainability in Children’s Education and Care
https://www.acecqa.gov.au/latest-news/blog/sustainability-childrens-education-and-care - Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 (2022)
https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf - Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline
https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/kindergarten/qklg - Australian Institute of Family Studies – Nature Play and Child Wellbeing
https://aifs.gov.au/resources/policy-and-practice-papers/nature-play-and-child-wellbeing
This February, let’s celebrate nature’s love and nurture the next generation of environmental stewards. Contact us to learn more about our nature-based programmes and commitment to environmental education.