Summer is a wonderful time for families to go the beach and for small children to get to know the water and the sand.
But aside from being a place to relax, my new research shows how the beach provides many ways to teach young children about science.
I research science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning in bush kinders. These are programs where preschool children regularly go into the natural environment with their daycare centre or kinder/preschool, to gain an appreciation for nature.
Educators do not take any toys, balls or games, so children are reliant only on what is available in nature for play.
Bush kinders often happen in parks, forests and gardens but educators and researchers are increasingly looking at the benefits of education around beaches. These “blue spaces” provide children with wide open spaces to learn through play.
But so far there has been little research on educational benefits of beach learning in early childhood settings.
Last year, I observed a “beach kinder”: where childhood educators and four- and five-year-old children went to the beach........