the Y
the Y
A collaboration between two local families has turned a wish of the Newhaven Kindergarten children into a reality.
The idea began with a conversation between the educators and children, discussing aspects of the playground that they particularly enjoyed and their hopes for new features. Highly popular was the idea of having a cubby.
On hearing about the children’s desire for this playground addition, two families teamed up to provide the components to construct a “fort cubby” in an under-used area of the yard.
Cameron Baum from local hardware store, Bowens, Phillip Island, generously donated funding and materials, while Tim Kotrba and family, of Kotrablt, supported the project with valuable design expertise, labour and coordination of building materials.
Tim, a parent of a child in the 4-year-old group, had expressed his gratitude for the positive learning journey his son had experienced and was eager to contribute.
Kindergarten Teacher, Sarah Fahey shared, “Tim had told us that he was glad to help and so appreciative of the support that his son had received from our team, in preparation for his schooling journey.”
The kinder children continued to be involved, providing imaginative input into the design. “We found pictures of a variety of styles and shared these with the children,” Sarah said of the process. “They spoke about what they loved and what they didn’t. Overwhelmingly the fort design was the popular choice across all classes in our service.”
Built over the Term 3 break, the children returned to a wonderful new play space in the grounds. Adding a new dimension to their social and physical play, the cubby encourages the development of gross motor skills and co-ordination.
The project was overseen by Y Kinders’ Management, who liaised with Council and the Department of Education regarding regulatory requirements.
Find out more about Newhaven Kindergarten here.
