A new study has found that kindergarteners who play outside at the park or on the beach are more likely to do better in math, science, and technology once they have started school.
According to a recent Deakin University study, children aged four and five who attended "bush kinder," where they learn in parks, paddocks, or on the sand, had superior skills in these areas than their classmates who stayed inside.
The study indicated that youngsters between the ages of four and five were more self-assured and likely to ask questions.
I wonder if these questions included, "can we go inside and watch tv?"
The researchers found that when iPads and gendered toys were substituted with nature, girls showed the most improvement in these areas.
According to Chris Speldewinde, a co-author of the study from Deakin University's School of Education, girls absorbed the most STEM knowledge.
According to the Herald Sun, Speldewinde said this was because kids didn't gravitate towards traditional "boy" toys such as trucks and sandpits or "girls'" preferences, including dolls or pretend cooking.
"For girls, in particular, it takes away associations of gendered play and gets kids to be reliant on sticks and rocks for imaginary play."
Bush learning is included in the weekly curriculum of only 150 Victorian kindergartens.
Mr Speldewinde advocated for broader adoption of the weekly program.
Let's hope there is a future for early learning, which involves less pretend baking for little girls and more actual damper cooking for all kids.