Everyone had fun…

…Making sand cupcakes

Holbrook Library hosts a regular storytime for parents with pre-school-aged children that has built a social connection between families.

When the storytime changed from weekly to fortnightly, a suggestion from an Intereach family worker to establish a nature-based play playgroup in Holbrook sparked an interest with parents looking for a way to keep the regular meetings going.

Nature-based play, where children play in natural rather than pre-formed environments, has been shown to improve creativity, interaction with adults, social behaviour and mental and physical wellbeing. A small group of parents worked with the Holbrook librarian and the family worker to establish the playgroup, source funding from the Rotary Club for some equipment and run the first of what has become monthly sessions.

The children played in the mud, made sand cupcakes, experimented with ropes, buckets and pulleys, helped each other to take turns and solve problems and made a ‘wombat stew’.

Everyone enjoys the playgroup so much that they are now planning to meet fortnightly on the alternate week to storytime.