The Domain of the Cubby Houses: Gender Inclusive Play in the Bush Kinder

Abstract For over a decade, growing numbers of ‘bush kinders’ have provided an important element of the Australian early childhood education experience. Influenced by the European forest school movement, bush kinders connect to elements of curriculum frameworks and have been adapted to suit the Australian context. This research project adopted an ethnographic approach and across time, allowed us to observe the dynamics of children’s nature play. We noticed significant differences between play in the natural environments and the outdoor play spaces that form part of regular kindergarten premises. Complementing our observations were those of the educators, who drew our attention to the differences in how boys and girls were interacting and their interpretations of these changed dynamics. This paper adds to the literature that considers the role of gender in children’s nature play. It applies the experience of playhouses or ‘cubby houses’ in two kindergarten sites, experienced by the same group of children, as the context to differentiate how play differs between two cubby houses, one in the regular kindergarten and the other in the bush kinder.