Get the children outside these school holidays

YMCA Anglesea’s School Holiday Program “Surf Coast Outdoor Adventure Kids”, or SOAK for short, is play-based and youth-led.

YMCA’s Kids Go Bush is all about fun but it also promotes developmental skills in young people from tots to teens, while offering more ways to connect children and young people to the outdoors.

Based at Anglesea Recreation Camp, qualified and passionate staff at YMCA run the programs which focus on guiding participants into independent supported play, initiating new experiences, challenging comfort zones and learning about the amazing Surf Coast environment along the way.

The philosophy of the Kids Go Bush program is that engaging young people to connect to the natural world enables resilience, lifelong learning and sense of place.

Young people who play outdoors can connect to their environment by experiencing and learning about weather, flora and fauna, weed species and our impact on our environment.

With various sessions to choose from over the Easter School Holidays on selected weekdays, there is something for all your young people.
The program’s focus is to get young people outdoors enjoying a different adventure each day with a youth-focused, unscheduled timeframe throughout the day.

Camp-based days are suited to primary school age, and include a selection of cubby building, tree climbing, mud play, build your own zip line, nature craft, bush cooking, mountain bike riding, regaining, yabbying, kitchen garden, giant swing, archery, climbing wall, plus loads more outdoor fun.

Themed activity days include SOAK Does Paddle and SOAK Does Skate. Designed to allow more time on a single activity to increase skills and learn from our passionate instructors. It is especially important to continue connecting to the outdoors and active recreation through adolescence.

In addition to School Holiday Day Programs, YMCA Anglesea is celebrating nature play week, April 6 to16, with family holiday events.

Holiday sessions are a great introduction to the term-based Early Years or Forest Learning programs. YMCA Kids Go Bush Team runs Bush Playgroup on Monday and Tuesday mornings and Bush Kids for kinder age on Friday mornings.

The Forest program includes Forest Kids on Thursday and Forest Skills for older learners on Wednesdays.

It is known that pressure from school, peers and self is high for modern young people and by engaging them to connect to the natural world, develop life skills and skills for active recreation, we enable resilience, lifelong learning, sound mental health strategies and sense of place, plus it’s lots of fun!

Bookings are now open for programs and can be found online at ymcavic.venue360.me/public/events/homepage

For further information, phone YMCA Anglesea Recreation Camp on 52631512 or email [email protected]. You can also see what we get up to on Facebook @YMCA Kids Go Bush.