"Excursion" is a word that can mean almost anything. A walk to the park next door, or a full day out. So it is worth knowing where your child would actually go.
Here is the answer for our Gold Coast centres, written from what our teams have posted about their own outings. Some of it is a park nearby. Some of it is a proper day out. And some of it is the community coming to us instead.
Our Robina centre sits about 20 metres from Jack Wilson Park, nestled against the parkland and away from the bustling roads. Another of our Gold Coast centres has a park and playground right next door. At Southport, Beach Kindy takes the children down to the shoreline, and one After School Care afternoon tea was eaten along the Broadwater.
The local library is one of the places our Gold Coast children go. Southport's groups head there on excursion, and it is more than a walk to look at books.
A lot sits inside a simple outing. It lets the children plan the journey, explore their local community, learn about and practise safety procedures, and actively engage, plan and contribute to their learning. Our educators have described it as an adventure into the world of books, surrounded by shelves of stories. The kindergarten group has explored a variety of books, strengthened their early literacy skills, and engaged with technology, building confidence in their early computer skills.
A library also does something a yard cannot. It shows children how a community gathers around stories, curiosity and shared experiences.
Woolworths welcomed our Southport centre for a tour around the store, where the children were able to see and discuss different types of food, and how it is prepared and then sold within the community. Their favourite part, by the team's account, was receiving a fresh piece of fruit.
The post calls it the first time, so read it as something that happened, not a fixture.
Some trips go further. HOTA has had our children through the doors. Southport's kindergarten and vacation care groups have been for the interactive exhibits and displays made for young visitors. Southport's Pre Kindy children wrapped up their Harmony Week work at Saltwater Heart, an Indigenous-themed art exhibition drawing inspiration from Torres Strait Islander saltwater life, where they explored identities, connection to Country and the rhythms of the ocean. Robina's kindergarten children have explored the HOTA gallery and the outdoor spaces.
Southport's kindergarten children have explored the Botanic Garden with great curiosity and enthusiasm. Roses, cacti and lemon trees, then turtles and eels in the water, and thoughtful questions all the way round.
Southport's educators describe Broadwater Parklands as one of the kindergarten class's favourite local excursion spots. Southport's After School Care program also heads out into the community for afternoon tea and outdoor play, and on one of those afternoons the children ate along the Broadwater and then worked together on a beach clean-up before returning to the centre.
One trip grew out of the view. Since the children started Beach Kindy they had seen SeaWorld from across the Broadwater, and it sparked conversation among the group. Ms Aveen and Jocelyn explained what is there, and eventually the kindergarten class visited: stingrays, sleeping polar bears, silly seals, dancing dolphins, and the marine lab where research is being conducted about sea jellies.
Bush Kindy is an excursion program that runs at Robina, built around the local park. Each room has a designated day to explore it. Ask what the roster looks like for your child's room.
On another Robina trip, the children took an adventure to a nearby park following a child-led interest in underwater animals, carrying recycled glass jars to collect what they found. They spotted a baby frog, a snail and a caterpillar.
At the centre with the park next door, a park excursion did similar work. A Junior Kindy group's interest in balance was sparked during the excursion and the play on the see saws, and they used balancing scales and weighted hooks to work out how to make it stay straight across, or go up and down.
Beach Kindy runs at Southport. On a recent morning the children searched for crabs along the shoreline, and every little find sparked curiosity and conversation about the many animals that live in and around the beach, and why those habitats matter.
Robina has been out by the water too. The children there have had a beach day of sand, shells and shoreline, and the toddlers visited the Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre for stories about the land and sea that surrounds us, followed by a walk along the beach.
Visits with the residents of Estia Health go both ways. Southport's kindergarten children have enjoyed a special visit with the residents, where smiles and laughter were shared across the generations. The grandparents from Estia Health have also come to the centre to spend the morning with the kindergarten children, colouring, making playdough creations and drawing. The children were excited to show their artwork, the grandparents joined in with just as much enthusiasm, and Ms Mina made homemade scones with jam and cream for them to taste.
It is not identical from centre to centre. Beach Kindy belongs to Southport, Bush Kindy to Robina. So the useful question is not what Global Sky Education does in general, it is what your child's room is doing.
Ask whether there is an excursion policy you can read, then ask the specifics:
Everything above has happened, but it is not a fixed calendar. On your tour, ask where your child's room has actually been going. That one question tells you more than any brochure.
