Naturecrewplaygroups

Our Story

Our Story

Hi, my name is Ifra!

I am passionate about two things in life; one is nature and the other is early childhood education. I started Nature Crew in 2018 and Little Big Learners in 2019 with my humble team of Early childhood educators and teachers to provide alternative education options for my two homeschooled girls and other homeschooling families in the area. Never did I know that in a few years time, both these businesses will become so big that we will be running our sessions across Melbourne.

Our history

In these three years we have had the honour to be interviewed by Channel 9 and Channel 31, run a nature festival with Hume City Council and offer numerous opportunities for children and families to explore and learn about Nature through Nature Crew and to get ready for school by focussing on numeracy and literacy skills through our indoor sessions at Little Big Learners.

I started Nature Crew because there were no such playgroups in the area at that time for my girls to attend. Being a Microbiologist, I knew that without exposure to some of the microorganisms found in nature and mud, my children would miss out on building a stronger, more robust immunity to sickness. I also knew that educating children and families about their natural environment is a necessity in today’s day and age and there was no better way to give back to the world, the knowledge and passion that I had in me. Honestly, it has been a win-win situation. My kids made some lifelong friends and got to work in the most beautiful office that has no walls or doors.

Little Big Learners came a year later. I started that as a trial at the request of other families who were attending Nature Crew at that time. We wanted to give our children the best of both worlds. A well balanced educational approach that covers the knowledge of the natural world, offers opportunities for exploration and adventure and also supports children with their social and emotional health and strengthens their numeracy and literacy skills.

I am often juggling many things at one time and that’s why I can sometimes take 1-2 days to get back to your messages. I am thankful to all of you who wait patiently for the replies. I am beyond blessed to have the support of so many of you. 

I really hope you find these programs useful and I can’t wait to meet you outdoors on our wild adventures or indoors supporting our little learners.

Our graduates

Children graduate Bright Horizons programs with the skills they need to succeed in private or public school. In surveys, kindergarten and first grade teachers report that Bright Horizons graduates are enthusiastic learners who are socially and academically ready for the years ahead.

As well as the local language in each country our preschools are based in, we offer various ‘immersion classes’ in the afternoons, such as Mandarin, French or Arabic. In some centers, we give bilingual lessons – although primarily, the native tongue of every Safari Kid kindergarten branch is English!

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Our community

Our families come from nearby neighborhoods, creating a close-knit environment and strong parent partnerships. Whether we’re close to home or near the office, our center is ideal for busy working families and easy to get to – for pick-up and drop-off or to stop in for a visit.

We use fun, research-based, multi-sensory strategies to help children develop early learning skills, including Lively Letters, Open Court for phonics and literacy, Handwriting Without Tears, and Everyday Math. We use Responsive Classroom as the basis for our social and emotional learning curriculum throughout the school.

Health & Safety

Your child’s health and safety are our top priority. Our centers have strict guidelines for cleanliness and security and we’re proud to be recognized as a health-and-wellness model for child care centers by the Partnership for a Healthier America.

At Bright Horizons, we make your child’s health and safety our top priority. Our standards are the highest in the industry, meeting or exceeding all local and state guidelines.

All of our early education and preschool centers include:

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