There’s nothing like a three year old with a transport obsession! Plane, ship and train spotting is an excellent way to encourage your child’s interests whilst creating an engaging, contextual learning experience that can connect their early learning centre activities to the real world. Your child’s interests in transportation and machinery will have been noticed by their early education teachers and encouraged. You can expand on their excellent work by crafting a family day out that everyone will enjoy.
Here are the best places to go train spotting in the South-East Queensland region. Train spotting in Brisbane isn’t just limited to the electric train system. The Caboolture line especially boasts a broad variety of freight trains, long distance passenger trains and even the odd diesel. Anyone with a Thomas obsessed kid will know all about diesels! Thomas lovers may also enjoy a day trip out to the old turntable in Imbil. If you want to take the train spotting experience further, you can always book a Steam Train Sunday ticket or ride the Valley Rattler historical park in Gympie.
Got an eagle-eyed toddler in love with planes? Here is where you can take them to spot planes near Brisbane.
Don’t forget the wonderful Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Memorial near Brisbane Airport. The memorial features The Southern Cross aeroplane, carefully preserved for eager aviation enthusiasts, displayed in a giant hanger. It’s open 24/7 and is completely free. Learn more here.
There are a number of excellent vantage points from which young learners can see enormous ships. Any coastal point that you can find is going to offer many opportunities to spot a variety of ships. A fun idea for Brisbane families is to head to the P&O Docks at Hamilton to see the huge cruise liners come in to port. Imagine the look on your child’s face as they are completely dwarfed by the ship of their dreams! This spot offers a plethora of family-friendly dining and activity options in the surrounding areas to cap off a wonderful family day out.
Anywhere along Bramble Bay and on the Redcliffe Peninsula will offer little ship spotters great views of cruise ships and freighters coming in and out of port. You can also take a drive out to the Port of Brisbane to see these giants up close.
To truly pique little interests, toddlers love a visit to the Queensland Maritime Museum where they can get up close and personal with a variety of different vessels.
Becoming involved in, and planning activities around, your child’s interests is not only an excellent way to connect their learning between home and school but to create special moments together that can sometimes be lost in the grind of the day-to-day.
Looking for other great ideas for your toddler this weekend? Check out our guide to toddler friendly bushwalking!
Looking for the right childcare experience for your little plane spotters? At Little Scholars, we believe in embracing your child’s natural curiousity and helping them to develop interests. Tour our centres across Brisbane and The Gold Coast to see how we do early learning better.
The Gold Coast is ripe with opportunities for healthy, outdoor family fun. You’ll be bombarded with suggestions for theme parks and the like but if you’re looking for more creative things to do on the Gold Coast with toddlers, the following suggestions are bound to make for some excellent memories.
The best bet is to head to Harley Park and Ian Dipple Lagoon (Broadwater). Charis Seafood does daily pelican feedings at about 1.30pm every day. The clever birds start massing an hour or so before (they must have watches in their massive beaks). This is an exciting and impressive activity that little kids will enjoy as they take in the wonderous size and amusing antics of these impressive water birds.
This is not an editing error! Bushwalking with a toddler in tow is possible and it can be enjoyable as well, as long as you’re prepared.
Bushwalking provides toddlers and young children with the opportunity to exercise in an entirely natural setting. It promotes an appreciation of the beautiful natural settings that we often take for granted in Australia and it’s an excellent way to spend some quality time together as a family.
The best locations for bushwalking with young children on the Gold Coast are:
The big theme parks have the crowd, the prices and the plastic. If that’s exactly what you’re hoping to avoid with your little ones, take heart! There are a number of fantastic family-friendly venues on the Gold Coast that promote sustainability and conservation. They provide families with animal experiences in a natural, respectful way that sets up a lifetime appreciation for the wonderful creatures we share our world with. These can make for excellent days out and really are one of the best things to do with toddlers on the Gold Coast.
Places you can take toddlers to see animals on the Gold Coast:
How can nature and creativity enhance your child’s learning? Contact Little Scholars today to find out how.
Thinking of bushwalking in Brisbane with little ones in tow? There are great tracks that are closer than you think. Taking young children bushwalking can be an excellent way to contextualise the great learning they do about nature with actual immersion in a natural setting. Outdoor nature play features heavily in the Little Scholars curriculum design – so much so that you might be surprised by what your young children will be able to teach you!
Little Scholars would like to remind readers of the policy of ‘leave nothing and take nothing.’ Natural environments should not be disturbed and animals should be left well alone. Here are some easy nature walks on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane that toddlers can do as well!
There are a number of easy, short tracks that little legs will find somewhat manageable. Ensure that you bring appropriate clothing, sun protection and the obligatory snacks that must accompany any outing with small children!
This track is only 1.6km return and can be found in Springwood National Park. There is a beautiful outlook to Currumbin Creek that will prompt many discussions of environmental concepts like water flow and erosion. Kids can even safely swim depending on the time of year you go!
Again, you’ll find this track manageable as it is a mere 1.6km return. You can head to the lookout at Kings Beach where you will have the opportunity to learn about the Indigenous heritage of the beautiful surrounds.
Natural Bridge in the beautiful Springbrook National Park is a very easy 1km circuit that includes a glow worm cave (best viewed in the evening) and waterfall. If you know where to look, you may also get a glimpse at a trap door spider so hold little hands and avoid touching muddy embankments! You will find a lot of stairs on your walk, so it’s not suited to a pram but still an easy walk for kids of all ages.
The morbid name does not represent the wonderful experience that awaits your toddler! Brisbane bushwalking for kids is well represented by a number of tracks that differ in terms of difficulty and duration. There is also Indigenous artwork along the way to inspire and promote discussion. Take your swimmers as the track offers plenty of shallow water creeks in which little ones can paddle.
This south side Brisbane location boasts a number of tracks as well as family-friendly facilities designed to promote engagement with nature. There are a large number of animals in this area as well – perfect for the eagle-eyed toddler.
Freshwater National Park on Deception Bay Road is a hidden gem for parents of nature loving little ones. Besides the very easy walk through a forest of beautiful grass trees, Freshwater National Park is home to a reclusive koala population, lizards, birds and wallabies.
Cedar Creek, with its deep and shallow swimming options, meanders its way through 11 different picnic spots, ideal for families to spend a leisurely afternoon. The once popular Cedar Creek Falls now lie on private property but there are still ample opportunities enjoy a little bushwalking in Brisbane’s outer west. If your little one is all about the exploring rather than the walking, Cedar Creek offers plenty of exploration opportunities with a little bit of exercise thrown in!
Kindergarten and early learning programs that feature nature play prepare our children to embrace sustainability and foster a healthy respect for the environment. Take the lessons of your Little Scholars’ classroom into the great outdoors this weekend. At Little Scholars, we believe sustainable living, bushwalking and immersing children in the natural environment is an important element of their education and development. Learn more about our unique curriculum here.
Our innovative programs not only promote values around conservation and sustainability, but also pique your child’s interest in the natural world. Your child doesn’t need to be a budding scientist (although we’ll always encourage children to pursue an interest in science) to benefit from keen observation skills and natural curiousity. A fundamental interest in the natural world and “how things are” is the foundation for a life time of learning. As early educators, we believe that this is invaluable to little minds. All of our centres feature a comprehensive nature based curriculum – with Yatala currently trialling a cutting edge program for little scientists and nature lovers. Read about our nature walk in Yatala here.
At Little Scholars School of Early Learning, we’re dedicated to shaping bright futures and instilling a lifelong passion for learning. With our strategically located childcare centres in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, we provide tailored educational experiences designed to foster your child’s holistic development.
Let us hold your hand and help looking for a child care centre. Leave your details with us and we’ll be in contact to arrange a time for a ‘Campus Tour’ and we will answer any questions you might have!
