Bush
Kinder.

Kids haul, balance, prop and weave. The cubby almost always falls down at some point. Then they build it again, smarter.

River red gums. Box gums. Wattle in flower. The names stick because the trees become familiar, not flashcards, landmarks.

Mud on the elbows by morning tea. Wet boots. Children come back to the centre having spent a day inside their bodies.

Birds overhead, wind in the gums, the smell of bark after rain. Long stretches where nothing is scheduled and a child can simply sit and notice.