Blue Tussock-grass: our 2027 Children's Centre Diary cover, and 3 ways to explore it with children

Each of our 2027 covers is named after an Australian native plant. The Children's Centre Diary wears Blue Tussock-grass, and here is a little about it, plus three easy ways to explore it with your children.

Meet Blue Tussock-grass

Poa poiformis, or coast tussock-grass, is a hardy blue-green grass native to southern Australia. It grows in dense, softly mounded tufts along ocean foreshores, estuaries, dunes and clifftops, right where the wind is strongest. Instead of snapping, it bends and springs back, which is exactly why it thrives where few other plants can. Its fine seed-heads feed insects and small birds, and its clumps give shelter to lizards and ground dwellers.

We chose it because it is calm, coastal and quietly tough, a lovely match for the work of a centre director, and because a native grass is something children can find, touch and grow almost anywhere in the country.

Bring it into your program

Three simple experiences, each with a link to the EYLF so you can drop it straight into your planning.

1. Weaving and threading with grass

Gather long blades (or use raffia or paper strips if you have no grass on hand) and let children twist, plait and thread them. It is beautiful for fine-motor control and for slowing down and concentrating. Native grasses like Poa have been used for weaving by First Nations peoples across southern Australia for thousands of years, so this is a natural moment to connect with local Aboriginal knowledge holders or Elders and learn whose Country you are on.

EYLF: Outcome 2 (children are connected with and contribute to their world) and Outcome 4 (children are confident and involved learners).

2. The bend, don't break experiment

Head outside on a breezy day, or make your own wind with a fan or some cardboard, and watch how the grass moves. Ask the children: why doesn't it snap? What else bends in the wind? What happens to a stiff stick? Let them test their theories.

EYLF: Outcome 4, exploring, hypothesising and investigating.

3. Plant a tussock

Blue Tussock-grass is famously easy to grow and needs almost no care, which makes it a perfect first plant for a service garden. Plant one in a pot or a corner of the yard, give the children the job of watching it change through the year, and talk about why we care for living things and for our local environment.

EYLF: Outcome 2, becoming socially responsible and showing respect for the environment.

Notice and document

As the children explore, jot down their questions, theories and discoveries. That is the Butler Method in action, planning from real interest and making the learning visible.

Cover-colour photograph courtesy of Kuranga Native Nursery.

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