A pack of kangaroos sun themselves in front of the local school. A burst of bright yellow wattle tumbles on the roadside. It feels very different from Melbourne. After the short 50-minute drive, it seems we are in the country here in Riddells Creek, located in the Macedon Ranges. It’s not surprising that many young families have chosen this corner of the world to call home.
Beside the town oval, mums and children gather in a clearing, basking in the rejuvenating winter sun. Familiar gentle tunes can be heard as we approach the newly established playgroup and the morning passes by in a gentle rhythm of play and conversation.
Tianah, mother of two, feels settled at this playgroup and so do her kids.
“It has a home vibe to it.”
“They want to come back here so that speaks volumes. They are excited to come, there are different activities every week. It just feels relaxed but also there is lots for them to do so they kind of want to hang out the whole time generally.”
Many of the children at Màyta playgroup venture to a big puddle, skirting the outside in their gumboots. Some paddle their way through, squidging the mud beneath their feet. The children are free to explore further afield, wandering to the oval and back, knowing they are safe with their mums close by.
The thing is, there is ample opportunity for both parents and children to be creative in these play spaces. Together they can move into a flow of play.
For Asher, like Tianah, she enjoys the relaxed atmosphere.
“Definitely a benefit, it is my first playgroup and it’s certainly not what I thought it would be- it’s so much better.”
“Just the freedom, and just the chill, everyone is chilled, it’s not noisy, it is a nice place for mums to be too, I think.”
Homemade wooden tables are ready for letter writing and drawing, with colourful crayons, thick brown card and envelopes. Several children are busy making playdough castles with twigs while others have their hands immersed in the messy play buckets that are now a blue hue. The little ones continue to return to the fairy garden, with toad stools and a tree house. Sat beside is a wicker basket of flowers and herbs: coriander, jonquils, camellias, shiny green leaves. One girl picks them up to examine each one. To the right, there are trucks and books. It is open-ended and as such, the children relish their sense of freedom and discovery.
Sheridan started the playgroup only a few months ago and is enjoying the creative side of things.
“I really feel like my inner child is coming out.”
Sheridan is mum to three little ones and was eager to create an outdoor playgroup which has really sprung to life today, as the weather improves towards the spring.
Sheridan applied to be part of the Great Start initiative run by Playgroup Victoria, helping new playgroups to begin and grow.
“I went into it blindly. I thought, well, I will give it a go and see what happens and then when I got an email to say you have been accepted- it kind of gave me that push because I wanted to do a playgroup but I thought it’s probably a lot of work, I don’t know much, I don’t sort of know where to start but that gave me a base to start off. I thought, we have got a little bit of money now, we can buy some equipment and then that kind of pushed me to get a venue and then the wheels were in motion then and now the momentum has built and now we have got something in place, we can kind of do the different things.”
Sheridan is a stay-at-home mum and says, “it is a privilege.” She is loving being a mum and found herself out and about with her three children during the week and wanted to create opportunities for other mums to get-together and have fun.
“In my head, the way I think of it, is they, playgroups, fill the gap between birth and kinder,” said Sheridan.
“I still remember playgroup from when I was two, three maybe, so definitely I can see why they’re important.”
There are no bookings or prep needed to come along, Sheridan just said that whoever wants to join is welcome. She also said that she was wary with social media. She posts videos and photos because she finds it fun, but she wanted to make sure that it was real- she wanted to make sure that it was a really nice, happy environment for mums, not just online but in the flesh. She wanted the playgroup to be authentic.
“There are definitely, I mean, I don’t know of them personally, but statistically we know, especially in early motherhood, first baby, isolation is a big thing so that is why we are here as well to help any mums who are feeling like they don’t necessarily want to leave town for the day but they want to be around other mums, like we are walking distance to the main street so we are pretty accessible.”
Sheridan talks about getting to know people around town and running into them at the supermarket.
“It is a sweet community, that is the biggest thing I love about this place.”
Sheridan has lived in bigger places and in the hustle and bustle, people can rush by. The smaller town has helped to create moments of connection.
“I think it is easier because you just make those deeper relationships, people are more open to friendship.”
Sheridan saw one of the kids from playgroup out with their Dad on a weekend and thought that is one of the best parts of being in this kind of small-town community: the familiar faces, the comfort, safety- belonging. It reminded her of her own childhood and one of her friend’s mums.
“She was part of my childhood, she would always say ‘Hi, hello’ and it was another adult that if you were out and about and you see them and you fall over and you need a band aid you can ask them because you know the familiar faces.”
Tianah is a stay-at-home mum like Sheridan. She feels playgroup is a respite, to have somewhere to go for the kids where they will be set for a couple of hours, playing, while they all get out of the house and enjoy catching up with others.
“It’s just a nice little way to break up the week.”
The kids are loving it. The parents are enjoying themselves. A simple set-up and what follows is: simple pleasures.
The fresh air, hands in contact with nature, telling stories, letting ones imagination wander, expressing aloud ones thoughts that the children don’t understand, sharing space with others. Sheridan describes it as “grounding”.
“I guess it is invaluable really,” said Sheridan.
Connect and join the fun at Màyta Playgroup here
Article by Sinead Halliday
Photography by Mylie Nauendorf