Here are some of the highlights.
Bassendean
Children in the Yakkan room made their version of ochre paint!
After finding some rocks in the centre’s garden, they crushed them into fine powder and added some water to make the paint, a technique used by the First Nation peoples for their paintings.
Capturing this year’s theme — Proud in culture, strong in spirit —this experience gave the children an opportunity to learn and connect with the indigenous culture and history.
Wembley
Children marked celebrations with some baking and craft. On the menu was aniseed and cinnamon myrtle cookies, while an engaging craft activity saw the children create their own stick weaved animals. Children also embraced nature and the outdoors by exploring natural fallen materials from the land, that were returned to their place after they were used.
Kelmscott
Children in the Chuditch room put on their MiniChef hats and learned how to bake chocolate and wattle seed biscuits, which they took home to share with their families.
It was an enjoyable experience for all involved as the children took turns to smell the wattle seeds and measure out the various ingredients to make the biscuit dough.
The children also learnt about the significance of wattle to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, which has been widely used for food, medicine, utensils, weapons, and instruments for many generations.
Leading up to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s day, children also read the book titled, Our Home, Our Heartbeat, by Adam Briggs. This beautiful picture book pays tribute to the success of past and present First Nations People as well as emerging generations. To cap off celebrations, the children were introduced to two pieces of artwork by a local artist, Bradley Kickett and were able to identify the various shapes and colours on the artwork.
Banksia Grove
A colourful dance performance took hold in the Mallee Room as children moved to the beach of the Wombat Wobble today to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day. Following an energetic dance session, children used the animal actions they had learned to transition to wash their hands for afternoon tea. Through music and movement, the children learned how to act out and follow simple instructions.
Heathridge
The kindy children kicked off their day of celebrations by sitting down to read one of their favourite books, Secret of Dreaming, from the book corner. They listened to the story surrounded by nature in the centre’s playground, where they identified different patterns and art within the book, showing particular attention to the swirly patterns.
Following on from the story, educators provided paint for the children to make their own representations of the art in the story book. The children created their own colourful interpretations of Indigenous art, which they were proud to show off.
Merriwa
In support of National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day, families of children form the Toddler Room dug deep to support the Indigenous community by purchasing children’s day bags from SNAICC — National Voice of Our Children.
The bags contained an array of resources including handprints for the children to paint as week as Indigenous stories.
By supporting this organisation, the children and staff broadened their understanding of Australia’s First Nation’s peoples.
