A hands-on NAIDOC Week activity at Goodstart’s Hope Island centre has enabled educators to enrich children’s understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ culture and history.
The children paid homage to this year’s NAIDOC Week theme of Songlines and learnt about the role of Dreamtime before creating illustrations for the story How the birds got their colours.
The illustrations were collated into a two-minute video with the dreamtime story re-told by four-year-old Kelsey – one of seven children who worked on the project from the centre’s Kindergarten and Kindy program.
Hope Island centre director Pollyann Webb said having an appreciation of and respect for different cultures helped children learn tolerance, compassion and understanding.
“It also helps children develop a sense of being and belonging,” she said.
Early Learning Centres throughout the country celebrated, and paid respect to, the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Goodstart Calamvale 2 group leader and education leader Cyrene Adams shared what reconciliation meant to their centre and local community, at the Brisbane office.
The Calamvale centre used the Narragunnawali RAP Builder to create their own Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and launched it to families during National Reconciliation Week.
The centre offers culturally respectful programs for children and families, and works collaboratively with schools to share curriculum.
Ms Adams highlighted the importance of children as our next generation of community leaders contributing to Australia’s reconciliation journey.
“As educators, we have a great opportunity to teach children about the land they have come to – building their cultural understanding, tolerance and respect for the First Peoples of Australia,” Ms Adams said.
“By introducing children to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, cultures and achievements in a friendly, relaxing and confident way, we, as educators, are also learning alongside the children in a way that is authentic, supportive and will enable this next generation to help close the gap.”
There were plenty of other activities throughout the country including:
NAIDOC Week is held in the first full week of July, as a time to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements.
NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920′s which sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of Indigenous Australians.
Goodstart partnered with Reconciliation Australia to develop its inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Goodstart’s Reconciliation Action Plan 2014 – 2016 is an Innovate RAP and was officially launched at Goodstart’s National Office in Brisbane on July 9, 2014, by CEO Julia Davison.
The children paid homage to this year’s NAIDOC Week theme of Songlines and learnt about the role of Dreamtime before creating illustrations for the story How the birds got their colours.
The illustrations were collated into a two-minute video with the dreamtime story re-told by four-year-old Kelsey – one of seven children who worked on the project from the centre’s Kindergarten and Kindy program.
Hope Island centre director Pollyann Webb said having an appreciation of and respect for different cultures helped children learn tolerance, compassion and understanding.
“It also helps children develop a sense of being and belonging,” she said.
Early Learning Centres throughout the country celebrated, and paid respect to, the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Goodstart Calamvale 2 group leader and education leader Cyrene Adams shared what reconciliation meant to their centre and local community, at the Brisbane office.
The Calamvale centre used the Narragunnawali RAP Builder to create their own Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and launched it to families during National Reconciliation Week.
The centre offers culturally respectful programs for children and families, and works collaboratively with schools to share curriculum.
Ms Adams highlighted the importance of children as our next generation of community leaders contributing to Australia’s reconciliation journey.
“As educators, we have a great opportunity to teach children about the land they have come to – building their cultural understanding, tolerance and respect for the First Peoples of Australia,” Ms Adams said.
“By introducing children to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, cultures and achievements in a friendly, relaxing and confident way, we, as educators, are also learning alongside the children in a way that is authentic, supportive and will enable this next generation to help close the gap.”
There were plenty of other activities throughout the country including:
- Goodstart Caboolture's range of activities including Dreamtime story-telling, a didgeridoo performance and traditional smoking ceremony on July 5.
- At Moulden Temple Terrace, Darwin, educators wore this year’s themed NAIDOC Week shirts and engaged children around this year’s theme and artwork.
- At Blakeview, South Australia, children worked on arts and crafts activities while learning about traditional Aboriginal storytelling and cooking. The centre offered authentic foods for children to try and they held a didgeridoo performance.
- At Miranda, New South Wales, the children read Aboriginal stories and songs, researched a famous indigenous Australian, and explored a range of aboriginal arts and crafts
NAIDOC Week is held in the first full week of July, as a time to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements.
NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920′s which sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of Indigenous Australians.
Goodstart partnered with Reconciliation Australia to develop its inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Goodstart’s Reconciliation Action Plan 2014 – 2016 is an Innovate RAP and was officially launched at Goodstart’s National Office in Brisbane on July 9, 2014, by CEO Julia Davison.