Photo: Supplied.
FROM GUNDALA KINDERGARTEN
Our children gripped the fence posts, jumping up and down and squealing with excitement as they greeted our kindy friends from across the road. “Yura! Welcome!” the children sang out, waving and giggling as they waited for everyone to enter the playground.
The week had begun with the children from Mother Duck Childcare, Wynnum, and Gundala Kindergarten, collaborating to create a mural to share with our community for Reconciliation Week. Each child from both centres also created an Aboriginal flag in the shape of a heart, which were then scattered across Tingal Road as a sea of hearts.
Our new friends surprised us with a beautiful Acknowledgment to Country they had been respectfully developing, and little hands popping up to excitedly share any knowledge they have about Aboriginal culture and people.
Sharing with each other our knowledge of culture was wonderful; the excitement and buzz between children and educators was certainly contagious. It reinforced to all of us how special it is for Australia to have the oldest living culture in the world and celebrating this through sharing knowledge with each other will keep Aboriginal culture alive and strong.
One educator wandered into our Bush Tucker Garden, nibbling on delicious native raspberries, pulling cheeky weeds, and exploring which native plants we are growing.
Looking around the space there were children lined up waiting their turn to get their faces painted in the traditional Quandamooka patterns and designs. Other children were exploring making sounds with a range of Indigenous musical instruments and others making craft or getting to know one another. One keen jarjum even had a deadly go at playing the didgeridoo.
We closed our celebration with some oral storytelling and a taste of some native lemon myrtle in a yummy cupcake.
Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for Gundala and Mother Duck jarjums wandering down Tingal Road together as our new friends take us to share their Bush Kindy location with us!
