Aspire Early Education Recognises NAIDOC Week
NAIDOC Week is a time to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.
At Aspire Early Education we aim to bring attention to NAIDOC week, by providing intentional learning opportunities and experiences for our young children to ensure all sides of our history are taught and reflected upon. It is a valuable opportunity to introduce children to Indigenous cultures and promote respect and understanding.
Learn more about the activities and learning experiences the children participated in across our Aspire centres for NADIOC week below!
For NAIDOC Week, Aspire Bella Estate set up their Piazza Space for the children to explore and learn during NAIDOC Week. They enthusiastically delved into cave painting, bringing to life ancient stories. The tale of Tiddalick the frog captivated their imaginations as they learned about this enchanting creation story from Indigenous Dreaming Stories and exploring the Aboriginal art through tracing traditional symbols. See some photos below of their Piazza learning spaces!
At Aspire Cranbourne West their Kinder children participated in a range of NAIDOC week activities, including rock painting. Painting rocks encourages children to express themselves artistically. They can experiment with colours, patterns, and designs inspired by Aboriginal art, fostering creativity and imagination. Participating in activities like rock painting encourages children to celebrate diversity and recognize the importance of cultural events and traditions.
At Aspire Clyde North, the children painted cardboard cut-outs of giant snakes, boomerangs, and the Australian map using sticks, leaves, and handprints in vibrant Aboriginal colors. These activities were designed to introduce the children to Aboriginal culture and enhance their understanding of diversity.
At Aspire Wollert, they were fortunate to have Indigenous elder Sharyn come to the centre. Sharyn created a wonderful experience for the children where she created an amazing canvas of all our kinder hub children’s hand prints.
Sharyn also did story time with children from our pre kinders and toddler hubs, where she read then a traditional Australian history book.
The 4 year old kinder rooms at Aspire Atherstone Estate had a wonderful time learning and engaging in NAIDOC Week through various activities. Children painted leaves, in vibrant Aboriginal flag colors to be added to their acknowledgment to country to represent each of them. In another experience children used the Aboriginal flag colours counters to fill into a flag template combining their interest in counting through play and their continued exploration of Aboriginal culture. Children also used loose parts to create Aboriginal symbols for some words on paper. The children were so excited to share what they had learnt! These experiences were incorporated to continue to introduce the children to Aboriginal culture and enhance their understanding of the diversity present in their own learning community.
As part of our NAIDOC Week at Aspire Berwick Waters, the children in Room Marram engaged in a wonderful cultural activity that brought immense joy and learning. They made traditional damper and “cooked” it in a pretend fire pit. They mixed the ingredients, shaped their dough, and then placed it in our creatively set-up pretend fire pit, mimicking the traditional cooking method.
By engaging in this traditional practice, children learned about the significance of damper in Indigenous history and its role in community gatherings.
Incorporating these activities into our Aspire curriculum not only celebrates NAIDOC Week but also fosters respect, understanding, and appreciation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures among young learners.
If you would like to learn more about Aspire and our curriculum, enquire now at your nearest Aspire centre or contact us on 1800 978 429.
