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Authentically Connecting with Country
Natalie Semple, Indigenous Inclusion Educational Leader > Everton Park Child Care and Development Centre
The positive links between connecting with nature and mental and physical health and wellbeing have been well established, but what does that look like in an early learning setting?
At Everton Park Child Care and Development Centre, we embrace unstructured free play in our beautiful outdoor environment. Country is our classroom and our teacher; as educators we facilitate opportunities for children to authentically and sustainably connect with and learn from Country. Connecting with Country is about more than just taking our lessons outside. It’s a holistic pedagogy that is embedded across all areas of our program and practice. We develop respectful, reciprocal relationships with our environment and children are encouraged to take an active role as caretakers; planting and maintaining gardens, managing composting systems, nurturing wildlife and engaging in mindfulness and meditation experiences. This supports children to feel more connected with the Country that they live and learn on. We encourage children to become observers, to slow down and take time to appreciate the unique beauty within our environment; we notice the way the she-oak needles capture the morning dew, or the butterfly laying her eggs on the jasmine leaves. We feel the texture and strength of a tree trunk and relish in the smell of the earth after the rain. As the children become more connected and engaged with our environment, they begin to predict and make observations about the cyclical changes that occur. We look forward to the dazzling yellow display of the wattle flowers and the cascading red of the Illawarra flame tree. We welcome the ringtail possums building their nests in our branches and seasonal return of the harlequin beetles. It is through these observations that we develop an intimate knowing and connectedness with our environment.
In a large jacaranda tree near the middle of our learning environment, a breeding pair of Tawny Frogmouths have established their permanent nest. Typically, a month after hatching, the chicks will become fledglings and will leave the nest and the area. However, the Tawny Frogmouth that was born last year is now an adult and still resides in the same tree beside this year’s hatchlings. This is indicative of a trusting, secure and nurturing environment; this rare and unique gift is just one example of how Country speaks to us. Learning to listen to Country is imperative, and now more than ever she is calling to us. Our practices are informed by our Reconciliation Action Plan. We embrace hands on, play based learning where children are given space to take considered risks and set their own boundaries. We embrace sustainable practices with a view towards conservation and land management and we foster an environment where we celebrate each other’s strengths; learning with and from each other as a community. These are all Aboriginal ways of being and learning that align beautifully with our centre philosophy, program and practice. Because of this interconnectedness, our relationship with Country has become intrinsic. That is not to say that it has been developed without intention; our connection with Country is continuously strengthening and didn’t happen instantaneously – it is a life long journey for us all. However, we are rewarded with an environment that is uniquely us. The ground we stand on is timeless and it holds the stories of our learning community and all those who came before us.
It is more than just a sense of belonging; it is a sense of holistic wellbeing, family and home.
ORDERNOW!
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