Background Information

Content information:

The activities in this unit will help you to explore key aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. Exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives with your children will benefit both First Nations and non-Indigenous children.

For any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in your centre, exploring their culture plays a key role in their development, identity and self-esteem, and contributes to the overall well-being of the child.

For non-Indigenous children, embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in their early education experiences is fundamental in creating inclusive and accepting attitudes, and positive race relations. These perspectives are also about celebrating different cultures and the uniqueness of individuals. It is enriching for children to experience the different perspectives and diverse human experiences other cultures can bring to the melting pot.

For more information about why you should aim to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives at your centre - including terms of reference and cultural protocols - visit Caring for Country – Learning for Educators.
To access more activities to support you in exploring and embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories in your centre and activities, click here.

Before beginning this activity, it is strongly recommended that you complete the Tuning In Introductory Lessons. These activities will guide you to find out more about the Traditional Owners of your area. Having this information will support you in authentically embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in your room and centre as well as guiding you to build genuine relationships with the Traditional Owners of your area.

Part A: Discussion

Step 1.

Begin this activity by inviting children to sit in a discussion circle and share their thoughts about the following:

I wonder if we live on earth?
I wonder what types of plants live on earth?
I wonder what types of animals live on earth?
I wonder what types of animals live where we are? I wonder if we have seen animals in the yard at our centre or at home?

For more information about how to support oral language development in children, click here.

Step 2.

You could share some of the Animal Flashcards with children and talk about whether you have seen any of these animals where you live.

Part B: Activity

Like many other traditional cultures around the world, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples may use dance and movement to tell the stories of their Country and the people, plants, animals and spirits that live there. In this activity, children will use their bodies to dance, move, wriggle, slither, hop, bounce and slide, telling the story of animals waking, feeding, interacting and sleeping over the course of a day.

Step 1.

Again share the images of animals with children, and this time invite them to act out the movements of each of these animals:

I wonder how this animal moves?
I wonder what it is doing?
I wonder where it is going?

Step 2.

You could then compile these movements to tell the story of the animals over one day. For example:

Steps of the story	Suggested actions for each step
The sun is coming up and the birds are the first to wake - welcome to the dawn chorus!	Move like birds waking up, spreading, stretching and flapping their wings, and singing up to the sun
The kangaroos and wallabies sniff the air and can smell some good grass for breakfast	Rub your eyes, scratch your tummies and sniff the air
The koala peers out from sleepy eyes and spots some juicy green leaves dotted with dew	Lazily open your eyes and peer around you before reaching for some leaves
The birds continue their busy work of the day	Birds are flying around, collecting seeds, eating bugs, drinking from flowers, and chatting to each other
The insects are also busy	Some are flying, some are crawling, some are sliding and some are hopping
The snakes and lizards slither and creep out into the sunshine to warm up	The reptiles slide, slither, creep and scuttle around before lying down for a snooze
The kangaroos and wallabies settle in for an afternoon nap	After some bouncing and hopping smoosh down some grass to make it flat like a bed before lying down for a nap
The sun is close to setting and all the animals are having a final snack and chatter	Everyone is busy!
The animals settle into their nests, hives, burrows and shelters for sleep	Sleepy eyes, yawning and curling up
But not all the animals are sleeping. It’s time for the nocturnal animals to wake up and start feeding and interacting	Possums are scurrying through trees, wombats are bumbling around, bats are flitting around looking for moths and other nighttime insects, owls are silently watching
It has been a busy night and all the nocturnal animals are tired and getting ready for bed	Mime the possum getting ready for bed
The sun is coming up and the birds are the first to wake - welcome to the dawn chorus!	Move like birds waking up, spreading, stretching and flapping their wings, and singing up to the sun

You could continue this activity for as long as children are interested, taking it in different directions and allowing different children to play different parts, including the narrator!

Part C: Possible Lines of Development

Children may have their own ideas about how to extend this activity with the themes explored in this activity, or you could consider the following:

Share a Dreamtime story with children that features animals. You could check this resource list for some suggested books. And remember to share the Country that the story is from with children (see this map).
Talk to children about how you can care for the animals in the yard at your centre. For example, could you:
- Place dishes of water in the yard (for small reptiles, birds and insects) and remember to add in fresh water regularly. You should also add a stick or stone to help the smaller animals or insects climb out if they fall in
- Create a garden (either in pots or the ground) to attract butterflies and birds. If you have access to a native nursery nearby you could also consider finding some local bush tucker plants.
- Install nesting boxes for local birds and possums.
Explore other Caring for Country Themed Activities.

Evaluation

Complete an analysis of learning, listing evidence about:

Belonging	Finding something of interest
Communication	Expressing an idea or feeling
Exploration	Engaging with challenge and persisting when difficulty arises
Wellbeing	Being involved

Caring for Country: Earth Stories

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Summary

Activity guides and printables

Activity Details

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

Additional Info

In this activity