National Reconciliation Week was celebrated across the Early Learning Centre with many engaging activities for the children.

Children explored what it means to take care of the land they play on every day. They read the special creation story of Bunjil, the great wedge-tailed eagle, learning how he created the land, the trees, and the people, and how we must look after his creation.

To connect more deeply with these stories, the children became artists and storytellers themselves. Inspired by Aboriginal art and storytelling traditions, they looked at different traditional symbols. The children participated in a Smoking Ceremony led by Uncle William Pepper, a proud First Nations person. Three special plants were used in the Welcome to Country ceremony on Bunurong/Boonwurrung Country: Cherry Ballart, Wattle and Gum. The properties of these plants protect guests both physically and spiritually. The smoke is a symbol of water; when you pass through it, it is as if the smoke passing over you is like running water from head to toe.