As a childcare Centre responsible for educating children, we believe Immersing children in our culture to “Empower Our Youth” is the foundation to acceptance and an openness to bridge the gap and unite as one.
Which is exactly why we called our weekly, Indigenous inspired program, ‘Empowering Our Youth’ . We begin each and everyday by reciting the ‘Acknowledgement of Country’. This creates an understanding and a respect to the traditional custodians of the land past, present and emerging. We honour the Kombumerri tribe in which the land we have been given, by speaking the Yugambeh language and respecting local traditions and practises.
This month in the Dolphins toddler room, as part of our ‘Empowering Our Youth’ program, we have been focusing on Indigenous Symbols and the Yugambeh language.
WHY WE TEACH DIFFERENT CULTURES IN A CHILDCARE SETTING
Learning about other cultures helps children understand different perspectives within the world in which we live. It helps dispel negative stereotypes and personal biases about different groups. In addition, cultural diversity helps us recognize and respect “ways of being” that are not necessarily our own.
OUR ABORIGINAL PROGRAM
In our room this term, we have been focusing on various Aboriginal symbols, counting in Yugambeh and animal names.
We understand the importance of making learning fun and enjoyable, for children to feel good and absorb what they are learning. We make it our number one goal to prepare the tasks as engaging as possible. Keeps us on our creative toes and the children motivated to stay focused on the task at hand.
Aboriginal symbols
The children are given our room’s thinking stones with Aboriginal symbols etched on them and a laminated sheet with six various matching symbols. The children are prompted to find the symbols on the stones that match the symbols on their sheets. When they find a matching one, we name the symbol so they learn to recognise what that symbol means.
Skills- cognitive stimulation, matching, identifying, memory.
Speaking in Yugambeh
Practising at home with you, will help your child consolidate their learnings.
We are practising counting in yugambeh from 1-5;
- One – Yabru
- Two- Bulla
- Three- Bullayabru
- Four – Bullabulla
- Five – Dunngunn
Adding some animals to our list;
- Dolphin- Gwonda; (of course)
- Echidna – Buneen;
- Snake – Jomgwong;
- Dingo – Ngagam;
- Emu – Nguron; and
- Kookaburra – Kagaru.
And finally, people, moon and stars;
- Black man – Maibin;
- Woman – Talgunn;
- Child – Jarjumm;
- Family -Junnebeineubani;
- moon – Gibumm; and
- Star – Goromgunn.
Intentional Teaching
The children get really excited and really engage with the ‘Empowering Our Youth’ program. Teaching our native language and symbols creates a solid foundation for children to grow in their cultural sensitivity.
It is our intention that the children grow up with an understanding of the Indigenous culture, and with that understanding comes acceptance and inclusion, of not only Indigenous Australians but also other Australians who are different to them or live their lives differently to the way we live our own.
In essence, our aim is to teach acceptance and unite as one.
That’s all from Miss Jodie, Miss Sabrina and the Dolphins (Gwong) children.
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