Barmah Kindergarten 2019

Here is the woka, (land)

Here is the yurratha, (sky)

Here are my anganya, (friends)

Here am ngain (I)

We thank the Yenbena (Aboriginal ) people of the area

On which we dagaba (play) today.

This is the acknowledgement that the children of Barmah

Kindergarten do each session, and is part of the way that

the Aboriginal culture is embedded into the program. With a

majority of the children being Indigenous we believe that

this is very important. In July this year we were successful in

gaining a grant to teach the Yorta Yorta language at the

kindergarten for the next 4 years. This have been an exciting

addition to our program, with Roxanne teaching us the

Yorta Yorta language and help embed it into the program,

such as the in the acknowledgement.

The language program has been complemented during the year, with special events such as an afternoon

tea for reconciliation week, and a special session when we celebrated Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Children’s day and we invited Nathalia

Kindergarten children to join us, it was wonderful to watch

the children being able to share their knowledge of the

Aboriginal culture and have fun with the children from

Nathalia.

We were also privileged to be invited by the Nathalia Police

to visit Nathalia, and help to raise the Aboriginal flag for

the first time at the police station. The children enjoyed this

and even shared our acknowledgement with the special

guest.

The program at Barmah Kindergarten is guided by the children and

their interests. This years children enjoyed the balance bikes and

spent a lot of time on them, we have a track down the back of the

kindergarten and they decided that the track needed bike jumps, so

over several sessions the children worked to build bike jumps,

which were enjoyed and worked on over the year.

We have a vegetable garden and chooks and the produce from

these are used in the program. The children decide what they will

cook. Often after finding an egg in the chook pen, or another hiding

spot, the children would request to

make pancakes with the egg, or

something else.

The children are encouraged to

take risks, such as building high

towers of blocks by asking an

educator for the step ladder so that

they can make their buildings even

higher. Of course the children are

guided to do this

safely, and set

their own rules so

that it is done

safely.

Fires are also a very popular activity in term 2 and 3, with

children often requesting a fire, which we have in the centre of

our yarning circle. The favourite item to cook is johnny cakes,

with the children requesting them frequently.

The program is enhanced by incursions such as GV Water,

Smiles for Miles, Melbourne Museum and In the Wild, these

along with excursions to the local schools, the supermarket and

around the community. The

children especially liked walking

to the Barmah Forest and Dungala ( Murray River), with frequent visits

and children observing their environment changing over time.

The year ended with the children creating their own Christmas tree out of

cardboard boxes, and they painted it blue, and then decorated it and this

was then used as a centre piece at our family break up and kindergarten

Christmas Party.

Thanks must go the wonderful children and parents of Barmah Kindergar-

ten and Occasional Care, who make the centre the lovely place it is.

A special thank you to Elwyn, Roxanne and Leanne and to the staff of

GRPSA—Sue, Amy, Carol and Amanda, for the wonderful management of

Barmah Kindergarten.

Robyn Trickey

Thank you

Robyn Trickey—B ED–Early childhood