Kindergarten

We’re almost at the end of poorneet (tadpole) season. The kindergarten children have been noticing changes in our garden and beyond:

There are mulberries on the mulberry tree!

The mulberries are green. When they’re black they’re good to eat.

This flower looks like a cauliflower.

I saw mushrooms. They might be poisonous.

I went to the botanic gardens and I saw tadpoles.

Through connecting with nature and noticing the changes around us, children begin to understand the passing of time, natural cycles and predictable patterns. In the kindergarten, we use the seven seasons of the Eastern Kulin Nation to guide these observations of nature, acknowledging First Nations people’s knowledge and understanding of the local climate and landscape that has been passed down between generations for tens of thousands of years.

Next up is buath guru (flowering grasses) season, throughout November. It’s a great season for butterflies, but not so much for hayfever sufferers!