Creative, ingenious and talented — children at Brisbane City Child Care (BCCC) produced and presented their unique artwork paying respect to Aboriginal culture at the centre’s annual art show.
Educator Diana Leon said they invited a person with a tertiary Aboriginal background to tell stories and sing songs with the children, giving the children a deeper understanding of the Aboriginal culture in acknowledge of country.
“He came and talked to us about what they usually do, about the flux and the meanings,” Ms Leon said.
Combining what they learnt from the guest speaker with personal experience, imagination and intrinsic motivation, the children used Aboriginal symbols to create their own dreamtime stories to explain the world around them.
“The children loved learning about symbols, and how aboriginal people more often used symbols to tell the stories,” she said.
The exhibition also showcased the children’s ocean-themed artwork.
“They were fascinated with the ocean creatures, and they wanted to learn all facts related to them,” Ms Leon said.
“They came to us and started asking questions — Why do octopuses do this? — Why do they look like that?”
Chris Buck, the owner of BCCC, said art-making not only broadened the children’s horizons, but also motivated them to acquire new knowledge and skills.
“You’ve got to light up the fire to get them to expand their mind and develop curiosity,” Mr Buck said.
Read the story in My Village News here (please turn to page 15).
