Today, we took a walk down to Koobara’s Aunty Melita Garden.  This was important for us, as it provided another opportunity for us to practice safe walking choices in preparation for our Bunyaville Easter Bilby excursion.  After some negotiation between the children, and a bit of guidance in modelling how to ask a friend if it’s ok to hold their hand; the children were able to match with a walking buddy ready to head out for our walk.  We set the jarjums with a clear boundary – to walk behind our two leaders and stay with their walking buddy.  We had yarned on the mat about what safe walking choices look like.  One child told us that it involves ‘no running, because you might trip’.  Ultimately, our friends were empowered with the chance to make these safe choices by themselves, and they rose to the occasion. 

When we reached the garden, we asked the children to look and listen for any creatures that may be living down there.  At the garden, we saw the sandstone block yarning circle and one of the children said ‘look, there’s a campfire’.  Another spotted two birds (magpies) and lots of our friends spotted the rotating sprinkler that Duncan our Groundsman had turned on for the plants to drink water.  

We explored some of the labels on the plants in the garden, and then walked over to our native bee hive.  We yarned with the children about how special these bees are because they are native to our country, and don’t sting.  The children were especially curious about these creatures.   Duncan called out to us to show us what an empty hive looks like.  ‘Do they live in there?’ a child asked.  We confirmed this, also yarned about how, next week, Aaron is going to split the hive and show us their home inside (along with their honey). 

The children moved with confidence through the natural space, having to watch their footing when walking up and down the hill.  The sprinkler attracted the children, and they enjoyed the stream of cool water on this hot afternoon too!

Promoting a respect for local flora and fauna is really important in nurturing our connections to Country.  It is living and dynamic and teaches us about how to harmoniously exist in respectful balance.