As part of our new Integrated topic this term ‘First Contacts,’ we are learning about the impact of the European Settlement on Indigenous Australian culture.
Have you ever wondered what traditional life was like for the Wurundjeri people (the Aboriginal tribe of the Melbourne area)? Well, take a trip to Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne and you are sure to learn lots of new information!
We spent the first half of the day with our guide Bridget, who guided us through 3 activities:
Indigenous tools – we learnt a lot about how Indigenous people used materials from the bic (land) to make tools for hunting, cooking and clothing. Cordials made from nectar, bags made from reeds, fire sticks and spear throwers.
Indigenous art – ochre is a type of paint used to tell and pass on stories through art. We learnt how to make the red and orange paint from rocks and left our own mark at the gardens…until the next rainfall that is!
Indigenous food – There were so many wonderful smelling plants which excited our senses as we walked through the garden. We heard how the indigenous people used various plants for water, seasoning such as salty pig face and much more. We even drank some delicious warm lemon myrtle tea!
We then finished the day off with a scavenger hunt throughout the gardens with various challenges which brought out the competitive and creative side in many of us – particularly the adults! Challenges included: make a stick sculpture, sniff out the plant with the best smell and hug a tree with smooth bark.
Be sure to check our individual student blog pages to see the group research videos that 4T have created on their own Indigenous culture inquiry questions.
What an action-packed couple of days Year 4 camp has been!
Not only did we learn about the natural environment and Indigenous culture, we have also done a heap of team building and exciting activities. Yes, we even developed our understandings about what it really means to set the table and clean up.
Gee we had fun!
The 4km Silvan Dam walk to the Mt Evelyn Recreation Camp was a bit of a hike, but was well worth it when we were welcomed by Jeff from Indigicate. He invited us to participate in a traditional Indigenous smoking ceremony. Engulfed by the smoke, we had to make the loudest sound we could (anything will do, there were some interesting versions) to alert our ancestors that we were there at the camp site, but also to protect us during our stay.
During our stay, we spent the next two days participating in so many fun and educational activities which included:
Hut building
Damper making
Giant swing
Kaos scavenger hunt
Wildlife encounter
Nature Bush Craft
Indigicate aboriginal culture experience
Night walk
Movie night
Just before our 4km hike to the campsite.
To see more photos of our fabulous time at Camp, log on to CLASSe and look for the ‘4T 2018 Camp Photos’ link underneath the Home Tasks tab.
We all showed terrific courage and curiosity that throughout the different challenges, both physical and mental. We also tried to remain positive by encouraging others to do and be their best. It was an amazing experience.
Check out the individual student blogs of 4T to read more about our camp experiences.
Positive Learner Attributes
Using our school’s Personal Learner Attributes, can you give me an example of a time that you had to use one of these traits?
Explore this resource with a partner to find out about Indigenous activists and sporting heroes who were also noted down in history.
4T felt very strongly about the injustices that the Indigenous community endured. They put themselves in the shoes of the Aboriginal people when the first white people arrived and empathised how it must have felt to be told you have ‘no rights.’
Think about this year’s theme, ‘Don’t let history be a mystery.’
Why is commemorating Reconciliation Week important? Why do you think they chose this as their theme?
As part of our new Integrated topic this term ‘First Contacts,’ we are learning about the impact of the European Settlement on Aboriginal culture.
Have you ever wondered what traditional life was like for the Wurundjeri people (the Aboriginal tribe of the Melbourne area)? Well, take a trip to CERES environmental park and you are sure to learn lots of new information!
On Monday, all the Year 4 classes visited CERES and participated in four different activities related to traditional Aboriginal culture, including:
Bush Tucker, where we learned about how Aboriginal people used plants for food and medicine.
A Merri Creek history walk, where we compared the landscape now to what it might have been prior to colinisation and looked at the positive and negative impacts of humans on nature.
Fossils and Rocks, where we learnt about igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. We discussed how they are created and we looked at fossile more than 100 million years old!
Storytelling, where we learnt about the importance of storytelling through art and dance and acted out the traditional story of Tiddalick the Frog.
Look at our individual student pages to learn more about our Aboriginal Culture research projects.
What was the most interesting thing you learnt at CERES?
What is something you are still wondering about and would like to explore further?
As part of our new Integrated topic this term ‘First Contacts,’ we are learning about the impact of the European Settlement on Aboriginal culture.
Have you ever wondered what traditional life was like for the Wurundjeri people (the Aboriginal tribe of the Melbourne area)? Well, take a trip to CERES environmental park and you are sure to learn lots of new information!
Today, all the Year 4 classes visited CERES and participated in four different activities related to traditional Aboriginal culture, including:
Bush Tucker, where we learned about how Aboriginal people used plants for food and medicine.
A Merri Creek history walk, where we learnt about the Victorian creation totem Bunjil (an eaglehawk), the last Wurundjeri Elder William Barak and looked at the landscape to learn how it has changed in the last 3000 years.
Sustainable Gardening, where we learnt about the tips, tricks and benefits of organic gardening. We compared this to how the Aboriginal people used the land and found that there were more than few similarities!
Storytelling, where we learnt about the importance of storytelling through art and dance and acted out the traditional story of Tiddalick the Frog.
Look at our individual student pages to learn more about our Aboriginal Culture research projects.
What was the most interesting thing you learnt at CERES?
What is something you are still wondering about and would like to explore further?
