Who's Country are we on?

Who's Country are we on? That question is the starting point for place-based pedagogy, and it’s being asked every day in all our services through Acknowledgement of Country. But we need to go deeper. How do we know our children know the Traditional Custodians of the lands we play on? The very essence of place means that can happen in different ways in different places.

The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF V2.0) defines place-based pedagogy as understanding how educator knowledge of the local setting influences planning and practice. Importantly, it calls for culturally responsive engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

In practice, this looks like:

• Teaching teams working with their local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to explore local histories
  
  

• ECMS ensuring programs and recruitment are relevant to each local community

• Educators working together with families and children to develop curriculum relevant to children in their local context 

• Building on community knowledge to foster thriving life-long learners

Nominated Supervisor and Early Childhood Teacher Emily Hughes from Lang Lang Preschool, whose pedagogy is nature-based, uses that nature focus to embed Indigenous perspectives throughout her learners’ journeys:

“From the start of the year we talk about how we play on Country and with nature that's been cared for and loved. Then we look at who has looked after our land and why it's been looked after.”

This awareness continues through a range of experiences and displays which constantly relate back to Country. These include a map of Aboriginal languages and mobs around the service, making handprints and talking about Aboriginal stories on caves and hillsides, using fallen branches to hang artworks, making a nature mobile, Indigenous stories and artwork in puzzles and books, playing Indigenous music and sharing the children’s Acknowledgement of Country videos to families and caregivers.

Emily has established the practice of nominating a daily custodian, who returns the sticks and rocks they’ve gathered as part of the day’s learning:

“We've learned to only take what we need and always give back to Country.”

They harvest their own food and offer it to families, exchange plants and breed worms which are rehomed next door in the community garden. They also conduct a promise to Country ceremony, where the children pledge to look after something special to them, from local animals to families, community and the wider world.

Madelain at Bayles Preschool makes sure to add Bunurong land to their Acknowledgement of Country and reinforces it by showing the children the Indigenous map as well as maps of Cardinia and the world. She said, “we have regular discussions about this and how to look after Country and how the local Indigenous community cares for the land.”

Lauren at Koo Wee Rup Preschool also relates Country to interacting with the environment: “Koo Wee Rup has a rich agricultural history, a wealth of experience and stories to tell. We have ‘potato kids’ as our uniform logo. We believe it’s important to teach the children why we wear potatoes. Each year we explain the history and timeline of the area, and the types of animals, plants and soil perfect for farmers - which is how the town of Koo Wee Rup was founded on Bunurong land.

This leads to ongoing learning for the children: “Every year we explore ways to protect and give back to natural habitats to teach respect and care for Country. All children are given native plants during Reconciliation Week to encourage giving back to the land on which we learn and play and provide shelter and food for the native animals.”

As Emily Hughes puts it, the reason for embedding Indigenous perspectives is to help children develop knowledge and respect of Aboriginal histories and perspectives. And how do we know the children know who’s country we’re on?

“We had a group of adults here recently for the announcement about our new kinder, and they acknowledged that we’re on Aboriginal land. The children said: “no, we’re on Bunurong land!”

ECMS' multi-year journey with academic mentor Dr. Red Ruby Scarlet has deepened our understanding of Becoming with Place – connecting with where we are, who and what else is with us, and knowing its stories. This continues to drive transformative practice change - because when we truly understand where we are, we can honour where we’ve been and shape where we’re going.