Each week a group of children from KU Bulli enjoys the opportunity to strengthen their connections with nature through a regular walk into the local bushland. The walk begins with an Acknowledgement of Country and a recognition of the Aboriginal children who take part in the walk.
As the children revisit the bush setting each week, they have begun to develop rituals around the natural features they encounter – greeting the wise old Eucalyptus tree that has many stories to tell, exploring the creek that supplies clay for intensive investigation, climbing the rocks that are ideal for scaling, identifying and naming the many plants and birds that they encounter. As their love for the setting has grown, so has their resolve to free the area from any rubbish that “might make its way to the ocean and kill the sea creatures there”.
Educators Robert, Nerida and Kylie are particularly excited at the opportunity to be inclusive of all children in this initiative despite the wide range of abilities in the group. After all, everyone benefits from being immersed in nature.
