With spring in the air, the children at Preshil are ready to see how their bush classroom, which they call ‘The Pines’, is flourishing.
Each week the children in the Preshil Kindergarten and their friends in the Prep class gather together in The Pines for their Bush School morning. They always begin by sharing an Acknowledgement of Country.
“We Acknowledge the People of the Kulin Nation.
“Together we touch the ground of the land.
“We reach for the sky that covers the land.
“We cover our hearts to take care of the land.”
A typical Bush School morning will include water play, searching for creatures, climbing the old pine tree stumps and the peppercorn trees, and making potions and creations. Many mornings the fire will be lit, damper or potatoes cooked, or chai tea brewed for sharing.
This spring is different as over the winter months the children worked with the team from CERES to return a portion of the bush classroom to Indigenous habitat as part of the Boroondara Schools for Wildlife Project.
Preshil is committed to the enduring concept of Indigenous custodianship. For many years the children from kindergarten through to Grades 3 and 4 have been engaged in bush school programs in which they spend time in the bush classroom, or as they reach Grades 1 and 2, spend time once a week in local bush lands or coastal parks. These excursions are always framed with an acknowledgement of Country to support an emerging understanding of the history all around us in Naarm.
The Boroondara Schools for Wildlife Project is important in that the children can now take action to support their care of Country at their school. This important action is providing the children with a lived experience of custodianship – linking their care for the bush classroom to the larger idea of Care for Country.
