Community Connections at Penna Road
In recent months, the children at Penna Road Education and Care Service have had several incursions and visits from members of our community.
In March, we had two visits from Cody, who works at Karadi Aboriginal Corporation. Cody spent time with the children, sharing aspects of his Aboriginal culture through pictures, artefacts and music. Cody also joined the children in the outdoor space, talking to them about the various plants in the garden that have been used by the Aboriginal community for many years, for food and medicine. The conversations and information shared, strengthen the service’s commitment to building a deeper understanding of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander perspectives for both children and educators.
In addition to the Aboriginal knowledge that Cody has shared, he has also sought the help of the children from Penna Road for a community project. Cody works with a local Men’s Shed which has recently cut out a large number of wooden penguins that will be used for a display for the Australian Antarctic Festival. The Penguin Painting Project will be part of the festival that will run from 22nd– 25th August. Being involved in this project has led to some initial inquiries about penguins, as the children learn about their habitat, their food and how they care for their young.
In April, Janelle from Ready Steady Kids also visited our service. Janelle brought with her resources that introduced the children to a range of physical skills that centred around basketball. The children were able to practice their throwing, catching and balance skills as they took turns navigating their way around a circuit. Janelle and her team supported the children to try out new skills as well as practice established skills. The session required the children to listen to a series of directions, observe and implement a range of tasks and explore aspects of physical activity that were new to some in the group. Confidence building and skill development were key outcomes of the activity session.
The vegetable garden at our service forms a major part of the program and brings with it a range of opportunities for connecting with family members. Families have been generous in making donations to the garden such as different plants and worms for the worm farm. Through the garden, the children learn about sustainability through the growing of produce that is used within the program. Where there is excess supply, the children then actively encourage their families to take it home at the end of the day. Recently one of the families provided feedback about the meal they had cooked at home with some of the produce from the Penna Road garden. Following on from this, they then offered to come and cook the meal for the children and educators during the day. Narah’s mum Kim, visited our service in May and prepared the ingredients with the children, including the Warrigal Greens from the garden. They then created the traditional Korean dish called japchae, which the children all got to help with and taste.
Following on from this experience, there have been a number of other families who have cooked this meal or made a dish with their warrigal greens and shared their story with our service. In the coming weeks, we are hoping to have another session from Ready Steady Kids, another visit from Cody and a visit from another family member who is skilled in art.
From Penna Road Education and Care Service
