Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Class spent January and February examining the country of Australia and the life of the Aboriginal peoples. As part of their learning, the children explored the rich history and traditions of the Aboriginal peoples, discovering how communities across Australia were highly skilled and self-sufficient long before colonisation- challenging outdated beliefs from the past. They learned about the spiritual significance of Dreamtime stories, traditional music and rituals. The children learned about how the Aboriginal peoples told stories through their art, using the technique of iconography and used this to create their own pieces of art.
The children particularly enjoyed learning about the physics behind the boomerang; how it was carefully crafted and used for hunting, and the science behind how it works. Through hands on exploration they discovered that the returning boomerang must be thrown at a specific angle and slightly against the wind to travel in a circular path- we realised that it is not as easy as it looks!
