"In The Archetypal Actions of Ritual, two anthropologists, Caroline Humphrey and James Laidlaw, described rituals as a way to foreground what we value. Ritual is not something set apart from daily life, they say, but a quality that can be recognised in a range of everyday activities." [M. Loader & T. Christie; Rituals; 2017; Wellington]
As part of our Nature Walks and Language development, every time we enter the Red Hill Nature Reserve, children gather in a circle to acknowledge the Ngoonawal people, the traditional custodians of this Land. With this ritual, we focus on an ordinary moment, pay attention, and pay respect, so the ordinary moment becomes a touchpoint for who we are and how we make our lives.
At Woden Valley ELC, alongside the children, we developed our version of the Acknowledgment of the Country relevant to us as a Service. Children, starting from the nursery, learn the acknowledgment and make their meaningful promises to the Land, flora, fauna, and each other.
This year we also developed a picture storybook - "My Promise," a visual representation of our acknowledgment, allowing children and their families to transfer already gathered knowledge into home settings.
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