About a month ago, we at the elementary were lucky enough to catch a splendid, magical show, ‘Saltbush Cheering Carpet‘, that was visiting our city. It is was about 2 aboriginal friends that journey across Australia and learn the secrets of their land.
Since then the elementary children have been researching all things Australia and a web of Australia has filled our environment.
The children have studied human migration routes, paleogeography and crustural plates, Australia’s political and economic geography, it’s the flora and fauna, how people satisfied their fundamental needs – then and now, indigenous Australian art, and of course, dreamtime myths.
Finally, as a consolidation of everything they had been working on, the children produced a play.
They chose from the stories they had written in the style of dreamtime myths, through a secret ballot.
The story they voted for was “Why The Kangaroo Hops”.
Each afternoon for a week, they practiced their play. Each evening they worked with their parents to make their costumes.
Finally, they performed the play for the entire school on the day of our christmas celebrations!
Though I have worked with the elementary children for 10 years now, I never know where an experience will take us. A month ago as we sat mesmerized by the show, ‘Saltbush Cheering Carpet’, no one had any idea that our christmas celebrations would have in it rainbow serpents, kookaburra’s and goannas!
contemplating montessori 