Kirinari Early Childhood Centre

☘️The little things... 🪴

Sometimes our spaces quietly tell the story of who we are.

Sitting on my desk are little reminders of the things that bring me joy:
🪴 plants and growing things
☘️ a shamrock dangling its legs and keeping me company
🪵a business card holder made from a block of wood from my Dad's shed
🧶 four crocheted children in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colours
🖤💛❤️ Indigenous fabrics and artwork
🦘 animals representing our Possums, Wombats and Kangaroos rooms

It’s a small collection, but it reflects so much of what Kirinari means to me. Connection, culture, children, belonging, nature and community.

A tiny corner filled with little things that make a big difference. 💛

👀 What’s something in your workspace that says a little bit about you?

🖤💛❤️ Reconciliation Week at Kirinari ❤️💛🖤

This week we have been exploring Reconciliation through stories, music, conversations and hands-on experiences.

We were fortunate to welcome Tea from the UC Ngunnawal Centre, who shared "Welcome to Country" by Aunty Joy Murphy and Lisa Kennedy with the children.

We also listened to Hayley, a University of Canberra student currently completing her placement with us, who read "Is That You?" by Gregg Dreise. Throughout the week, Hayley has organised a range of thoughtful provocations that encouraged children to explore Aboriginal cultures, stories and perspectives. She even created a beautiful morning tea platter today inspired by the colours and design of the Aboriginal flag, which the children thoroughly enjoyed.

Adding to the celebrations, Rocky led the children in a lively song featuring lots and lots of Australian animals, filling the room with movement, laughter and learning.

At Kirinari, we believe reconciliation is built through everyday experiences, relationships and opportunities to learn together. We are grateful to everyone who helped make this week meaningful for our children. 🌿

A Meaningful Part of Our Day

In our babies room, a small Acknowledgment of Country display sits at child level. Surrounded by different Indigenous patterns and symbols for the children to explore and notice throughout the day.

Each day, the children gather together to sing the Welcome to Country with actions, building familiarity through rhythm, repetition and connection.

These small, everyday moments help create a sense of belonging, respect and connection to Country from the very beginning.

Chalk, Stories & Big Imaginations

This week, our toddlers transformed the footpaths into a giant shared artwork.

Alongside their educator, they drew:
🐨 koalas
🐦 kookaburras
🦜 cockatoos
🦘 kangaroos with joeys
💧 waterways
👣 animal tracks
⭕ meeting place symbols

The drawings sparked conversations, storytelling and plenty of imaginative thinking.

One group worked together to draw a train, carefully adding people inside the windows. The educator then asked, “Where would you like to sit?”

Without hesitation, one child stood up and physically sat down on the chalk train itself, sending everyone into laughter. 🚂😂

These moments remind us that children don’t just look at art and stories… they step right into them. 💛

🌧️ Rainy days don’t stop the fun at Kirinari! 🌧️

Even lovelier was watching the encouragement from their peers, with cheers, excitement, and support filling the room as each child gave it a go.

One by one, the children took turns demonstrating their:
💪 strength
✨ confidence
🧗 risk-taking abilities
👏 and perseverance

Even more lovely was watching the encouragement from their peers, with cheers, excitement and support filling the room as each child gave it a go.

Gross motor play like this helps children build coordination, body awareness and resilience, all while having a whole lot of fun. 💛

🚨 FREE WEBINAR THIS SUNDAY 🚨

Talking to children about body safety can feel really overwhelming as a parent.

What do you say?
How much do you tell them?
How do you keep them safe without making them scared?

If you’ve ever worried about getting it wrong — this webinar is for you 💛

Join Kristi McVee, Child Safety Expert, for this free online webinar:

**Raising Safe Kids: How to Talk to Your Child About Body Safety Without Scaring Them**

📅 Sunday 17 May 2026
⏰ 8:00pm AEST
💻 Online via Zoom
✨ FREE to attend

Kristi will guide parents through:
✔️ Age-appropriate body safety conversations
✔️ Practical language you can use at home
✔️ How to build trust and confidence with your child
✔️ Ways to approach these conversations calmly and naturally

No fear-based messaging. No overwhelm. Just practical, supportive tools you can start using straight away.

👉 Register here: https://www.kristimcvee.com/raising-safe-kids-webinar

Can’t make it live? Register anyway and the replay will be sent to you 🙌

Raising Safe Kids Webinar How to Talk to Your Child About Body Safety Without Scaring Them. A free 40-minute live webinar with Australia's leading child safety expert, Kristi McVee.

🍂🌿 Autumn Creations at Kirinari 🌿🍂

This week the children spent time collecting fallen leaves from around the environment before turning them into beautiful nature collages.

There were crunchy leaves, tiny leaves, giant leaves, curly leaves and colourful leaves, each carefully chosen, explored and glued into place.

Along the way, the children were:
🍂 noticing changes in the environment
✋ developing fine motor skills
🎨 expressing creativity
🌿 connecting with the natural world around them

Simple experiences like these remind us that some of the best learning materials don’t come from a shop, they fall gently from the trees around us. 💛