Goodstart Minifie Park

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who attended and supported our Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea at Goodstart Minifie Park.

Your generosity, kindness, and community spirit helped make the event a wonderful success. Together, we raised over $1,200 in valuable funds to support those affected by cancer and contribute to the important work of the Cancer Council.

We are incredibly grateful for every donation, contribution, and helping hand. It was wonderful to come together for such a meaningful cause.

Thank you for making a difference and for being part of our amazing Goodstart Minifie Park community. 💛

Also a big thank you to Chamila for organising the whole event. Well done!

Tomorrow is Our Biggest morning tea in the centre staff room. Please spare some time to enjoy the wonderful spread and dig deep for this cause! The K1 & K2 children enjoyed baking cookies for this event. There will be QR codes to scan to donate on the day or speak to a staff member for help!

Thank you so much for your support!

Nursery children participated in a hands-on table setup activity designed to promote awareness about protecting the ocean and keeping it clean.

The learning area was arranged as a small ocean environment, including toy sea animals, a variety of rubbish picture cards, and two sorting bins (red and yellow). Children were invited to explore the materials freely and engage in a guided sorting activity.

With educators supports, they recognized that rubbish does not belong in the sea. They eagerly took turns picking up rubbish cards and placing them into the bins, demonstrating early awareness of environmental responsibility.

The activity encouraged children to understand the message of keeping oceans clean and protecting marine life. Through play-based learning, they began to develop hand on coordination, problem solving skills and an early sense of care for nature.

Following the ocean sorting activity, the learning was extended through a creative dot painting experience focused on the Earth.

Children were given paper templates of the Earth and dot painting markers for dot painting. They were encouraged to decorate the Earth using different colours, supporting fine motor development and creativity.

https://www.biggestmorningtea.com.au/fundraisers/chamilahettiarachchige

Australia's Biggest Morning Tea 2026 - Goodstart Minifie park's Biggest Morning Tea Join me at my Biggest Morning Tea or donate online to help me reach my fundraising goal! Together, we can help Cancer Council raise much needed funds.

During National Reconciliation Week, we explored the theme “All In!” and talked about what it means to be included, listen to others, and learn from different cultures.

We enjoyed reading Come Together by Isaiah Firebrace. The story helped us learn about Australia's First Nations peoples and reminded us that there is always more to discover about their cultures, histories, and traditions. We spoke about why it is important to keep these cultures strong and to show respect for them every day.

We also read Finding Our Heart by Thomas Mayor. After the story, the children drew pictures in the classroom scrapbooks and shared their thoughts about how we can find and listen to the First Nations heart. They had some wonderful ideas, including listening to First Nations voices, learning through stories and language, enjoying music and dance, and understanding how Aboriginal people care for Country and the environment.

The children were excited to learn about Australian animals and their names in both English and Ritharrŋu, an Aboriginal language from Arnhem Land through the book “Counting our country”. They also explored Aboriginal symbols by choosing symbol cards as references and painting them onto round cardboard pieces. The children then used colours, patterns, and symbols inspired by Aboriginal art to create their own unique boomerang designs.

As part of Reconciliation Week, the children participated in a play dough experience using the colours of the Aboriginal flag—red, yellow, and black. The children explored colour mixing and engaged in a simple science investigation, experimenting with combining colours to create black.

Natural materials were added to the play dough experience, encouraging children to connect with the Australian environment and explore different textures and materials found in nature. Throughout the activity, educators discussed the colours and meanings of the Aboriginal flag, helping children develop an awareness of Aboriginal culture and the significance of Reconciliation Week.

The experience supported children's curiosity, creativity, scientific thinking, and understanding of Australia's First Peoples through hands-on, meaningful play.

Please remember!

🌿 Scientific Inquiry & Caring for Country: A Journey from Question to Connection 🌳🐛
It all started with a profound question from our children: "When the tree dies, where are they going?"

This single spark of radical curiosity launched us into a deep, multi-layered scientific investigation into the world of biodegradation and decomposition.

To explore this, the children set up a hands-on experiment: a decomposition bottle alongside a bottle containing plastic. Through daily, meticulous observations, they noticed the natural materials in the decomposition bottle began to sink and transform, while the plastic remained completely unchanged. This powerful visual sparked a massive learning curve about material classification, the vital necessity of waste sorting, and our collective civic responsibility for a sustainable environment. 🌍✨

To deepen our research, we welcomed some new, wriggly classmates by building worm farms both inside our room and out in the yard! We’ve been exploring worm anatomy, life cycles, and habitats—learning that caring for these tiny living things fosters deep compassion and responsibility.

🖤💛❤️ Connecting to Country during Reconciliation Week
Coinciding with National Reconciliation Week, this project took on an even deeper meaning. The children used this scientific journey to understand the profound connection between human beings and the environment.

By witnessing how the earth gives life and receives it back, the children reflected on how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have cared for, respected, and lived in harmony with this land for over 65,000 years. Our children are learning that taking responsibility for our waste and nurturing the soil isn't just science—it is our way of showing active respect to the land we play and learn on. 👣🍃

🔍 How this aligns with the VEYLDF:
Behind this beautiful project is high-quality learning aligned directly with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF):

Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity. As children learn to show respect for the land and understand their role in caring for it, they develop a sense of belonging to a broader community and a shared history.

Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world. The children are developing a genuine respect for the environment. By linking their sustainability practices to Indigenous perspectives, they are broadening their understanding of active, respectful citizenship.

Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners. This project is helping our children cultivate lifelong "scientist habits." Through meticulous note-taking, endless curiosity, and data-driven thinking, they are using inquiry and experimentation to make sense of their world.

This sustained, inspired journey is far from over—we are so proud of our young scientists and caretakers of the land! 📊✍️