People Are Connected to Places | Kamay Botany Bay EEC
Early Stage 1 - Geography
Location
Kamay Botany Bay EEC - Kamay Botany Bay National Park, Kurnell
Unit description
Early Stage 1 students discover the special connections people have with places through hands-on learning at Kamay Botany Bay National Park. They explore natural and built features, learn about Aboriginal Peoples’ deep connection to Country, and see how caring for these places is part of everyday life. This program encourages respect for Country by helping students experience the environment firsthand.
Key syllabus outcomes
- HSE-ACH-01: Identifies ways that Aboriginal Peoples connect with Country, Culture and Community
- HSE-GEO-01: Identifies and locates places people connect with, using geographical information
Content groups
Aboriginal Peoples are the Traditional Custodians of Country
- Identify the Traditional Custodians and Aboriginal Country where the school/excursion takes place using images
- Describe natural features of land, water and sky Country by engaging with Aboriginal Dreaming Stories and Languages
- Identify specific terms Aboriginal Peoples may use to refer to the Country they connect to
Places can be located and described using geographical information
- Observe and record natural and human features of familiar places and present in data displays
- Recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples connect to the features of Country or Place in a variety of ways
People are connected to places and each other
- Identify own connections to places and describe why some places are special
- Identify and describe how people care for places
Suggested timetable
| 10:00 - 10:30 | Introduction, toilets & fruit break/recess |
| 10:30 – 11:25 | Special places: how they make us feel |
| 11:25 – 12:20 | Getting to know a place: natural and built features |
| 12:20 – 12:50 | Lunch |
| 12:50 – 1:50 | Connection: beach shoreline and rock platform |
| 1:50-2:00 | Wrap up, toilet break, roll call and depart |
* There may be variations to timetable based on specific location, group size and weather
Students will:
- Explore a quiet bush area, tune into their senses, and reflect on how the space makes them feel. Through hands-on activities, they will collect and arrange natural items to express these feelings and share their personal connections to the place with each other.
- Rotate through three hands-on activities to explore land features. Begin by hunting for and naming natural and built features in pairs. Then sort collected items such as leaves, shells, and stones into natural or built categories in small groups. Finally, create a simple ground map using sticks, stones, and shells to represent what they have found.
- Investigate how Aboriginal people sustainably used beach and rock platform resources, observing textures, sounds, and features to uncover cultural stories. They will create sand drawings or shell mandalas using natural materials to respectfully represent their learning.