This afternoon, the children created a unique piece of art. We made an "In This Together" painting. The page was divided up into smaller sections by painting a table of squares, and the children chose their own area to paint. They used their creativity to decorate their square in a way that represents their own identity. They were not given examples because everyone is different, and were left to create their own masterpieces. The children were supplied with paints of varying colours and paintbrushes of different sizes to give the children choice in the textures they could use to create their masterpieces. Whilst some children decorated by displaying things that made them happy, like dogs and self portraits, others decided to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples story telling symbols to represent themselves, like a gathering of communities and drawing symbols to represent their families. The poster filled up very quickly as many people wanted to participate and display their own identity, and the completed identity poster can be seen displayed in our OSHC room as a reminder that while we are all our own individuals, we still share the same stories and are all connected to each other.
The purpose of this activity was to symbolise that although we are all different, we are still connected to each other and our shared stories. It allowed the children to harness their creativity and really think about themselves in a positive manner. This activity allowed the children to manipulate artistic utensils and work on fine motor skills alongside building their feeling of belonging in various groups (OSHC, Mayfield, Local communities). As the children were working hard, they took the time to communicate and support each other, offering compliments on their squares and explaining their artworks to their peers. This was important as the children were developing their communication skills and discussing topics relating directly to the National Reconciliation Week theme "In this together".
