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With Dreamtime stories being one of the most important aspects of aboriginal culture, it’s crucial to include these stories in practice when educating children on indigenous perspectives. This online platform allows children to view indigenous dreamtime stories that have been shared on YouTube and categorised onto this website for educational purposes. The website explains that the stories have laws and morals behind them for everyday Australians to learn from today and in the future (2021).

Dreamtime is commonly known as ‘the dreaming’ and this is referred to as indigenous beliefs and describing important features of aboriginal culture (Linklater, 2023). These stories and artworks are often created with many aspects such as rivers, rocks, animals, people and plants and these are often incorporated into the storytelling. These stories form a belief in a way of spirituality that acknowledge the beginning of time through to today. Dreamtime can be described as the 'foundation of Aboriginal religion and culture and dates back over 65,000 years’ (Linklater, 2023). These dreamtime stories hold value, such as events and how mother earth was created. Dreamtime stories are sacred, and a large part of the identity of the First Nation’s people, and these stories are made to be shared amongst each other and other cultures. It is important to incorporate dreamtime stories into indigenous cultural learning, particularly for younger age groups, as they are an eye-catching and engaging way to capture children’s attention and spread messages and spiritual meanings to individuals. Dreamtime stories are similar to aboriginal music and movement as they both tell stories and have meaning behind them. These stories are intended to make the listener/observer visualise the context and become a part of the process.

Introducing dreamtime stories in the form of these YouTube videos will encourage children to comprehend a different kind of storytelling as opposed to the western books they read each day in class. Indigenous peoples have kept the culture alive by sharing their stories and spreading messages about the land to all. I believe it is important to carry on this tradition for future generations.

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This video was created by a YouTuber named ‘Ozzie’ in 2020. It was designed for children to watch and learn basic dance movements from the indigenous aboriginal culture and learn the meaning behind these particular actions as they tell a story. This video also teaches children the purpose of acknowledgement of country, explaining it as ‘giving respect to mother nature, the land that we’re on and to the elders past, present and emerging’. They explain that the body paint during their cultural dance is used to connect them back to the land as it’s made with ground stone and water. Moondy, an indigenous person’s featured in this video, shares with the audience that the musical instruments that they use also come from mother nature. They discuss each dance move and what they represent, such as pulling in good energy and spirits, applying pressure to mother nature, and sharing actions from traditional Australian animals. Traditional dance is not just for entertainment, but more so has the purpose of acknowledging, thanking, cleansing and respecting the land.

Music and dance are very important within the aboriginal culture, and every part of the performance has a connection to mother earth. Indigenous peoples use music and dance in everyday life and on special occasions, demonstrating the importance of the arts to the First Nations. This is a very important area to focus on when learning about the indigenous culture as it is one of the foundations that bring the culture together. This video goes into depth with a demonstration of how these performances are displayed and discusses the musical instruments used and how these instruments are made as well. This tradition has been carried on for thousands of years to tell stories of dream time and about the past, present and future. Society is ever-changing, so it is important to keep the tradition alive and keep children well-educated on the subject. As an educator or a pre-service teacher, it is crucial to ensure that the AITSL standards are being met when reflecting on our practice. At a graduate level, a teacher should be able to ‘Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages’ (AITSL, 2013).

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Learn About Aboriginal Song & Dance With Ozzie | Educational Video For Kids – Indigenous Culture

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Talkin' Guugu Yimidhirr is a game that Joseph Banks and Sydney Parkison developed and presented on the Australians Defining Moments Digital Classroom website, published by the National Museum of Australia. This interactive game is free to use and encourages learning indigenous language from Far North Queensland. This game is designed to match words to body parts, animals, people and things. When the word is matched to the correct item, fun facts will appear for the children to gain further knowledge. Did you know that Kangaroo is a word from the Guugu Yimidhirr language? This online platform will teach you this, amongst many other significant topics for children, to encourage diverse learning and learning of the First Nations. This online activity is age appropriate for children aged 4+ with guidance by educators.

I believe this activity is a great resource for children to
gather an understanding of a language used by the First Nation's peoples of
Australia. It encourages communication between diverse cultures and allows us
to understand and appreciate the history and culture of the indigenous land and
ancestors. 'The Australian Curriculum has emphasised learning Aboriginal
history and Aboriginal culture to engage all students in reconciliation,
respect, and recognition of the world’s oldest continuous living cultures'
(Learning Lands, 2020). To show respect and recognition is to adapt our way of
living to include practices from the First Nation's peoples and a willingness
to learn about their culture. This online game encourages children to learn about the many language groups that the indigenous culture shares and share a rich and diverse language that can be incorporated into the community to carry on tradition. According to the Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages, ‘There are at least 250 distinct Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages, many having several dialects’ (n.d) and each of these languages connects to ‘country’ or ‘place’. The framework also explains that by bringing indigenous languages back to life, children will develop linguistic techniques, grow their understanding of Australian history, and encourage positive social change (n.d.).

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Particular podcast: Mother and children in Kullilli

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ABC Kid's Listen 'Little Yarns' with Rudi Bremer

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ABC Kid's Listen 'Little Yarns' with Rudi Bremer

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Little yarns is a resource provided by ABC Kids Listen and is a podcast for little ears. Short in length but straight to the point, this podcast shares a journey with a First Nation's persons from Queensland, Toby. Toby talks us through his mother country and shares language from his culture. Upon listening to this podcast, I believe it is a great resource for kindergarten children to listen to during quiet time. Allowing the children to find space to lie down and close their eyes, they will be able to take themselves to a world created by their imagination based on the descriptions from this Little Yarn's podcast. Throughout this sound clip, there are discussions about the surroundings, including red dirt and stone artefacts. This gives children an opportunity to create a visual interpretation using describing words. This podcast explains that Aboriginal culture is one of the longest cultures that has lived and is still living, which is why preserving nature, accepting the culture, and celebrating diversity is important.

I believe this podcast is an acceptable digital resource for
kindergarten-age children due to the simplicity of the terms used and the
descriptions that take place.  This activity is suitable and age-appropriate
to match with what is expected from AITSL, in particular, Focus Area 2.4:
Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote
reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. It encourages
children to be mindful and recognise diversity from the land of the First
Nation's. When reflecting on critation 2 of the AITSL standards 1.4 and 2.4, it
mentions that the experience should show 'how Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander students connect to their families and communities, and the marked
effect that historical and current political policies and practices have had on
shaping their lives and circumstances' (AITSL, 2018) which it does in an
appropriate way suited for children in the kindergarten age group.