Painting time: Peta Cole helps children participate in a painting activity.
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Educators and children from family day care providers and Punt Road Kindergarten and Childcare got together in the community gardens to celebrate Harmony Day.
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Children got together in groups and painted a banner to decorate the gardens as well as painting rocks and doing brush paintings.
The children also had a group storytime, where they read the harmony-themed book This Love to celebrate.
Harmony Day, which was on March 21, is a day to celebrate Australia’s cultural diversity and to foster a sense of inclusiveness, respect and a sense of community.
Peta Cole, a family day care educator who brought along her group of children to the event, said the event was a great social and education opportunity for the children.
“Basically just with Harmony Day, it fosters inclusiveness, respect, cultural diversity ... as a community we got together and celebrated it,” she said.
“They all had a ball. They were all so relaxed ... it was a really lovely atmosphere.
“I think it’s really important to get out in the community ... starting them early and building up that identity.”
While the activities were very simple and age-appropriate, Ms Cole said they provided a great opportunity for the children to interact where they might otherwise be separated, such as going to different childcare centres or schools.
Bright decoration: The banner the children created, which was hung up in the community gardens.
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Ms Cole said she saw her group and the Punt Road children playing together and interacting throughout the experience.
“I think it’s beautiful to see all the kids interacting, it was really nice to see them getting involved,” she said.
“I think they were just being together and being happy, like they were all just happy and laughing.”
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