What is Djeran?
See how Pachamama Early Education and Childcare is exploring this Aboriginal season.
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
By now, we’re all very aware that autumn has arrived (brrrrrr!!!), but did you know that it is also Djeran?
This is the Noongar name for the Aboriginal season that runs from April to May, and at Pachamama Early Education and Childcare in the Perth Hills, Djeran definitely hasn’t gone unnoticed.
The children at Junior and Senior After School Care have been busily exploring the many facets of Djeran; and we can see why Pachamama is an Award-winning service, because they’ve tapped into children’s natural curiosity, and shared Djeran knowledge in a respectful and creative way.
If you’d like to learn more about Djeran yourself, then here’s a snapshot of what they’ve been up to!
Djeran is a time for colourful growth and cooler temps, so Pachamama’s Juniors headed outside to notice changes in the colour of the leaves and the feel of the day.
They learnt that Djeran is one of six Aboriginal seasons, and that lots of red flowers bloom during Djeran, including the Red Flowering Gum (Yorgm).
Weather-wise, Djeran brings cooler nights and dewy mornings, with light breezes during the day that carry flying ants from place to place; and to tie this in with the children’s own experiences, educators asked questions like, “Have you noticed dew on your car in the morning?”
The Juniors then launched into art and craft to explore Djeran in a sensory way and develop an appreciation of the natural world.
Pachamama’s Assistant Manager, Shanice Samdaw Crishinchand says, “The Juniors were excited to create some amazing art with leaves and sticks. They walked around, collecting natural materials, which inspired them to create a beautiful butterfly picture and a collage using their leaves.”
There was a lot of animated chatter as children asked questions and shared art ideas; and educators explained that Djeran is a time of renewal, when reptiles hibernate, swans moult, and seeds, dust and leaves are blown across the landscape.
Meanwhile, the Seniors at Pachamama delved more deeply into the features of all six Aboriginal seasons and the ways in which the Noongar people lived off the land.
They watched a short video, which kickstarted conversations about flora, fauna and Noongar culture, then collected fallen leaves and sticks in the Seniors outdoor yard.
The children created natural representations of trees during Djeran, using everything they’d collected, and some kids also made bookmarks by laminating long-stemmed leaves.
Then they had a go at food gathering!
The Seniors plucked berries from a Lilli Pilly tree in the outdoor yard, and rolled out a picnic rug for some ‘living off the land’ pretend play, which included conversations about how the Noongar people kept themselves warm and well-fed during Djeran.
While the Seniors were pretending to live off the land, one of them suggested making Lilly Pilly Jam.
Shanice explains that, “We did some further research and found out that the Lilly Pilly was a bush tucker for the Aboriginal people, and was prized by early European settlers for making jams and jellies.”
Together, the group decided to produce some Pachamama jam, and Shanice says, “The Seniors wandered about, gathering more Lilly Pillys from our trees.”
“We climbed up the fence safely and pushed our bodies to physical limits, so we could gather the best Lilly Pillys, then we went inside to make Lilly Pilly jam, which was poured into donated jars and sent home with the children.”
All of these experiences made a great change from the classic autumn activity of leaf-rubbing (not that there’s anything wrong with leaf-rubbing!)
The children’s curiosity and creativity was encouraged (as it always is at Pachamama), and delving into Djeran gave the Juniors and Seniors a new sense of the world and a greater respect for nature and culture.
This kind of intentional, yet open-ended, learning is so positive for children, and we hope you’ve learnt something as well – because if you didn’t know what Djeran was at the start of this article, then you do now!
To explore Pachamama Early Education and Childcare, search KindiCare >>>>
