Strong learners aren't just children who can count and write their name. They are children who can think, communicate, ask questions, and make connections, and that kind of learning starts early.
This month at Kids Academy Early Learning, children have been exploring the concept of the Nawi, a traditional Aboriginal canoe from the Sydney language region, as part of our Lifelong Learning Curriculum, supported by resources from Wandana Aboriginal Education.
It's a simple, hands-on experience that quietly builds some of the most important skills children need as they prepare for school and beyond.
What is a Nawi?
A Nawi is a traditional canoe used by Aboriginal peoples of the Sydney region, crafted from tree bark and natural materials. These canoes were essential to daily life, used to travel rivers, lakes, and coastal waterways, to fish, gather food, and maintain connections between communities.
The Nawi also represents something deeper: a sophisticated understanding of Country, environment, and community that has been passed down through generations of storytelling and practice.
Structured Play With Purpose
At one of our Kids Academy centres, educators set up a purposeful play experience using natural materials and small figures, inviting children to create their own Nawi journeys.
The provocation was simple, but the learning it generated was not. Children made decisions about where their canoes were heading, who was travelling with them, and what they might encounter. They negotiated, narrated, and problem-solved, often without realising it.
This is the Kids Academy approach in action: experiences that are structured with clear intent, designed to stretch children's thinking and build the skills that matter most in the early years.
Aboriginal Perspectives as Part of a Rounded Curriculum
Each month, our centres are supported by Wandana Aboriginal Education, who provide thoughtfully developed resources that help our educators introduce Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in ways that are accurate, respectful, and age-appropriate.
At Kids Academy, these experiences aren't treated as separate from the curriculum, they are part of it. Embedding First Nations perspectives into everyday learning reflects both national guidance from ACECQA and our own commitment to giving children a well-rounded, culturally informed foundation.
Our centres are also actively working towards, or have already implemented, a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), supporting ongoing learning and connection with community.
What Children Are Building
Experiences like this one directly support the outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework, helping children to develop narrative and communication skills, practise critical and creative thinking, build confidence in expressing and defending their ideas, and deepen their understanding of diverse perspectives and ways of knowing.
These are not soft skills. They are the cognitive and social foundations that research consistently links to long-term success in school and in life.
A Curriculum Built for What's Ahead
At Kids Academy Early Learning, our Lifelong Learning Curriculum is designed with purpose, to give children not just a great start, but the tools they need to keep growing.
Through our partnership with Wandana Aboriginal Education and the structured, intentional work of our educators, children are building knowledge, capability, and confidence every day. The Nawi is one example of how rich, meaningful learning can look in the early years, and why the experiences children have now matter so much for what comes next.