Recovering from bushfires
Session: How do people and places recover from bushfires?
Early Years (3 to 5 year olds)
Time: 50 minutes* (approximately)
1. Identity
  • Children feel safe, secure and supported.
  • Children develop their emerging autonomy, inter-dependence, resilience and sense of agency.
2. Community
  • Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities for active civic participation.
  • Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment.
3. Wellbeing
  • Children become strong in their social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
4. Learning
  • Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating.
  • Children transfer and adapt what they have learnt from one context to another.
  • Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials.

Overview of session:
Children will be encouraged to explore what people and places do to recover after a bushfire. This session will assist children to understand how communities can work together to help each other and rebuild homes and buildings. Recovery related to the natural environment is also important, enabling children to see re-growth and how people help the bush and animals that live there.
Note: Educators should carefully consider the themes and sessions that are most appropriate for their children, communities and contexts and adapt session content and resources accordingly. For example 'Preparing for bushfires' and 'Recovering from bushfires', may be more relevant in particular contexts, e.g. bushfire prone areas, where children have directly experienced planning for bushfires, actual bushfires and/or what happens after a bushfire. In these contexts, children are more likely to have prior knowledge and understanding about key concepts.
Suggested resources:
  • Whiteboard, IWB or butcher’s paper
  • Appropriate markers to record on the medium use
  • Paper and drawing materials
  • Picture books, non-fiction books
  • Visual arts materials
  • Dramatic and imaginative play resources
  • Linked resources

Activities
Starting
Introduce the concept of community.
  • What is a community?
  • Who is in your community?
Encourage the children to share their ideas. Record their ideas and respond to their questions.
Use visual images and books to show children examples of different communities.
Linked Resources:
Video: 'I Think ...' - All together now (available in ‘Interactives’ section, Resources/Bushfires Education website)
Exploring
Revisit children’s ideas of community. Discuss the importance of community.
  • How do people in communities help each other?
  • How can people help each other after a bushfire?
  • How do people in communities help animals after a bushfire?
Encourage children to share their ideas.
Discuss how people help animals and the bush recover after a bushfire.
Encourage children to share their ideas about what people can do to help animals and the bush. Use visual images and books to show examples and reinforce ideas.
Bringing it together
Use the following learning experiences to encourage further discussion and understanding of key concepts.
Revisit images of community and explore this concept further.
Create a collage of images or book about people helping each other, animals or the bush after a bushfire (images available in ‘Images’ section, Resources).
Provide books and texts about community, people, animals and places recovering from bushfires.

Provide props and resources that encourage children to role play communities and life after a bush fire.
Provide materials and resources that support children to express their ideas about bushfire recovery.
Introduce a pet to help children understand more about caring for animals.
Go for walks around the local community. Encourage children to learn about who is in their community.
Invite people in the community to visit the setting and talk about their role or work in the community.
Invite families and local community members to share their experiences about recovering from bushfires.
Discuss how local communities can encourage natural regeneration.
Extending
Develop a resource or book that covers the key themes and helps children connect the topics together.
Children can use this resource to revisit themes and topics, and extend their knowledge further.
Contact a local organisation (for example Land Care) to support learning how to protect and repair our environment.
Involve children in creating an art gallery of the work they have developed. Invite families to view the gallery and discuss children’s work.
Involve children in a community project that supports their local community and/or other bushfire affected areas.
© VCAA 2015 / Page 1