Who am I now, who was I before, and who will I become?
These were the big questions that Pre-Primary Red students have been investigating over the last few weeks.
Our eternal God has always existed across time and place. For His joy and for His glory, He chose to create people. The Bible records the story of God and His people over time. It tells how sin entered the world, and in doing so introduced death. It tells of growing, changing individuals and their families, who fail God time and time again, and it also bears testament to a faithful God who is always just but equally merciful and gracious, because of work completed by Jesus at the cross.
Throughout the past, present, and future, no matter how much humanity changes and no matter how much an individual develops and grows, one thing is for certain – God, who exists outside of time, is both neve-rending and never-changing. The Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. And it is the work of the Holy Spirit to guide those who love God to grow more and more like Jesus with every passing day.
These Biblical concepts were recently explored by Pre-Primary Red students through an in-depth investigation where they were invited to create a Memory Museum. We studied historical artefacts through careful observation and detailed drawing. We collected our own evidence which we used to prove how we have grown. We studied various fiction and non-fiction texts for clues about how people change over time and we built our own class museum showcasing precious items from our personal histories. We developed our persuasive language skills and gave detailed oral presentations in class using posters, PowerPoints, and props as well as pre-recorded videos to share our findings with our peers. We learned how our local Aboriginal brothers and sisters lived off the land long ago and we interviewed our grandparents to gather their memories from the ‘olden days’.
Throughout this inquiry, students developed their ability to:
- respond to diversity with respect
- build connections with the past and ponder about the unknown future
- practice a range of skills and processes such as problem-solving, researching, and investigating
- communicate effectively through interacting with others, expressing ideas, and sharing information.
(The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia, 2009)
And in the words of Colin Buchanan, ‘People change but God don’t change at all!’
