Celebrating Nature and Culture Through Art at Geelong West Kindergarten

As part of an exciting new sandpit and indigenous planting initiative this year, we partnered with local artist Nikki McKenzie to repaint our cubby house. The mural was designed to celebrate the natural beauty of our yard—highlighting native and indigenous plants, local wildlife, and the surrounding landscape—while providing the children with a unique opportunity to witness an artist at work.

Throughout the project, Nikki worked alongside the children as they played outside, allowing them to watch the mural take shape and share their ideas. She also engaged the children by sharing parts of the story behind the painting, simplifying the narrative to ensure they could connect with it. The opening line of the story behind the mural, Across all the lands and seas, speaks to the diverse cultural backgrounds of the children and families in our community, as well as the broader world around them.

This project is not only a beautiful addition to our outdoor space, but it also fosters a deeper understanding of the environment and cultural diversity, enriching the children’s learning experience in meaningful ways.

This painting is titled : All Together.

All together

Across all the lands and seas, we travel

No matter what the distance has been.

We all come together at Geelong West Kinder as one.

We get to enjoy all the colours that this land gives us here on Wadawurrung Country.

Thank you, Nikki, for your beautiful work!