creatures great and small

Students at St Vincent de Paul Primary School in Strathmore are making a ceramic mural about Moonee Ponds Creek. Their art teacher Ms Williams and artist Debbie Qadri will be working with them to make the parts of the mural out of clay. We are learning about the history of Moonee Ponds Creek as we make the mural. A lot of the indigenous animals and plants have gone from the creek because of the development of the City of Melbourne. What animals and plants were there when the Wurundjeri People lived here, and why are they not there now? When you go down to the creek, have you noticed how the friends of Moonee Ponds Creek and the local councils are beginning to replant the native plants and grasses that used to be there? We hope that when we finish the mural at the school, it will serve as a permanent reminder that we need to care for the creek and take care of the animals and plants that are there. The year 5 and 6 students are making some of the creatures that live around mooneeponds creek out of clay. First they make the sculpture and then they decorate it using liquid underglazes. The students have worked very carefully to make the creatures as realistic as possible with textures and colours. These photographs show the process.