by Mat Churchill

Kids and parents from the Port Douglas Community Kindergarten were guests at the Port Douglas State School on Wednesday to help celebrate Under Eights Week, an initiative of Early Childhood Australia.

The theme    for 2010 is Living Diversity – Act Locally – Think Globally which provided an opportunity for the children to celebrate, value and live the diversity of both their local communities and their world.

And with activities including palm frond weaving, face painting, making windmills, and painting with their feet among many others, there was plenty of fun to be had by nearly 200 kids in attendance.

To highlight the strong community theme, local businesses and emergency services also supported the event. The fire service and local police joined Hooker Bear from LJ Hooker, Hogs Breath Cafe’s pig, and the ever-popular Habitat friends who bought along a python and two year old crocodile to give the kids an understanding of what Living Diversity really means.

The main purpose of Under Eights Week, where events such as this are held in communities throughout Queensland, is to have fun and celebrate the diversity of the young children in the community.