When B-Boy comes to stay overnight, Little J becomes envious of the attention he is getting from everyone. Out walking on Country, Nanna, Little J, Big Cuz and B-Boy find an injured joey. Uncle Mick, a Search and Rescue officer, tells them how to care for the joey that they name ‘Hopalong’. The children feed and look after Hopalong until Mick finds him a place in a wildlife shelter.

Elaborate - Practise personal and social skills to interact positively with others

Theme - CARING FOR OTHERS

As a class, revisit Little J’s story within episode 7, ‘Hopalong’, and ask students to recall what type of animal Hopalong was and how and why he got lost from his ‘mob’.

Re-watch the Little J & Big Cuz, Episode 7, ‘Hopalong’, and identify the events when characters get or give help. Have students list these events.

• Nanna offers to look after B-Boy when his usual carers can’t.
• Levi includes B-Boy at school when he offers him a place to sit in the circle.
• Old Dog stays with Little J when he is feeling alone.
• Hopalong is looked after by the family when orphaned.
• Uncle Mick brings a special milk for Hoplaong and finds a wildlife shelter.
• The children stay quiet when Hoplaong needs rest.
• Little J helps B-Boy climb up onto the rock to see the kangaroos.

Read this quote from Wadjularbinna Doomadgee, Gungalidda leader, Gulf of Carpentaria:

"All people with the same skin grouping as my mother are my mothers ... They have the right, the same as my mother, to watch over me, to control what I'm doing, to make sure that I do the right thing. It's an extended family thing ... It's a wonderful secure system."

Access the Kinship Diagram, Indigenous peoples, and investigate the relationship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander extended families. Discuss how this diagram may be similar or different from students’ own family relationships.

Belonging is the underlying theme for this episode. Everyone needs to feel that they belong to a group (mob), to feel secure. Ask students to close their eyes and make a personal reflection: Who do I belong to? Who cares for me? Who do I care about?

Either: Play a game/s that concentrates students’ attention on caring for themselves and others: Teachers can find cooperative games at:

• Cooperative games in child care

Or, have students, paint/draw portraits of their favourite friends and write words that show how they care about these people.

• Invite students to create a family tree with the images and names of people who care for them. Design and create a greeting card to let someone know the student cares about them, or to thank the person for caring for them.