Old Dog and Elly fear goannas, Ms Chen fears geckos, and Big Cuz fears the dentist. Little J boasts he isn’t scared of anything, but this may not be true. When Mick, Ally, Little J and Old Dog go to the beach, Little J discovers that his hero, Mick, is scared of Hermit crabs. Together, on the cliff, Mick and Little J overcome their shame of being afraid and help each other to be brave.

Elaborate - Identify people and demonstrate protective behaviours and other actions that help keep themselves safe and healthy 

Theme - VALUES

After viewing Little J & Big Cuz, Episode 11 ‘Nothing Scares Me’, engage students with the following learning activities to support their understanding about phobias, and how to overcome them.

As a class, revisit Little J’s story within Episode 11 ‘Nothing Scares Me’, and ask students to recall the events of his day. The outcome for the day was that each character overcame their fear by being brave. Concentrate students’ attention on who assisted each character to overcome their fears, e.g.

• Uncle Mick assisted Little J to overcome his fear of heights, and being shamed.
• Little J assisted Uncle Mick to overcome his fear of hermit crabs, by problem-solving (the use of bread to attract the crabs away from the cliff face).
• Uncle Mick scares away the goanna for Elly to feel safe.
• Nanna helps Big Cuz overcome her fear of the dentist.
• Big Cuz helps Old Dog to with his fear of the goanna.

Ask students to explain why people want to help others. Have students list the ways that they help people at home, in the community, and/or in school.

Use a concentric circle organiser with the student at the centre and, moving out from the centre, the people they help and the ways they help them.

Suggestions of what to include in the organiser circles:

1. close family: domestic chores, behaving, obeying rules and safety obligations, playing with younger siblings, walking the dog, etc
2. extended family: drawing pictures for grandparents, celebrating birthdays, staying quiet when you are asked, visiting sick relatives in hospital, etc.

**Teacher to note: Use of the term family may be problematic for some Aboriginal families and/or Torres Strait Islander families, as communities don’t really differentiate between close and extended families. Children in kinship/care arrangements will still have these layers but they will be called something else, e.g. Layer one: immediate care givers, Layer two: extended care givers. In these situations, refer to Australian Institute of Family Studies – Families and cultural diversity in Australia – Aboriginal families in Australia.

1. school: obeying rules and safety obligations, sharing equipment, being a friend, being polite to others, playing in a team, keeping the grounds tidy, etc.
2. community: playing in a local sporting team, being a member of a club or service provider, participating in cultural festivals, listening to Elders, respecting others on the roads and streets, keeping the environment clean and safe, eating heathy, attending church, etc.
3. nation: being a good citizen; informing the appropriate authorities of crimes; buying Australian products; promoting a harmonious, multicultural nation; working hard; being productive, etc.

Have students think about a person who they admire. Have them draw a picture of this person and in the space around the figure, list the attributes and values that they admire about this person, such as friendly, kind, happy, honest, funny, etc. Ask students to share their ideas and drawing with a paired student. As a pair, the students are to add two more attributes. (Assist students to spell the attribute/values words by providing a list of sample descriptions, and/or emojis)

Have each student build a sand castle that represents their feelings about their hero. On the sand castle, they can use drawings and objects to decorate it, and tell a story about why this person means so much to them. Take photos of the sand castles and develop a Hero Wall with the photos; ask each student to write something about their hero to add to the photographs. As a class, discuss the symbols and the sentiments attached to admiring people who help us.

Suggested teacher resource: Social and Emotional Learning (Educator Toolkit) and Australian Institute of Family Studies, What promotes social and emotional wellbeing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children?