Adventure, imagination and cultural connection: G8 Education celebrates Book Week 2025

G8 Education centres across Australia embraced the 2025 Children’s Book Week theme, Book an Adventure, with vibrant, creative celebrations that brought stories to life and inspired a love of reading among children and educators alike.

The national celebration of storytelling became a platform for deeper learning, cultural exploration and community connection. From imaginative dress-ups to sustainable art installations and food-inspired learning, the activities reflected the sector’s commitment to fostering creativity and holistic development.

At Great Beginnings Cloverdale in Western Australia, educators transformed the centre into a series of imaginative ‘small worlds’, using hand-crafted elements made from recycled shopping bags and materials donated by REmida – a local not-for-profit reuse centre.

Lead Educator Tiarna Bloomfield said the project was a collaborative effort that engaged both children and educators.

“The children loved dressing up as their favourite book characters, and the sensory-rich environments we created became spaces of wonder, curiosity and connection,” she said.

Meanwhile, Creative Garden Early Learning Pakenham in Victoria integrated culinary exploration into the week’s activities, aligning its daily menus with iconic children’s stories. One highlight was a lunch inspired by Somebody’s Land, a powerful picture book about connection to Country and truth-telling – where children helped prepare lemon myrtle damper and enjoyed meals infused with native bush spices.

Elsewhere across the G8 network, children explored the journey of The Very Hungry Caterpillar through sensory play, and other centres used recycled materials to craft sheep in tribute to Where is the Green Sheep? offering opportunities to engage in sustainability education through storytelling.

These Book Week activities align with the Early Years Learning Framework by nurturing children’s agency, encouraging expression through language and the arts, and supporting respectful cultural exploration. G8 Education’s celebrations also demonstrate how early learning environments can meaningfully integrate literacy, sustainability and reconciliation into daily practice.