My 9year-old and his friends have been playing in the dirt under a tree for hours with a few toys, breaking bits off nearby bushes, in the sun, smiling.

I'd like to have a closer look but don't want to disturb, I have a perfect view from the window. ;)

I attended the NSW Department of Education and Training’s Multicultural Perspectives Speaking Competition at Darlinghurst Public School.

Years 3 and 4 competed in the morning and years 5 and 6 in the afternoon.

Such bright children speaking so clearly. One girl walked in smiling as if she owned the room and loved every minute of it.

Speeches included Racism hurts everyone, Australia the lucky country, Never judge a book by its cover and Sport brings people together.

“Remember racism hurts everyone, so when you see it, do your best to stop it.”

In the impromptu speeches My Special Place, most kids spoke about their homes. If they chose a different special place that was rewarded.

Even though each child was chosen to represent their school, there were plenty of nerves in the room.

One poor child started off strong but lost their place and dropped their cards. I felt sad and hoped they’d get the chance to recover because I’m sure it will be a memorable moment in their life.

One child froze and just stood there dumbfounded for about a minute. It was awful wanting to help them, to give them the words. It’s a negative memorable moment when that happens and requires resilience to overcome.

I made a point of going up to them afterwards and saying how brave they were and how well they'd done to get up in front of all those people.

Public speaking is a valuable skill and it’s great that it’s encouraged.

Fart on fire

My 9yo thinks these photos are awesome.