The Wonder of the Down Under

This past week we ventured a trip to the Outback and we had a blast! We began our learning adventure to Australia by discussing some of the country's unique attributes, like the fact that it is the biggest island and the smallest continent! I have this book which includes a CD with songs about every country. The kids love it and memorize the continent songs quickly.

We learned that Australia has many cattle and sheep stations, which we call ranches, and they are home to some of the largest cattle stations in the world. We discussed ranching and read some about how the stations are run, then built our own stations.

Next, we studied the history of Australia and it's people. We learned about the Aborigines, who where the native people of Australia. They had a rich artistic and musical history. We learned that they wore tribal paint on their faces at times, used art to express themselves and their way of life, and played the digeradoo, a unique wooden musical instrument.

Aboriginal Face Painting

 Aboriginal Dot Painting

Digeradoo making which involved a paper towel tube decorated and the addition of wax paper at the end to create the humming sound similar to a real digeradoo.

 Shannon, a new friend and coworker who is visiting from Cannon Elementary for a few weeks this summer found some Digeradoo music for the kids to listen to. You can check it out here.

We went on a digeradoo musical parade which was, ummm, enthusiastic. :)

We made boomerangs which were a big hit and we learned that now recognized as an icon of Australia, originally, they were used by the Aboriginal people to hunt.

Later in the week we turned our attention to the amazing animals that inhabit Australia. They have the largest group of marsupials in Australia! We learned a lot about Kangaroos! A group of Kangaroos are called a "mob." A baby kangaroo is called a "joey." And a large adult kangaroo can jump up to 30 feet, which was as long as our whole classroom! We had a few roos of our own to play with in dramatic play.

We made some Kangaroos at art, and some of us drew kangaroos.

We also talked about the platypus, dingos, emus, kookaburras, koalas, wombats, marsupial moles, and thorny devils. And that's not even a comprehensive list of the unique animals that call Australia home! Next, we studied landmarks, and of course, we talked about the Sydney Opera House. Made famous in Finding Nemo, over half of the kids recognized it. We added cut paper plates at the art center for a pinterest inspired art project of the famous Opera House. We even listened to some opera music!

To finish up the week, we made an Australian treat! They are called Lamingtons, sponge cake dipped in homemade chocolate icing, then rolled in coconut. They are delicious!

 We learned so much during this week, campers and teachers alike! There is so much more we talked about, but this post can't go on forever. However, I'll update after next week where we will venture to the Polar Regions. So, get your cold weather gear ready and until next week, g'day!