Topic - For Jan.

[Guest]

Does anyone have info. on the Topic - Australia, or know of any books or web sites that i can look at. I have pictures of Australian animals but I need more detail about the country, such as the people, landmarks etc.

 

Many thanks

 

Gilly

[Lorna]

You could look at the aboriginal people and their art work- that would make a lovely topic and so easy to explore with the children.

 

L

[Guest]

did a google search and found this online digeridoo lessons

 

aboriginal site

 

Peggy

[Guest]

We had a geographical based topic week last half term and our Y1 class did Australia - they had great fun. A few of the things they did:

 

aboriginal paintings (browns, whites, oranges, yellow spot type patterns on black paper I think - they looked stunning)

 

they found out about various animals (I thing the teacher got pics and info from an American web-site? Enchanted Learning??)

 

they measured how far a kangaroo travels in one jump and then counted how many jumps they would do to cover the same distance

 

they compared the weather in Australia to the weather here (now) - they had a barbie (sausages and tinnies - lemonade only) and changed into their shorts and t-shirts. (they pre-cooked the sausages in the cooker and held the 'barbie' in the class as it was pouring down on the day and the nursery nurse objected to cooking outside )

 

The also learned Waltsing Matilda and learned the meaning of some of the words. I was rather long and complex, but it's a great story, and the children acted it out. Fantastic.

 

Good luck.

Harricroft

[Guest]

The window by jeannie Baker is a lovely, brilliantly illustrated book about natural life in austrailia which children will love.

Last year the children did some aboriginal art, they chose a template (kangaroo, turtle, crocodile) drew around it and then used the end of a crayon, pencil ( dependant upon ability) and different coloured paints to fill in with dots, they were very effective and easy to do.

I think ELC has a tape with songs from around the world, you could learn ' waltzing matilda!)

Change your home corner into an 'australian themed' house with shorts, tshirts, toy bbq set, sun cream etc, explaining that their winter is different from ours.

Sand art, mix sand and paint?

heat - cold and hot, sun, melting etc.

do your register with an ozzie saying, ' g'day!

 

just a few ideas, also try amazon for the jeannie baker book.

 

good luck