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Whether young readers prefer to find a corner and
Whether young readers prefer to find a corner and “wander away with the pixies,” or grab their “mates” and their “swags” and head for “the back of beyond,” they’ll find something in the library to carry them there. “No worries!” In “the Land Down Under,” it’s all “Dinky-Di!” Setting the Scene Coral Reef Reading Corner. Hang crepe paper streamers in several shades of blue from Outback Library. Create an outback open-air library the ceiling to create a watery like the one featured on Upstart’s “G’day to Read!” coral reef world. Staple tagposter in your children’s room. Move at least two tall bookshelves close enough together to support a “roof ” of board cutouts of fish and large cardboard sheets. (For a textured roof, use corrugat- other reef animals onto the streamers. A small bookshelf ed cardboard.) Decorate in and around with “G’day to featuring books about the Great Read!” or “Go on a Readabout” posters, Australia travel posters (available online or through a local travel agent), Barrier Reef and coral reef life could be topped with arrangestuffed outback animals, books about Australia, party lights, etc. A pile of small beanbags chairs in browns and ments of coral pieces, natural sponges, and plastic grays call to boulders to mind, and make a comfy place models of reef anifor readers to settle. Potted scrub bushes or tall grasses add to the effect. Are you lucky enough to have an artist mals. Display an aquarium with live on staff? Add a backdrop on butcher or mural paper tropical sea creashowing eucalyptus trees, scrub brush, grasses, animals, tures if you dare! termite towers, etc. Add comfortable seating Activity Guide © 2009 Lab Safety Supply Inc. Go on a Readabout (Blue or green beanbag chairs? Borrow a toy boat like those shown at www.rosiehippo.com/c-31-Boats.aspx or http://shop.mobileation.com/Ride-On-Toys/BoatsFloats-Tubes?), and set up a TV-DVD playing Finding Nemo. Mood Music! Play the Dink Di recording softly in your children’s room. Great Barrier Reef Display. Back a bulletin board with blue paper or fabric, perhaps with a rippling, wavelike pattern. Add pictures of the Great Barrier Reef and coral reef life, book jackets from related books, etc. On a shelf below, display arrangements of pieces of coral, sea star or sea horse skeletons, sand dollars, and natural sponges for kids to look at and touch. Down Under Reading Recommendations. Title a bulletin board “Down Under Reading Recommendations,” “Go on a Readabout,” or “G’day to Read.” Place bookmarks or animal characters from the two themes around the edges to make a border. Reproduce the boomerangshaped book recommendation forms (see pattern on page 7 of this guide) onto brown paper, and cut them out. Fill in a few boomerang forms with information on books in your own collection, or from the list below, and post on the bulletin board. Leave blank forms out with pens and pencils for kids to add their favorites to the board. Aussie Animals Display. Set up a display of materials about Australian animals. Include fiction and nonfiction, print and nonprint, titles for different ages, etc., and arrange the materials under a theme poster or map of Australia. Decorate with small stuffed or toy kangaroos, koala bears, snakes, crocodiles, etc. Floor Puzzle. Set out pieces for a floor puzzle of Australia in your children’s room or program area. Put together a few of the pieces to get the puzzle started. You’ll find an Australia map floor puzzle at http://www.fivemile.com.au/books/childrens/jigsawbooks/floor-puzzles/australian-floor-puzzle.html. Incentives. Stock up on small prizes that will make young readers “Happy as Larry.” Include theme bookmarks and sunglasses. Oriental Trading (www.orientaltrading.com) has inexpensive outback hats and blank cardboard boomerangs for decorating; the Aussie Food Shop (www.aussiefood.citymax.com/australian_keyrings.html) and Everything Australian (www.everythingaustralian.com/index.html) offer a variety of novelty items. Games/Contests Australia Facts Quiz. Print out the ten-question basic facts quiz about Australia at www.funtrivia.com/playquiz/quiz14761310e7ea0.html. Give it to a group of kids and see how they do. Highest scores win small prizes. Packing My Swag. Gather a group of children for an Australian alphabet game. Starting with A (A is for Australia, of course!), go around the group and ask each child to come up with a word starting with the next letter that has to do with Australia. They could be names of places or famous Australians, animals, slang terms, foods, etc. After the group has done its best, read Australia ABCs… from the list below. Activity Guide © 2009 Lab Safety Supply Inc. Go on a Readabout Aussie Slang. Make up a set of game cards with an Australian slang word or phrase on one side and its definition on the other. Read a word or phrase to each child in turn, and ask him or her guess its meaning. Give a point for each correct definition. The child with the most points at the end is the winner. Good resources include Ettamogah’s Wildlife Sanctuary’s Web site http://ausinternet.com/ettamogah/aussiewords.htm and Australia for Kids http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/ australia/english.htm. of paper and then glue the paper onto the tubes. For instructions, background information on the Aboriginal instrument, and tips for playing it, visit www.dltk-kids.com/world/australia/didgeridoo.htm. For authentic Aboriginal designs to use in decorating, look for examples in Australia by McCollum or check out www.laoutback.com. Aussie Flag. Display a picture of the Australian flag and set out copies of the coloring page from page 8 of this guide, red and blue crayons, and white star stickers for young patrons. Sea Turtle Maze. Print the maze at http://littlekids.nationalgeographic.com/littlekids/ games/04-reefmaze.html. Young children will enjoy helping Sea Turtle find its friends. Ready for Readabout. Provide materials and have children prepare for their Readabout adventures by making walking sticks and/or outback hats. Walking sticks can be made from interestingly-shaped tree branches or lengths of bamboo, and decorated with indigenous motifs using markers or paint (see the didgeridoos link above for design ideas). For outback hats, attach tagboard or cardboard rims (see pattern on page 9 of this guide) to the open edge of a clean Cool Whip plastic tub using glue or double-faced tape. Glue a covering of brown or green felt over the tub crown and rim. Punch holes at 2-3” intervals near the outside edge of the brim and tie on small corks strung on brown or green yarn— to keep the flies away! Add a rope or ribbon band to better conceal the joint between the crown and the rim. Treats/Recipes Kiwi Tarts and Damper. Check out Cooking the Australian Way for a range of recipes that reflect both Australia’s British ties and traditional bush foods. Lamington Cakes. These take a little fussing and time, but they’re yummy and fun. You’ll find the recipe at http://joyofbaking.com/ Lamingtons.html. Anzac Biscuits. These classic Australian cookies are easy to make. Recipe at www.abcteach.com/Australia/biscuits. htm. Creature Crossing Signs. Cut 8˝ squares from yellow card stock—enough for two squares per child. Direct kids to turn the squares “cornerwise” so they have two diamond shapes in front of them. Then, have the kids choose an Australian animal—kangaroo, koala, wombat, crocodile, frilled lizard, etc.—and create a creature crossing sign for that animal by outlining both yellow diamonds in black, drawing a picture of their chosen animal on one outlined diamond, and the words “[their animal] crossing” on the other. Glue the diamonds together, writing side out, with a craft stick between at the bottom corner to form a handle. Ocean in a Cup. For a fun program treat, mix packages of blue Jell-o as instructed. Fill clear plastic or glass cups until half-full and leave them to partially set—about an hour. Distribute several colorful gummy fish throughout the Jell-o and allow them to set. Serve with macadamia nuts and spoons. Arts/Crafts Didgeridoo. Kids can make simple didgeridoos by decorating cardboard wrapping paper tubes with crayons, paint, or markers. If it’s easier, they can decorate scraps Activity Guide © 2009 Lab Safety Supply Inc. Go on a Readabout Math/Science/Geography Activities Story Time: Calling all Kangaroos! Combine books like Jump, Kangaroo, Jump! or McGillycuddy Could! with songs like “Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport” from Dinky Di, a craft like the paper bag puppets explained in Marvelous Marsupials above, and this large muscle wiggler: find a recording of Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals and play the “Kangaroo” piece. Have kids take turns showing off their best kangaroo jumps—their longest single jump, then their shortest. Then let them hop around the room to the music. Toss in poem or finger play—you’ll find possibilities at www.preschooleducation.com/szoo.shtml and www.preschooleducation.com/szoo.shtml. Send children home with copies of the coloring page found at www.alphabet-soup.net/dir7/kangcolor.html. What’s a Wombat? Display several books about wombats and other animals unique to Australasia. Invite kids to choose one animal, read and learn about it, draw a picture, and write a short description. Make a display from the results. Kangaroo Math. Use Jump, Kangaroo, Jump! for a playful exploration of fractions; pair it with Murphy’s equally fun Too Many Kangaroo Things to Do (multiplication concepts) for a painless, enjoyable math program. Aussie Family Adventure. Feeling ambitious? Try a family program exploring all things Aussie. Combine games or contests, crafts, computer station activities, and snacks from other parts of this guide. Open with a story; end with a sing-along. Or show a movie like Finding Nemo or The Crocodile Hunter. Better yet—talk up movies and books for families to enjoy at home, and feature a presentation in your program about a unique element of Australian history or culture, such as “How to Throw a Boomerang” or “Aboriginal Tales and Legends” by someone knowledgeable in the subject. From Here to There. Australia is a small continent but a large country, comparable in size to the continental United States. Australians, like most of the world’s people, use the metric system of measurement; we still use the U.S. customary system. Locate a large map of Australia that clearly displays the scale in both miles and kilometers. Set the map out with several lengths of string or yarn, and a ruler that shows both inches and centimeters. Invite kids to measure distances from different start points, and write the distances down in both miles and kilometers. Special Events Writing/Art Projects Marvelous Marsupials. Invite a resource person knowledgeable about marsupials to give a talk about these unusual animals. You might add a craft in which children add a paper or fabric pouch to a tagboard cut-out of a marsupial. Tuck a small treat, like a wrapped Anzac biscuit, into the pocket for a nice take-home souvenir. Or make paper bag puppets of different marsupials. You’ll find a pattern for a kangaroo puppet at www.dltk-bible.com/butterflysong/kangaroo.htm. Wom-Batypus. Set out copies of Swim, Little Wombat, Swim! and other books about Australian animals, along with paper and pencils. Invite kids to read the wombat story so they are familiar with idea of combining the names of two animals to name a third animal with characteristics of the first two. Kids can then look through the other books and create a made-up Australian animal which they will name, draw, and explain in a short paragraph. Make a display of the new animal creations. Sea Turtle’s Journey. Use the maze mentioned above in Games (Sea Turtle Maze) as the basis for short stories. Challenge children to create original stories about the Activity Guide © 2009 Lab Safety Supply Inc. Go on a Readabout Ettagomah’s Wildlife Sanctuary, http://ausinternet. com/ettamogah/kids.htm. Bookmark this site for kids to explore, or print off some of the paper games. You’ll find a wordsearch, a dot-to-dot activity, animal craft patterns and instructions, a song, and more. plants, animals, challenges, dangers, and adventures Sea Turtle might encounter on his journey to find his friends. Post Cards from Down Under. Set out quarter-sheet rectangles of card stock with pencils and crayons near a display of books about Australia. Invite children to create picture post cards of imaginary trips to “the Land Down Under.” On one side they might draw or color a picture of an Aussie flag, animal, tourist attraction, landscape, etc. On the other they can write a “Dear___” message about their travels. Display the results in a basket so others can enjoy both sides of the cards. Great Barrier Reef Posters, http://www.reefed.edu.au/ home/posters. Download free posters of beautiful marine life around the Reef. Time for Kids: Australia, www.timeforkids.com/TFK/ kids/hh/goplaces. Click on Australia for a virtual introduction to some of Australia’s top tourist attractions, a guide to Aussie slang, a quiz, and more. Internet Activities “Australia” Resources Australia for Kids, http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/ australia/australia.htm. This student-generated site provides a kid-friendly, illustrated introduction to the Land Down Under along with lots of puzzles, word games, and more. • Australia (Enchantment of the World) by Ann Heinrichs. Children’s Press, 2007. ISBN 0516248731. 4-6. • Australia (Country Explorers) by Sean McCollum. Lerner Publications, 2007. ISBN 0822571269. 2-4. • Australia ABCs: A Book about the People and Places of Australia by Sarah Heiman. Picture Window Books, 2003. ISBN 1404803505. 2-4. • Australian Wildlife (Nature Kids) by Steve Parish. Mason Crest Publishers, 2003. ISBN 1590842103. 2-4. • Being Bee by Catherine Bateson. Holiday House, 2008. ISBN 0823422089. 4-6. • Colors of Australia (Colors of the World) by Lynn Ainsworth Olawsky. Carolrhoda Books, 1997. ISBN 157505213X. K-3. • Cooking the Australian Way by Elizabeth Germaine. Lerner Publications, 2003. ISAB 0822541017. 3-6. • The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course directed by John Stainton. MGM Video, 2002 (DVD Video). ASIN B00006SFKN. All ages. • Death Down Under (Screech Owls Series #15) by Roy MacGregor. MacClelland & Stewart, 2001. ISBN 0771056443. 4-6. • Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French. Clarion, 2003. ISBN 0618381368. K-2. • Diary of a Would-Be Princess (Journal of Jillian James) by Jessica Green. Charlesbridge Publishing, 2008. ISBN 1580891675. 4-6. Australian Wildlife Wordsearch, http://puzzles.about.com/od/wordsearches/l/ blWSAustralianMammals.htm. This interactive, online wordsearch is fun and challenging for older kids. Visit http://puzzles.about.com/od/wordsearches/l/ blWSAustralianBirds.htm. for a companion search for Australian birds. Activity Guide © 2009 Lab Safety Supply Inc. Go on a Readabout • Dingoes at Dinnertime (Magic Tree House #20) by Mary Pope Osborne. Random House Books for Young Readers, 2000. ISBN 0679890661. 2-4. • Dinky Di: Aussie Songs for Kids. ABC Contemporary Music (Music CD). Available at ABC Shop, Catalogue # 300974-2 (shop.abc.net.au, key in Dinky Di). P-4. • Finding Nemo directed by Andrew Stanton. Walt Disney Video, 2003 (DVD Feature Film). UPC: 786936215595. All ages. • Hazel Green by Odo Hirsch. Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, 2005. ISBN 1582349401. 3-6. • Jump, Kangaroo, Jump! By Stuart J. Murphy. HarperTorphy, 1998. ISBN 006446721X. K-3. • Look What Came from Australia (Look What Came From) by Kevin Davis. Franklin Watts, 2000. ISBN 0531164330. K-3. • McGillycuddy Could! By Pamela Duncan Edwards. Katherine Tegen Books, 2005. ISBN 0060290013. P-2. • Minmi and Other Dinosaurs of Australia by Dougal Dixon. Picture Window Books, 2007. ISBN 1404822623. 1-4. • One Night in the Coral Sea by Sneed B. Collard, III. Charlesbridge Publishing, 2006. ISBN 1570913900. 3-5. • Pumpkin Runner by Marsha Diane Arnold. Dial, 1998. ISBN 0803721242. K-3. • Snow Pony by Alison Lester. Houghton Mifflin, 2006. ISBN 0618771255. 5-6. • Sun Mother Wakes the World: An Australian Creation Story by Diane Wolkstein. HarperCollins, 2004. ISBN 0688139159. K-4. • Swim Little Wombat, Swim by Charles Fuge. Sterling, 2005. ISBN 140272375X. P-1. • Toad Rage by Morris Gleitzman. Yearling, 2005. ISBN 0375827633. 4-6. • Too Many Kangaroo Things to Do by Stuart J. Murphy. Harper Trophy, [YEAR& ISBN] Activity Guide © 2009 Lab Safety Supply Inc. ok ___ __ or __ e_ __ am N th Au __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ __ __ __ __ __ __ e_ __ Ag __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ e_ __ __ Ti tl __ __ __ __ _ __ __ __ __ _ _ __ __ __ .” __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ e _ __ __ __ us __ __ __ ca __ __ __ be ___ ___ ___ k _ _ _ oo __ __ __ s b __ __ __ hi __ __ __ e t __ __ __ lik ___ ___ __ ’ll __ __ ___ ou __ __ __ “Y ___ ___ ___ __ ___ ___ __ ___ __ © 2009 Lab Safety Supply Inc. Activity Guide 7 __ ___ e_ __ Ti tl __ __ __ __ __ _ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ Ag __ e_ __ __ _ __ __ e_ __ or ok Bo th Au am N __ __ _ __ __ __ __ _ _ __ __ __ .” __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ e _ __ __ __ us __ __ __ ca __ __ __ be ___ ___ ___ k _ _ _ oo __ __ __ s b __ __ __ hi __ __ __ e t __ __ __ lik ___ ___ __ ’ll __ __ ___ ou __ __ __ “Y ___ ___ ___ __ ___ ___ __ ___ __ Bo Boomerang Book Form Flag of Australia 8 Activity Guide © 2009 Lab Safety Supply Inc. Pattern for Outback Hat Directions: Copy pattern onto cardstock at 200%. 9 Activity Guide © 2009 Lab Safety Supply Inc.
