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For the final Speaking and Listening group of the year, we had a theme of Oceania. H studied the Kakapo, Daniel did about Polynesian Myths and Em did about Sydney, Australia.
It was nice to help her frame this topic and to share with her our own trip there some years ago. We talked about the places that Damian and I went to, as well as the places she might like to head to if she ever makes it to Australia.
Unsurprisingly, an area of interest for Em was Australian animals and we spent a little time talking about the animals we saw whilst we were there and the beauty and magic of seeing Kangaroo’s bouncing along the side of the road as we travelled between cities. I’m not sure you appreciate the vastness of Australia until you’re there.
We took a look at the different wildlife and looked at which parts of Australia the animals are native to. We also looked at some of the different wildlife parks in Australia and talked about whether we think they offer good opportunities for conservation and research.
Natural Environment
When Damian and I went to Australia we were so very fortunate to spot wombats and kangaroos in the wild. We also, of course, spotted the white Ibis and lorikeets which are remarkable and so very different to the birds we are used to spotting the UK!
We also stayed at a lodge in the Hunter Valley and, whilst we are breakfast, we could see the kangaroos and the joeys; it was remarkable and is probably one of my fondest memories of our time there. Thankfully we didn’t spot any creepy crawlies! I don’t think I could have coped with seeing too many bugs or spiders; they’re not my favourite thing!
We did toy we heading up to the Great Barrier Reef but we decided to head south from Brisbane instead and travel down to Sydney and then through other cities until we got to Perth. I think my favourite city was Brisbane; it had a lovely relaxed feel to it, but for spotting the wildlife it has to be the drive we did from Sydney to Melbourne and the train journey from Melbourne to Adelaide.
Wildlife Parks
I showed Em some pictures of some of the animals we saw in the Wildlife Park we visited with a family friend whilst in Sydney, and we talked about which of those animals were native to Australia, and of course, the reasons why Australia is home to so many wonderfully unique and fascinating animals. We did a little research on other nature parks in Australia and we thought that the David Fleay Wildlife Park sounded interesting. Plus it was an opportunity to learn a little more about David Fleay and his conservation work. It was interesting that ht was one of the first in Australia to understand the importance of endangered species. We enjoyed learning about the monotreme animals and learned that David Fleay was the first person to breed a platypus in captivity.
I have friends who have travelled to Australia and visited other wildlife parks including Mogo Wildlife Park which I’m told is Australia’s largest zoo collection and Ballarat Wildlife Park which I understand is in Victoria. Wildlife parks are a great way to see animals, especially those that are native to Australia. and can be the catalyst for further conversation and discussion with the children. It’s also well worth spending time researching where to go, and booking tickets to do so ahead of time. You can usually plan your visit around the park to take into account any talks about certain animals or feeding times etc that you might want to observe. I remember listening to a particularly interesting talk about bats whilst in the park in Sydney.
Australia is a fascinating country and it’s one I would love to take the children to; we have studied it many times in recent years in various guises and it is a country that always inspires awe and wonder.
