Top 10 Ideas-Teaching Australian History to Kids
1. Use Australian Living Books
One of the most enjoyable ways to learn history is through living books. Living books bring a depth and richness into history studies.
An Australian History spine is a living book that weaves the whole of Australia’s story into a rich tapestry, it is an overview that covers the core of Australia’s history. A spine is like a historical washing line a place to hang your pegs of knowledge.
- The Australia Book by Eve Pownell © 1956. Republished 2008. This book tells the story of Australia. This 32 page quarto size book has excellent illustrations and would be perfect for young students.
Age range 4-7years old. - Our Sunburnt Country by Arthur Baillie ©2008 is an updated version of his popular 1964 work. This 140 page books spans history from Aboriginal settlement to the present. It has wonderful illustrations and a literary style.
Age range 7-Adult. - A Short History of Australia by Manning Clark © 2008 (updated).
This book is at a high school and university level. - Even though this is not a comprehensive history of Australia I highly recommend this book also. Papunya School Book of Country History by Nadia Wheatley
© 2001.Written for the Papunya school as a record of history when white settlers came into central Australia and how this affected the Aboriginal people that lived around the region.
Once you have chosen your spine read it aloud if possible to your children. Engage the children with the narratives and don’t read too much in one sitting. Have them begging for more.
Here are some booklist suggestions.
- Australian Picture Book List
- Australian Literature Online Book Links
- Australian Novel Ideas.
- Here is a Australian chronological living book list
2. Narrations Oral and Written
Have your children narrate what they read. That is, tell back in their words, what they have heard you read (or they read). Narrations help the child and parent understand what is being comprehended. With the younger children this may be orally or with older children (from around 10 years old) it can be written. This is an acquired art. One I have not perfected, but I’m working on it.
3. Unit Study
Unit studies weave a web of connections and don’t always fall into neatly packaged subjects. Often topics overlap at times, or lead towards another subject. This is all part of the learning journey.
Our Australian Book Traveller teaches Australian history, art, science and geography using living picture books.
You can also focus on a particular topic and make a history lesson from that. It could be Prime Ministers of Australia , The Australian Flag, or Australian cooking (Pavlova, Anzac Biscuits, Damper and Bush Tucker).
Saint Mary MacKillop Lapbook is a hands-on activity, written with passion, that can be used to teach children in a fun and interesting way about the life of Australia’s first canonised saint in the Catholic church.
4. Australian Architecture
Studying architecture can reveal different aspects of Australian history. Here are some starting points.
- Francis Greenway –Convict architect
- Governor Macquarie’s town planning.
- The Harbour Bridge
- The Opera House
- The Rabbit Proof Fence
- Old and New Parliament house
5. Australian Art.
Australian art reveals what life was like in the times gone by.
- “Gwion” Bradshaw rockpaintings in the Kimberley.
- Megafauna aboriginal rock paintings.
- Joseph Lycett Convict artist (1724-1825).
- Tom Roberts, (1856-1931) and Fredrick McCubbin (1855-1917)
- Albert Namatjira (1902–1959) Famous Aboriginal Painter
- D’Arcy Doyle (1932-2001) had a deep affinity with the Australian bush and his work focuses on horses, sheep, drovers, and other farm activities as well as children's games and sport
6. Australian Historical Poetry and Ballads
Songs of the people in Australia's history.
- Bound for Botany Bay
- The Wild Colonial Boy
- Waltzing Matilda
- The Man from Snowy River by Banjo Patterson
- Clancy of the Overflow by Banjo Patterson About a drover in the Australian bush
- The Roaring Days by Henry Lawson. A poem about the 1830’s gold rush in Australia.
- The Last of His Tribe by Henry Kendall
- Click Go the Shears
- Advance Australia Fair
7. Famous People and Oral History.
- Captain Cook’s journal
- Matthew Kings account of the Bourke and Wills expedition,
- Captain Bligh’s account of Mutiny on the Bounty,
- Strzelecki, the explorer's letter to his sweetheart after he climbed and named Kosciusko.
- Saint Mary MacKillop
Grandma and Grandpa and any other old people who can tell you about times way back when. A Family History is also an excellent tool. Trace back your ancestors and see where they fit in history. If you don’t have an Australian history tree this might not work so well for this topic but it is a worthwhile lasting memento that will span the generations. Our own family tree traced us back to the convicts.
8. Make an Australian Notebook
An Australian notebook is an excellent way to record history. Children make their very own history book. We use notebooking for many subjects. We even have a set of Australian History Notebooking Pages to help get you started.
A Book of Centuries (a Charlotte Mason idea) is a notebook to record the whole of history. In this a student records brief facts, narrations, maps and sketches about the events of history as they occurred. You can use this in conjunction with an Australian History Notebook just recording major events. This method is also very helpful for the student to see where Australia fits in with world history.9. Australian Museum, Art Galleries and Memorials
Visit local, state and national places. I visited a small museum in Morpeth NSW and we got to have hands on practice with a very old telephone exchange. The Canberra War Memorial is outstanding. The state galleries in Melbourne and Sydney have many Australian artists.
Don’t forget to take your notebook!
10.Movies and Documentaries
These movies have adult themes and would be for older children. I suggest preview before you let the kids watch them.
- The Rabbit Proof Fence(PG)
- Gallipoli (PG)
- The Lighthorsemen (PG)