Homeschooling Downunder
Home Education Resources
for Australia and New Zealand
that save you time, money and stress.
Australian Nature Stories.
The Australian Aboriginal people know about the value of nature stories. They have many dreamtime stories that focus on life lessons or creation. The Australian Aboriginals have respect for the land. Today we are seeing a great resurgence of these nature stories. A visit to the library will bring back many treasures. One of the earliest records of these stories is by Katherine Langaloh Parker. You can download this book from Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/3833.
In the early 1900’s there was a move to educate Australian children about the Australian environment (instead of England). A few authors rose to the occasion and wrote nature stories that were inspiring, educating and very Australian. We wanted to share some of these stories with you. So we have taken the time to make a small collection of the best that we have found. We would love to add to the collection, so we welcome contribution.
One of my favourite stories in this genre is The Gallant Gums by Amy Mack. This story tells about what happens when a raging bush fire tears through a gully. It also weaves in the Christian story of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection.
We loved this story so much we had it illustrated and produced into a book called Crowns of Fire.
Free Nature Story Downloads
The Leaf the Longed to be Red.This story tells of a leaf who wastes his whole life wishing he looked different. Eventually he gets his wish and he realises too late that he had been foolish.
The Wave. A happy little wave journeys toward his destination of Bondi beach.
Spotty the Bower Bird.This is another gem. The first few paragraphs are a bit boring as they give you a few facts about Bower Birds, skip that bit for younger ones . The main character is Spotty, who as a new hatchling hangs out with his mother. He loves to see his father’s bower and the parties he has there. The story continues on throughout Spotty’s life.
Some other titles I would recommend are:
- Leslie Rees. Shy the platypus
- Jan Wade. Australian bush fairies
- Narelle Oliver. Sand swimmers. The secret life of Australia’s dead heart.
- Belinda Brooker. Mundarda
- Dianne Lucas. Walking with the seasons in Kakadu
- J Morris. Wombat down below