Australia and New Zealand

We began the year with a visit to Australia and New Zealand!   We begin each unit by visiting our continent on Google Maps, Google Street View, and Google Tre

ks.  Here's what our students performed and created:

K - Boomerangs from Australia - we worked on our line designs and painting.   In music, we moved our bodies like Kangaroos to "staccato" music.

1  -  Aboriginal dot paintings -  We traced our hands and created lines of dots as the Aboriginals do.

2  -  We did a step-by-step drawing of a Koala hanging on a tree and painted it with Aboriginal dots.

3  -  Aboriginal Fiber Sculptures using tin foil and yarn.  We sang an Australian song called "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" to help learn the difference between a Verse and a Refrain.

4  -  We studied the Maori people of New Zealand and designed traditional Maori tattoos on pictures of ourselves.  In music, we learned the "Haka" a traditional Maori war dance still performed by the All Blacks (NZ National Rugby Team).

5  - We took a virtual visit to the Sydney Opera House before doing a linear line drawing of it.  We traced and covered with tissue paper for the final product.  We learned Australian slang by singing Waltzing Matilda, the unofficial Aussie anthem.