Category Archives: Australia

Spring Traditions Around the World

Posted on April 12, 2013 | 8 Comments

I am part of a world-side, diverse group of bloggers called Multicultural Kid Bloggers who write about their experiences in multicultural parenting. Every month we host a different blogging carnival, which focuses on a relevant topic, and includes perspectives from (literally) around the world. For example, we discussed teaching heritage to your children, and talked about winter traditions around the world, and the importance of family traditions. Join us on facebook, Twitter or pinterest to meet other multicultural, globally-minded parents.

This month’s carnival is all about our Spring traditions. Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Around the World, Asia, Australia, Australia and Oceania, Canada, Celebrations, China, Europe, Malawi, Mexico, Poland, The Americas, The Netherlands, United States

Tagged spring, traditions

Gingerbread Stories from Around the World

Posted on March 27, 2013 | 3 Comments

Finding similarities and differences when reading fairy tales from around the world hones kids’ critical thinking skills, and helps them to focus on the details. Even the Common Core Standards includes this in one of their “Reading Literature” standards:

Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures (RL.2.9.).

There are many reasons to read fairy tales to children- especially because they’re whimsical, creative, and fun! Today we’re looking at Gingerbread stories. Continue reading →

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Posted in Around the World, Asia, Australia, Australia and Oceania, China, Europe, Food, France, Ireland, Literature, Mexico, Norway, Russia, The Americas, UK, United States

Tagged fairy tales, fiction children's books, folktales, Gingerbread Man stories

Penguins! Resources to Learn about these Unique Southern Birds

Posted on January 23, 2013 | 3 Comments

Do your kids love to learn about penguins as much as mine do!? There are 17 different kinds of penguins, and although they look different, there are some similarities. All live in the southern hemisphere, normally on the coasts of: Antarctica, South Africa, parts of South America, parts of Australia and New Zealand, and many different islands including the Galapagos (where I swam with some!)! All penguins have blackish backs and white bellies, and are flightless birds who are excellent swimmers. They feed underwater on krill and other creatures, and their predators are orcas, sharks, sea lions, and fur and leopard seals. Groups of penguins are called rookeries. Today penguins are threatened because of reduced food supply (due to over-fishing and global warming), pollution (such as oil spills), and reduced habitat (due to melting ice from global warming). Learn more about penguins with these phenomenal resources:

Penguin Resources: Web Sites

Download a free, high-quality poster of the Emperor Penguin’s life cycle from the US government’s Antarctic Program. Continue reading →

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Posted in Animals, Australia, Australia and Oceania, Games and Toys, Literature, New Zealand, Polar Regions

Tagged education, non-fiction children's books, on-line activities, penguins, science

The Flightless Birds of New Zealand and Australia

Posted on November 24, 2012 | 5 Comments

My children really enjoy learning about animals. They like to catch and release critters, visit animals at the zoo, do animal science projects like dissecting owl pellets, watch movies like Whale Rider and The Story of the Weeiping Camel, do craft projects like this blue morpho butterfly craft, and read books like thes e about Australian animals. We are animal lovers! So on a recent visit to the zoo, we learned about ratites: large flightless birds. They share several characteristics, even though they are spread widely among different continents. Many scientists believe that their similarities and distance from each other suggest that the earth’s land masses were once much closer together than they are now. Scientists also believe that flightless birds on islands like Australia and New Zealand evolved because they had little reasons to escape flying because there were few predators. These birds developed short wings, great running or swimming skills, and special defenses like large toe claws. Let’s discover some special characteristics of these unique birds! Continue reading →

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Posted in Animals, Australia, Australia and Oceania, New Zealand

Tagged birds, environment, science

Cinderella Story: Around the World

Posted on October 11, 2012 | 15 Comments

What do you know about Cinderella? Perhaps the blonde-haired, blue eyed, Disney princess? Maybe you’ve read the Brothers Grimm version from 1800′s Germany, or even farther back to the late 1600′s with Charles Perrault‘s version. Did you know that Cinderella stories are not limited to a Western European perspective, and in fact appear in more than 500 versions around the world? No one knows the true origin of the famous folktale and its universal theme of good versus evil- but we can enjoy all of the unique twists and learn about cultural values, as we read the diverse stories.

Kid World Citizen is proud to collaborate with some of the best multicultural and educational blogs on the web to present “Cinderella Story Around the World.” While this international project is only a small sampling of the versions of the folktale that are available, we worked together to provide a cross-cultural selection suitable for elementary classrooms. Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Asia, Australia, Australia and Oceania, China, Europe, Greece, Iraq, Korea, Literature, Martinique, Mexico, Thailand, The Americas, United States, Zimbabwe

Tagged Appalachian, Cinderella Around the World, Creole, fiction children's books, indigenous, Native American, Ojibway

10 Wonderful Stories Set in Countries Around the World

Posted on September 24, 2012 | 13 Comments

Today’s guest post comes from Amy Broadmore, the mother of three young children ages seven, five, and two. She spends her time teaching and learning from her children, running, and searching for great picture books. She recommends children’s literature with captivating stories and gorgeous illustrations on her blog Delightful Children’s Books.

I love the ability of good stories to both entertain and teach kids at the same time. Here are ten of my favorite stories set in countries around the world. These are, for the most part, fictional stories. Yet, they introduce kids to real places and real experiences. These stories help kids imagine what it would be like to celebrate Eid in Kuwait, go on a family road trip in Australia, wait for the Biblioburro to arrive in Colombia and more. Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Asia, Australia, Australia and Oceania, China, Colombia, Europe, France, India, Kuwait, Literature, Malawi, The Americas, The Gambia, Ukraine, United States

Tagged Alaska Inuit, fiction children's books, indigenous

Colorful Collages of the World’s Natural Wonders

Posted on April 15, 2012 | 4 Comments

Venezuela Angel Falls Collage Craft- Kid World Citizen

Venezuela's Angel Falls, the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall.

My daughters and I spent a quiet Saturday morning making these lovely landscape collages of several wonders of the world. Using a computer (to view the images), paper, glue, and some magazines we created our colorful masterpieces. Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Around the World, Arts and Crafts, Australia, Australia and Oceania, Geography, Tanzania, The Americas, Venezuela

Tagged collage, Earth Day, education, recycling

Learn about Unique Australian & New Zealand Land Animals

Posted on April 3, 2012 | 1 Comment

Because Australia and New Zealand are islands, far and isolated from other land masses, many of their animals aren’t found anywhere else on Earth. They have evolved and adapted well to the ecosystems found here: the large desert, forests, grasslands, and mountains. Here are some wonderful picture books and video clips that highlight the very unique animals of Australia and New Zealand. There are silly stories with animals as their main character, and others are based on true adventures had by animals in this part of the world. All are delightful and colorful, and will compliment and add a global dimension to lessons in science and social studies. The incredible clips offer a live view of animals in their natural habitat. Continue reading →

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Posted in Animals, Australia, Australia and Oceania, Literature, New Zealand

Tagged education, fiction children's books, kangaroos, koalas, non-fiction children's books, possums, wallabies, wombats

Anzac Biscuits: Cookies from Australia and New Zealand

Posted on November 12, 2011 | 4 Comments

You will love these chewy cookies- don’t forget the milk!

Cookies- the snack that everyone loves. Bake some of these sweet oatmeal biscuits and teach your kids a bit about history and the lands down under. Continue reading →