Australiana

I've been asked what our Australiana studies are comprised of, so here you go -

We are learning about Australia in a chronological way, and the children are using an A3 sized Visual Arts Diary as a project book to include all their writings, drawings, stories, photos, pictures and facts. So far we have covered:-

* Indigenous Aboriginal People
* Early Explorer's (Torres, Hartog, Tasman, Dampier)
* Captain Cook
* The First Fleet
* Invasion or Colonisation? (Pemulway and Bennelong)
* Early Settlements
* The Rum Rebellion
* Governor Macquarie
* Bass and Flinders
* Across the Blue Mountains (Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth)
* William Cox and the road across the Mountains
* Hume and Hovell
* Burke and Wills
* Gold
* Bushrangers

Over the next 2 years, Sarah will continue these studies and focus on Federation; The White Australia Policy; and World War 1, looking particularly at Gallipoli. Daniel will be consolidating some of what he has already covered by readings of "An Australian Story" by Eve Pownall, and "A Sunburnt Country" by Arthur Baillie.

So whilst our Australiana studies will be ongoing, over the next 2 years I have planned for our Homeschool to have a strong World History based focus. This is mainly in the interests of balance, since the majority of our Unit studies during 2007 & 2008 fell into the Science and Technology KLA. However, I will write about that another day!