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Homeschool Good Reads

Expedition Down Under

May 7, 2006 by Imaan 2 Comments

Ms M loves all things Australian so we have decided to revisit the Land Down Under. Here are some of the things we have done/are doing.

Books & Stories

  • Animal Myths & Legends – of course we don’t believe in these but it was interesting to see how others think.
  • Australia The Gift by Steve Parish – superb photographs by one of Australia’s best-known photographers who has spent much of his life journeying around the country.
  • Australian Mammals Sticker Picture Book by Steve Parish – a gift from my sister… Ms M had fun with this!
  • DK Readers: Outback Adventure – Australian Holiday by Kate McCleod – a nice book about a family seeing the sites in Broome, a remote place in the Australian outback.
  • Kangaroos & Marsupials by Lionel Bender – a very informative and yet easy-to-understand book about the different marsupials. Very good photos!
  • Koala Kate Talks Ablout Koalas by Denise Burt – a little book we found at the second-hand bookstore… all about the life and habits of the koala told from the point of view of a koala! Delightful photographs.
  • Koala Lou by Mem Fox – sweet tale about a koala who feels sidestepped with the arrival of siblings and longs for her mother’s reassurance by trying to win a medal in the Bush Olympics. Listen to Mem Fox reciting it here.
  • Longman’s Inquizitive books: Bushfire – describes how bushfires occur, the damage it can do as well as how the fire can help the bush and animals that live in it.
  • Longman’s Inquizitive books: The Desert Gallery – interesting books about the amazing plants and animals that survive in the harsh Australian desert.
  • Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder – yes, I know it is set in the USA but we drew parallels between the Native Americans and the Aborigines.
  • Miss Lily’s Fabulous Pink Feather Boa by Margaret Wild & Kerry Argent – Ms M cried when we first read this! A lonely potoroo, who feels she must eb the last of her kind, meets a lively and kind crocodile, Miss Lily (she has “a very small appetite” and only eats fish). The Last Potoroo is enthralled by her host and her feather boa which made her feel as if “she could do anything – and everything!” With the help of Miss Lily, the potoroo learns about courage and honesty and goes forth to seek others of her kind. She returns to repay Miss Lily’s love with a surprise!
  • People & Animals: Work & Leisure by Barry Silkstone – about the relationship between man and animals, with a focus on those in Australia.
  • Possum Magic by Mem Fox – about Hush and Grandma Poss who gallivant Australia to undo the bush magic spell that made Hush invisible. A good intro to the different Oz cities and food. We didn’t feel comfy with magic so we called it Bush science/chemistry *LOL* and Hobart’s casinos were changed to hotels.
  • Stories from Australia
  • The Magic School Bus Chapter Book: Expedition Down Under

Aussie Geography – Overview

  • About Australia – by Pocantico Hills School
  • Australian Flag printout
  • Australia Interactive Map
  • A to Z Kids’ Stuff
  • Enchanted Learning’s page on Australia
  • National Geographic on Australia
  • Outline Map of Australia
  • Picture Australia
  • Photos of Australia

History

  • European discovery and the colonisation of Australia
  • The Flying Doctor

Aboriginal Culture

  • Aboriginal Art and Aboriginal Culture Centre – with gallery, info on didgeridoos and dreamtime
  • Aboriginal Fine Arts Gallery
  • Aboriginal Rock Art
  • Australian Aboriginal Art Online
  • Australian Aborigines
  • Indigenous Australia

Uluru/Ayers Rock

  • Australia Government’s page on Uluru
  • Crystal Links on Uluru – has more info on Australia on its index page

Aussie Animals

  • ABC TV’s Our Animals
  • Animal Postcards & Stories – cute!
  • Australian Fauna
  • Australian Koala Foundation
  • Billy Bear For Kids – The Koala
  • Chris’ Joey Haven
  • Enchanted Learning’s Page on Australian Animals
  • Fred’s Chook Page – listen to the kookaburra
  • Kangaroo Theme Page
  • Kids’ Planet – Kangaroo Fact Sheet
  • Kids’ Planet – Koala Fact Sheet
  • Koala Movie – see and listen to a koala
  • Laughing Kookabura photos with sounds
  • Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
  • Marsupial Mania!

Art & Crafts and Other Fun Activities

  • Aboriginal Art
  • Aussie Recipes from Mem Fox – an accompaniment to Possum Magic
  • Australia Colouring Page
  • Australia for Kids
  • Australia Jigsaws
  • Australian animals colouring sheet
  • Boomerangs
  • Clip Art
  • Colour the flag
  • Didgeridoos – make your own!
  • Echidna Craft
  • Ettamogah Wildlife Sanctuary’s Kids’ Site
  • K is for Kangaroo
  • Kangaroo Craft
  • Koala Craft
  • Koala Colouring Page
  • Kookaburra in a Tree
  • National Geographic Colouring Book: Kangaroos
  • National Geographic Colouring Book: Koalas
  • Platypus Craft
  • Sydney Opera House – a template from Paper Toys!

Aussie Songs

  • Kookaburra
  • Who’ll come a ‘Waltzing Matilda’ with me? – about Australia’s best known and much loved national song

Aussie Slang

  • Australian Slang
  • Australians speak English but…
  • PBS’ Glossary of Aussie slang

More Great Links!

  • Herberton State School (P-10), Far North Queensland, Australia
  • Jerrie Cheek’s Australia Hotlist Page
  • Lesson Plan/Ideas on Australia
  • Project by Class 3/4D of Eleanora Heights Primary School
  • ProTeacher on Australia
  • SurfNetKids on Australia
  • Time For Kids
  • Zoom School
[Map photo from Pexels]
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by Imaan 1 Comment

“Ummi, may I wrap the pages of my book up so I can read them in water?”

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Yesterday, I had a sobering chat with my friend wh Yesterday, I had a sobering chat with my friend who is a member of a minority group here. (I am keeping things vague for her safety and mine.) She has a relative who is also a friend of mine. 

In both my early encounters with them, I’d always sensed an air of reserve and secrecy. I understood that we had different beliefs, but I could not understand what I perceived as fear. Not being a native here in Pakistan, I’d had my share of bewildering and unfathomable encounters, so I’d left things at that. Maybe I’d understand in time to come, I thought.

They had always been very kind to me and I tried to reciprocate as best I could. For all our (acknowledged) differences in opinion and belief, we found some common ground and focused on doing some good. My friend’s relative donated science kits as well as books for my homeschooling gang and I’ll always be grateful for that. 

I read news yesterday about how my friend and her people do in fact live in danger. She told me how she fears for her husband’s life every single time he leaves home. She jumps every single time her doorbell rings. She worries about sending her daughter to school for fear of bullying or worse… Target killings of her people are a reality.

It made me feel so ashamed because this is tragic and downright disgraceful for any country, but even more so for a Muslim one. 

It’s OK to disagree. It’s OK to debate. It is NOT OK to terrorize and it is NOT OK resort to violence. It is wrong and it is unjust and it is EVIL to do so. When dealing with people of different beliefs, can we not be civilised? Can we not be HUMAN? Can we not behave the way our deen taught us? 

We need to find a way to make things better. It is not right to allow people who know precious little about Islam to desecrate it. 

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#islam #minorityrights #knowyourreligion #pakistan
Journalists say this time it is different. Rushdi Journalists say this time it is different.

Rushdi as-Sarraj, Yasser Murtaja’s friend, told Al-Jazeera, “This task is difficult under normal circumstances, so you can imagine working under a fierce offensive that does not distinguish between a journalist, a civilian or a military leader.” Israel is working hard “to silence the image and voice, and to ban any news or information that exposes its crimes”.

He also says, “My family doesn’t stop calling me, fearing that I could be harmed. It is an endless circle of fear and exhaustion. But we must continue sharing our message.”

Praying for Muna El-Kurd @muna.kurd15 , her brother @mohammedelkurd and all the journalists putting out the truth. 

#palestine #freepalestine #freemunakurd #freemunaelkurd #savesheikhjarrah #savesilwan #savelifta #savemohammedelkurd
«THROWBACK, Summer + Winter 2019» «We returned «THROWBACK, Summer + Winter 2019»

«We returned to the park after the lockdown earlier this year… sadly our tree for all seasons is no more 😢»

FOREIGN LANDS by Robert Louis Stevenson
Up into the cherry tree
Who should climb but little me?
I held the trunk with both my hands
And looked abroad on foreign lands.
I saw the next door garden lie,
Adorned with flowers, before my eye,
And many pleasant places more
That I had never seen before.
If I could find a higher tree
Farther and farther I should see,
To where the grown-up river slips
Into the sea among the ships.
To where the roads on either hand
Lead onward into fairy land,
Where all the children dine at five,
And all the playthings come alive.
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#throwback #pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #naturejournal #science #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers
A couple of you asked me to make a post of my stor A couple of you asked me to make a post of my story in response to LV’s despicable use of the keffiyeh design. Pictures in this post are from hirbawi.ps and @palestine.pixel … 

EDIT: yes, my second slide should have been edited and it is bugging me. I repeated 1930s… sorry! If you want a more polished version, DM me. You get my meaning anyway, right? 
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#palestine #freepalestine #keffiyeh #gaza #jerusalem #savesheikhjarrah
«YET ANOTHER THROWBACK, Jan. 2020» I was feelin «YET ANOTHER THROWBACK, Jan. 2020»

I was feeling a little out of sorts (again) – I’d left the house a mess (again) and the boy and I were in a rush to get to the Art Co-op. Habiba @ourlivinghomeschool was doing a session on Wassily Kandinsky that day. 

We were delayed by a massive traffic jam and our stress levels rocketed when an obnoxious motorist kept sounding his horn repeatedly as if to shoo other cars out of the way. What was everyone else to do but wait for the jam to ease? 

We made it just in time though…barely! As we ran towards the gathering, it was as if a huge weight was lifted away. This gorgeous view greeted the boy and me, alhamdulillah. When we got down to studying Kandinsky, we felt more than fine.

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#pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #desidiaries #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers #artcoop #artoutdoors
«THROWBACK, Mar. 2019» Once upon a time before «THROWBACK, Mar. 2019» 
Once upon a time before Covid.

The calm before…

We had our Monday meet up again at Fatima Jinnah Park. The air was cool and crisp and the skies sunny when the nature gang got together. Then, it was on to a jolly game of Simon Says – Katelynn’s @_k8erpotater clever way of teaching the kids about body parts and how they move.

The kids did their usual tree climbing and exploring. Then, the dark clouds started rolling in. We took a while to decide whether or not to leave – the park literally looked dark and ominous on one side and cheery and bright on the other. We only started rushing for home when lightning split the sky. The kids were not to be hurried, however. They felt little pellets hitting them and stopped to investigate… hailstones!

Our ramble was cut short and I got cold and wet, but I think it was a gorgeous day. We got to learn about nature in a very real way.
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#pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #naturejournal #science #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers
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