G'day! We are official Australian encyclopedias at this point in our year. I feel like we all need to wear those silly industrial-sized buttons that say something like, "Ask me anything about Australia, mate!" We charted. We mapped. We learned really weird slang (Bonzer means awesome; bonnet means hood of a car). We learned all about the deadly and amazing creatures that our favorite sunburned country plays host to. (Cockatoos are my favorite - they're not deadly, only cute. Also mildly annoying when they strip off windshield wiper rubber with their beaks!)
To celebrate Australia's national holiday, we did not throw any shrimp on any barbies. We didn't hop a Quantas Boeing and zoom 19 hours straight into the southern hemisphere. We didn't even use any funny accents (much). But we did manage to find a legitimate Australian. We sampled many strange delicacies like ginger beer, Anzac biscuits, black licorice, and (wait for it...)
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| Vegemite is a yeast by-product, and tastes as 'delicious' as it sounds! |
Vegemite!
We learned the vegemite smells better than it tastes. And it doesn't smell all that appetizing. Some brave souls asked for seconds. But most of us were content to state that we tried a small nibble.
Matt visits our classroom each year on this special holiday. It is always interesting to note the specialized interests of the kids. This year they were fascinated with convict ships and Sydney funnel web spiders. A strange pairing, perhaps, but I can understand the interest. They were shocked to learn that overcrowding in English prisons forced convicted felons to travel on a miserable 8 month voyage to a new land. They'd never see England again. Some could not handle this fate.
And, the ever intriguing Sydney funnel web was delightfully scary to look at, especially with its fangs ready to strike:
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| Crazy fangs! |
It was another successful celebration and I'm proud of the kids for trying new things and asking interesting questions. Recipes to follow!
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| Fred is Trevor's bearded dragon. Native to Australia, Fred did not want to miss a presentation about his Aussie brethren. |
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| Trevor feeds Fred a "super worm" - Fred enjoys crickets, carrots, and blueberries as well! |
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| Matt cannot resist a chance to visit Fred. |
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| Matt attempts to have us appreciate the vast distance between here and Oz (slang for Australia) |
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| James nervously samples vegemite and clutches ginger beer. |
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| Mr. Powers keeps his game face on as he tries vegemite! |
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