Awesome Aussie Tunes - Australia Part 3

Introduction to Australian Music

My kids reaction to Down Under by Men at Work. They were jumping on the bed and having so much fun that the camera could not focus on them properly!

I have been taking my time with this post, as I've had a hard time trying to come up with a great way to present Australian music in concise manner. I tend to dig way down deep with my own studies and narrowing down on just a few favorite songs and artists is pretty much impossible. But then I had a Terhific idea. I'm going to let my kids do the introduction and choose the songs. With the help of my friends on Facebook, I made a list of suggested artists and songs. The kids and I studied them and now the following are my kids favorites. My kids are 4 and 6, thus, I encourage you to go ahead and find your own favorites as well! Here are just a few good resources to make your studies easier:

• Australian Embassy's Tell Me About Australia booklet, pages 32 - 33, has a great introduction to Australian Music.
• Listening and watching the Opening of Sydney 2000 Olympics ceremony is great way to get an introduction to the most iconic Australian songs and artists. All parts of the opening ceremony are available on this Youtube Channel.
• Here is a good list of Australian Children's Music. 
• Here is a list of Top 10 Classic Aussie Songs.
• If you have access to Spotify, you can search for Australian music.

1. Wiyathul  by Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu is a new family favorite! (Thank you Kaisu for letting us know about this wonderful musician!) He is an Aboriginal artist whose voice is very gentle and his songs are as beautiful as can be. All of his songs give me the goose pumps. His musical style reminds me of  Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole and Habib Koité. Gurrumul's music can make grown men cry. Go and grab some tissues before you listen to Wiyathul. 

2. Creatures Of The Rain And Sun by Justine Clarke
Justine Clarke is another new family favorite. (Thank you Karen for telling us about her!) The kids really love dancing and being silly along with songs like Dancing Face, Sticky Monster and Do the Hulabaloo. Creatures Of The Rain And Sun is a perfect example of the calmer songs which I find delightful. Justine Clarke reminds me of The Laurie Berkner Band.

3. Favorite Songs by The Wiggles
The Wiggles are the most well known Australian children's band. It is worth while checking out The Wiggles website as you can watch videos, play games and do children's activities there. My kids have gotten to know the Wiggles though DVDs, CDs and work books. Along with our Australian friend, Jackie, my kids have even seen the Wiggles perform live here in San Diego just before most of the original Wiggles crew retired. Every time my daughter sees the Wiggles new ensemble she comments that she preferred the original Wiggles. Who would have guessed that setting in our ways starts already at the tender age of 6! In any case, the Wiggles are entertaining for the little ones. My kids adore the following songs: Fruit Salad, Big Red Car, Wake Up Jeff, Rock A Bye a Bear and Move Like an Emu Moves.

4. True Blue Wonders - Australian Children's Song

This song includes animal sounds made with the diggeridoo. My kids find the sounds fascinating. It is a wonderful song that celebrates the beauty of Australia. After hearing this, my kids wanted to learn more about the diggeridoo. We searched and found both traditional and non-traditional didgeridoo music, both equally fascinating.  

5. Kookaburra Sits in an Old Gum Tree by The Mudcakes
The Mudcakes are an Australian based duo that produces adult friendly Kindie Rock. We picked them to play this song, as many of the other versions on YouTube were just a little less interesting. Both of my kids have learned the Kookaburra song at school. We often sing this song, especially when we get ready to celebrate Australia Day. 

6. Give Me A Home Among The Gum Trees by John Williamson

John Williamson is an Australian icon. He has had a long career and continues to produce new songs. He has had many offers to expand his career to the rest of the world, but he has chosen to stay where his heart is - Australia. His songs and music can be enjoyed by everyone. Give Me A Home Among The Gum Trees is one of the most recorded Australian songs of all time. 

7. Waltzing Amanda by Slim Dusty
Waltzing Amanda was my first introduction to Australian music in elementary school in Finland. It is the most famous Australian songs and often it is mistakenly thought to be the Australian Anthem. Slim Dusty is Australia's King of Country music.

8. Down Under by Men at Work

Last but not least another Australian classic, Down Under by Men at Work. My kids go crazy over this song, as you can see in the picture on the top of this post :-D 

We have had so much fun studying Australian music. Our list could go on and on. During many nights I could not stop myself from listening even after I put the kids to bed. I've gained a few new favorite Australian music groups such as Cat Empire, Charmaine, Missy Higgins and of course Crowded House. Thank you everyone who contributed towards my list of Australian music on Terhific Ideas Facebook pages! Australian music is awesome! 

Go Troppo over Australian Online Resources - Australia Part 2

Australian Overview, People and Animals

Overview

I like to start our online research by finding overview video clips. The Australian Tourism Board seemed to have the nicest ones. These two are my favorite ones.

I found a gem of a paper on the Australian Embassy's Website. Take a look at Tell Me About Australia Fact Sheet. It has educational information for children (K-8) on geography, unique wildlife, environment, history, aboriginal culture & natural wonders, government, education and sports. It even includes lyrics to most iconic songs and recipes for traditional Australian treats. The booklet is so informative that you could stop your search right here if you wish! But I still need to mention that the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C is also a great resource for Australian Maps. You can print all kinds of maps from there! 

Here are also some pretty good websites for quick facts: 

• Fast Facts on Australia by Kids National Geographic
• Interesting Australia Facts for Kids by Kids World Travel Guide
• Australia by TIME For Kids
• Australia Attractions: Top 10 Destinations by Kids World Travel Guide
• Australia Guide by National Geographic. Absolutely stunning photos here.

Who Are the Australians

There are about 22.6 million Australians. Australians, just like the Americans come from all over the world. Australia welcomes lots of immigrants each year. The Australian National Anthem, I am, You are, We are Australian and I Still Call Australia Home, Wiyathul and My Island Home songs bring it home for me. What a beautiful concept - We are one, but we are many. We share a dream. I am, You are, We are Australian. I can't get through these songs without crying, so go ahead and get some tissues before you start watching.

I have always had a soft spot for native people. I grew up in Lapland along with Finland's (and other Nordic Countries) indigenous Sami people. I've always loved Sami music, arts and crafts. Here in the States we have Native Americans and in Australia there are Aboriginals. All of the first natives of the nations seem to have very strong ties to nature and they all have had to endure horrific injustices and hardships in the face of newcomers to the area.  It brings me joy to have recently found out that both Aboriginal art and music are thriving and that attitudes towards Aboriginals are becoming softer and more accepting. Let's do our part on making sure that our kids learn to be kinder and more accepting than our own generations. Through education and friendship the wounds from the past can heal. You can find out more about Aboriginals from Aboriginal Australia Art & Culture Centre. 

I always try and get my kids to imagine that they come from the country that we are studying. I ask them what their names could be, how they look like and what they would do on a normal day. This time it helped to see a day in the life of a 12 year old in Australia on the web first. It also helps to know some Aussie Slang Words. It's neat if the kids know some famous Australians. This Global Kids Show on Australia was really great for the kids:

Australian Animals

My daughter is an animal lover. She loves to do animal research. Animals seem to engage children easily. Luckily Australia is a treasure chest of unique animals that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Thus studying them is a lot of fun! I can't think of any better way to introduce my kids to Australian animals other than via Steve Irwin, the beloved late Australian Animal Enthusiast. May he rest in peace. Steve Irwin's Great Escape to Australia is a great way to get started. Here is the first part:

Steve Irwin's legacy lives in the Australia Zoo. His wife and children continue to care for animals in the zoo which is located 1 hour north of Brisbane. The zoo's website has great information on on Australian Animals, such as Koalas, Kangaroos, Wombats, Tasmanian Devils, Dingoes, Kookaburras and Echidnas. In this video clip Steve Irwin's son, Robert, gives an overview of the Australia Zoo.

The web is full of great sites for animal research. Here are two easy and simple ones for kids: A - Z Animals Online Animal Encyclopedia and Australian Fauna by Kids.Net.Au.

Hope these links and ideas help you on your journey to discover more about Australia! I would love to hear if you found something really useful here! Next parts of the Australia Studies will deal with Australian Music and Arts. 

G'Day Mate! Let's Study Land Down Under - Australia Part 1

Aussie Map, Scavenger Hunt and Library Books

My first connection to Australia came in the form of geography and social studies lessons in elementary school in Finland. Somehow I still vividly remember seeing a picture of a little boy wearing big yellow headphones in my geography book. The boy was attending school via a two-way radio. He lived so far out in the bush that he could not travel to town every day. School of the air left an impression on my young mind! I also remember seeing pictures of jumping kangaroos and cuddly koalas as well as aboriginals playing didgeridoos in my school books.

I was hooked into knowing more about Australia as a young child, but my oldest friend (we've know each other since we both were 4-years-old) was hooked even more. She decided early on that she would spend a year in Australia as an exchange student and she lunged into learning more about the country. We used to go to the library together and my friend brought home piles and piles of books about Australia. One time she also wrote a wonderful essay in which she pretended to be Jørn Utzon, the Danish architect who designed Sydney's famous Opera House. I can still vividly remember our teacher reading my friends essay in which she described the heartbreaking ups and downs of the building of the magnificent structure. My friend did indeed go and spend a year in Adelaide, Australia, during our high school years. She had an interesting and exciting year in an all girls high school with uniforms and all! We had never heard of school uniforms and all girls schools before that! Now that must have been a great experience!

Since my childhood, I have had the honor to get to know and to befriend a lot of Australians. A couple of my closest friends are Australians and I am continuously blessed with invitations to Australian events and celebrations. The best part is when my friends pull out Marmite or Vegimite and try and surprise me with it's taste. (I actually quite enjoy it.) To my own surprise, I still have never made it to Australia and neither has husband nor my children. But that has not stopped me from exposing my children to Australia and it's culture. Our studies at home always start by finding the country on the map.

We have studied Australia many times before, so I asked my kids what things they remember about Australia. My daughter said without hesitation: koala bears, kangaroos, the big red rock (meaning Uluru), and the big building with sails (meaning Sydney Opera House). My son pointed out at the picture of the Aboriginal men with spears and commented that he wants one too. (Boys shall be boys!) From there our conversation moved onto our Australian friends. We are blessed with many! Some live in Australia, some live right here in Southern California and some have spent lots of time in the Island Nation. My daughter used to giggle in delight when her Australian friends spoke to her in their Australian accents. She was only four at the time, but she found it intriguing to try and figure out what her friends were trying to tell her.

I used to travel a lot for both work and fun. Australia and New Zealand were supposed to be my next big travel destinations, but then the children arrived... I had even bought some books to prepare for the trip and now I am grateful for them even if I still have not made the long trip to Down Under. During our scavenger hunt around the house we found mostly Australian items that have been given to us as gifts. Thank you Aussie friends! Especially Karen! We put on the Wiggles CD, went on an imaginary journey around Australia in the Wiggles' Big Red Car and looked at pictures from all the books. The next day, my son wore his Australian cap to school.

We were not extremely lucky at the library this time around, but we did find a few good books about Australia. It is always better to order the books online in advance. My daughter is an animal lover. She especially enjoyed learning about koala bears through Koala by Michael Leach. Postcards from Australia by Helen Arnold was perfect for my children. Reading the book makes you feel like you've just received post cards from a friend who is visiting Australia. Living in the Australian Outback by Jane Bingham gave us insights into the lives of the Australian Aboriginal peoples in the outback.

We love many Australian children's stories as well, but I will blog separately about them soon. Next I will share my favorite online resources on Australia. What Australian things do you have at your house? A boomerang, UGG boots or... wine anyone? After all, it's Friday. Cheers!