Benny Bungarra’s Big Bush Clean up by Sally Morgan and Ambelin Kwaymullina

Posted on 11 Jul 2018 by educateempower.blog

Have you ever been out on a bushwalk, seen some rubbish but thought – it’s not mine, I’ll just leave it? Or have you ever left something behind because you didn’t want to carry it home?

Perhaps reading Benny Bungarra’s Big Bush Clean up by Sally Morgan and Ambelin Kwaymullina will help you to consider the ramifications of those small bits of rubbish we leave behind and the effect they have on Australian bush animals.

Benny Bungarra’s Big Bush Clean up is a great story about a very friendly lizard called Benny Bungara. We meet him on a beautiful day, warming himself up under the sun – but when he hears a strange sound he just has to find out what it is.

Thinking it might be a new bush creature he scrambles up a tree to see but once there he discovers it’s a friendly Olive Python with his head stuck in a bottle. Benny helps remove the bottle only to find other creatures who have been effected by rubbish humans have left behind – broken glass and fishing line.

The friends know they need to ask the humans for help but while they are waiting for the help they decide to start cleaning up the place themselves by reusing some items, recycling others and putting some in the bin.

A simple message comes across in this book and young readers will understand what they need to do.

Humans have a huge impact on the planet and we all need to be much more mindful of what we leave behind each and every day.

Benny Bungarra’s Big Bush Clean up by Sally Morgan and Ambelin Kwaymullina teaches children in a fun way about how to never leave rubbish behind and always think about the best place to put it once we have finished with it.

So what else can you do with this book?

– Check out my (in very draft form) resource to help minimise the amount of waste you have in your house: https://www.dropbox.com/s/xnstqsthasuz2tu/How%20much%20plastic%20is%20in%20our%20pantry.docx?dl=0

– Look at your bin at the end of the week and work out what could have been reused, refused, repurposed, composted or recycled!

– Pack a waste free lunch box for a week and come up with different ideas that help you to leave less rubbish behind.

– Explore images of animals around the world who have been effected by the rubbish humans have left behind.

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The Amazing A to Z thing by Sally Morgan and Bronwyn Bancroft

Posted on 12 Oct 2017 by educateempower.blog

“I have something to make you jolly, Numbat.” said Anteater.

But animal after animal throughout the alphabet is just too busy to find out what Anteater has until they feel like they are missing out on something wonderful!

The Amazing A to Z thing by Sally Morgan and Bronwyn Bancroft is an intriguing illustrated book that not only is a stunning alphabet book, it also has a message for us all that I think all readers will see differently.

As readers peruse through the pages and admire the illustrations they can also explore Bronwyn Bancroft’s use of indigenous art techniques which complement each if the Australian animals who stumble across Anteater on his little journey.

Sally Morgan’s words are descriptive and this adds to the depth of using this book in the classroom or at home as parents and teachers can explore the different adjectives used to describe how the anteater thinks the animals might feel about his amazing thing.

The Amazing A to Z thing by Sally Morgan and Bronwyn Bancroft is a beautiful book that can be admired and read again and again and drawn upon for many different lessons.

So what can you do from here?

List all of the adjectives that are used throughout the story and discover if any are synonyms.
What were each of the animals too busy doing? Explore the different verbs from each of the animals.
How much do you know about each of these Australian animals? Explore some of the animals you don’t know a lot about.
How many times does the anteater appear throughout the book? Explore counting through the pictures of the animals on each page.
Are any of these animals endangered?
Are any of these animals endemic to one particular area of Australia?
What do you think this amazing thing really is and why might everyone think it is different?

My country by Ezekiel Kwaymullina and Sally Morgan

Posted on 31 Jul 2017 by educateempower.blog

In my country I play with the morning star

Author Ezekiel Kwaymullina, from the Palyku people in Western Australia’s Pilbara, says, ‘The book was inspired by my Nana and Gran, who passed on their love of country to me.’

This must read for all ages is a celebration of Australia. Throughout the book we see the land as a diverse and bountiful playground that we can all enjoy and one which belongs to all of us.

As we listen to the text hear the young girl playing with the natural world – sliding down rainbows, chasing the sun and swimming in the moonlight. Sally Morgan’s illustrations bring the text to life through her vibrant, indigenous artwork.

This story is a wonderful bedtime read as it flows from morning to night time, reminding us of the constant connection we should have with our land. It also teaches young children about the importance of country to Indigenous Australians and the deep connection they have.

So what can you do with this book?

Celebrate Indigenous people of Australia. Who are they? Where do they live? How do they live? What has happened in the past and how can we ensure this never happens again?

How do you view the land? Can you improve on how you see the natural world?

Look at Sally Morgan’s illustrations – draw your own picture of you playing with nature using her techniques of bold colours and lines.

Hello to you, moon by Sally Morgan, Sonny Day and Biddy Maroney

Posted on 8 Mar 2017 by educateempower.blog

Are there places in the world where the moon is not visible?

Some people might say nocturnal animals can be a hindrance – how?

The light fades, the moon rises and the animals come out and here we have Hello to you, moon by Sally Morgan, Sonny Day and Biddy Maroney.

With soft undertones,this counting book explores the night time antics of ten different nocturnal animals as they jump, fly, race and sing under the full moon light.

The pencil illustrations show the glow of different landscapes as the sun sets and moon rises which lead to many questions about why the sky turns different colours.

Hello to you, moon allows readers to explore the whereabouts of different animals around the world as they come out to play through rhyme, repetition, verbs of movement and counting.

So what can you do at home?

SUSTAINABILITY

Where are each of these animals from?
What sort of habitat do they need to survive and thrive?
Could all of these animals live naturally in the same place? Explore this idea.
How does the moon play a vital role for nocturnal animals?
Do you think humans have an effect on the moon and therefore the lives of these nocturnal animals?
At times the moon cannot be seen due to pollution – how does this effect Nocturnal animals?

LITERACY

Before you read each page – guess what each animal is and what it is doing. Allow your child to make up the sentences once they have a grasp of the patterns of each page.
Look at the different verbs being used for each animal. Can you think of some more verbs to replace or enhance? Understanding the different types of verbs that can be used is vital to developing not only your child’s writing skills but their vocabulary.

NUMERACY

Count the animals before you read the words. Being able to point and count is a great indication that your child has one to one correspondence with numbers and objects.

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