RIC-6277 I can dance the Barramundi

RIC-6277 4.3/88 

©R.I.C. Publications 

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Foreword 

I can dance the barramundi 

is an imaginative aid for teachers of young children to help 

develop learning outcomes associated with the creative arts, using action rhymes. 

Young children will enjoy participating in the suggested rhythmic 

actions and can also be encouraged to improvise their own 

movements for the rhymes. 

Teachers notes ........................................ii 

Bush dance ..........................................2–3 

Echidna ................................................4–5 

Emu feather .........................................6–7 

Pet cat ..................................................8–9 

Getting up ........................................10–11 

Dugite ...............................................12–13 

Gum tree ..........................................14–15 

Bush damper ...................................16–17 

Wombat ...........................................18–19 

Crossing a creek ..............................20–21 

Trolley ..............................................22–23 

Where am I? .....................................24–25 

Old house ........................................26–27 

Jackaroo ..........................................28–29 

Cane toad .........................................30–31 

Magpie .............................................32–33 

Koala ................................................34–35 

Spring things ...................................36–37 

Ducksailing ......................................38–39 

Contents 

Veranda ............................................40–41 

Southern Cross ................................42–43 

Joey .................................................44–45 

Hills ® Hoist .......................................46–47 

Walking bus .....................................48–49 

Kakadu .............................................50–51 

Bunyip ..............................................52–53 

Sandcastle .......................................54–55 

Matilda waltzing ...............................56–57 

Karri ..................................................58–59 



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Platypus ...........................................60–61 

A bird’s-eye view .............................62–63 

Windmill ...........................................64–65 

Dingo ................................................66–67 

Tin roof ............................................ 68–69 

Crocodile ..........................................70–71 

Daintree ............................................72–73 

Rottnest ............................................74–75 

Bush tales ........................................76–77 

Possum ............................................78–79 

Phillip Island seal .............................80–81 

R.I.C. Publications ® www.ricgroup.com.au 

ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1 

iii 

I can dance the barramundi



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ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1 

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R.I.C. Publications ® www.ricgroup.com.au

Teachers notes 

Action rhymes serve many functions in early childhood education. They develop speaking 

and listening skills, particularly awareness of rhyme and rhythm, and early drama skills, such 

as role-play. They develop motor skills and serve as lesson breaks. They can be used to gain 

attention. They develop the students’ awareness of their bodies and link them to the world 

around them. 

Action rhymes lead the student along the path to literacy and better self-awareness. 

Information and activities are included with each rhyme to extend the students’ enjoyment 

and experience, as well as developing their knowledge of Australian creatures and places. 

The rhymes and associated information and activities may also be adapted as source 

material for such activities as classroom discussion and school assembly items. 

Teachers page 

Preparation 

gives any information needed before 

introducing each rhyme to the class. 

Presentation 

provides 

complete 

lesson plan 

information 

for presenting 

each rhyme. 

The action 

rhyme is given. 

Student page 

Illustrations help to 

explain the actions. 



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Additional 

activities/ 

information 

offer suggestions 

for extending the 

lesson beyond the 

actual teaching of 

the rhyme. 

A description 

of the actions 

relating to 

each line of 

the rhyme is 

provided. 

A full-page illustration is given on some student 

pages for students to colour or as a means to 

initiate discussion. 


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I can dance the barramundi

BUSH DANCE 

Preparation 

• Copy the words on the invitation onto a 

poster as a stimulus for or introduction to 

the lesson. 

Presentation 

• Share the poster with the class and discuss 

the term ‘bush dance’. 

• Say the rhyme with the actions for the class. 

• Ask the class to relate experiences 

involving the animals mentioned in the 

rhyme. Stimulus questions may include the 

following: 

– Have you ever eaten barramundi? 

Where? When? How did it taste? 

– Has a possum ever come to live in your 

roof? What happened? 

Additional activities/information 

• Change the words of the rhyme using the 

names of other Australian animals. Add 

suitable actions. For example: 

I can dance 

The willy wagtail 


The quokka hop. 


The brumby gallop 

I can bush dance 

’Til I drop! 

Bush dance 

for all bush families 

Saturday 3 September 

4 pm – 7 pm 

at Gum Tree School, Wattle Road 

Ringo Possum’s Band & bush tucker supper 

ALL WELCOME! 

– How does a kookaburra sound? Do you 

think it is as jolly as it sounds? Why/Why 

not? 

– Do you know the names of any other 

Australian animals—especially those 

with unusual names? 

(Examples may include numbat, bilby, 

dugong, bandicoot, mopoke, babbler, 

dollar bird and barking owl.) 

• Say the rhyme again, with the actions, for 

the class. 

• The class claps the beat while saying the 

rhyme. 

• The class says the rhyme with the actions. 



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Lines 1 & 2 Waggle tail. 

3 & 4 Rest chin on paws and hop. 

5 & 6 Gallop hands on thighs. 

7 Clap twice. 

8 Clap once. Drop. 

• In 1696, when Dutch explorer Willem de 

Vlamingh saw quokkas on an island off the 

mouth of the Swan River, Western Australia, 

he described a quokka as a ‘kind of rat as 

big as a common cat’. He named the island 

‘Rottenest’ (Rat nest). The island is now 

known as Rottnest. 

• ‘Brumby’ is an Australian name for a wild 

bush horse. 

I can dance the barramundi 2 


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Bush dance 


The barramundi 


The possum hop. 


The kookaburra 



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I can bush dance 

’Til I drop! 

Lines 1 & 2. Palms together. Swim hands. 

3 & 4. Rest chin on paws and hop. 

5 & 6. Flap elbows. 

7. Clap twice. 

8. Clap once. Drop. 

R.I.C. Publications ® www.ricgroup.com.au 3 


ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

ECHIDNA 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of echidnas. 

• Share and discuss the echidna pictures with 



• Discuss facts about echidnas (see ‘Additional 

activities/information’). 

• The echidna is an egg-laying mammal. 

Sharp spines cover its back and sides. Its 

front legs are very strong and it has claws 

shaped like garden spades which can dig 

under large heavy rocks to loosen them 

so the echidna’s long tongue can search 

for food. The echidna forages for up to 18 

hours a day, probing the ground with its 

snout and using its sense of smell to find its 

food—ants, termites, worms, beetles and 

earthworms—which it gathers and crushes 

with its long, sticky, roughly-textured 

tongue. The echidna has a purposeful gait 

and is a good swimmer. It sleeps under 

bushes or in hollow logs, rock crevices, 

rabbit or wombat burrows. When disturbed, 

the echidna curls into a ball, making it almost 

completely covered with spines; however, 

its belly remains vulnerable to attack from 

wild dogs. Echidnas, however, are survivors. 

They are generally solitary and have been 

known to live to 45 or 50 years of age. 

• Great-granny echidna will soon be 50 years 

old! Write and decorate an invitation asking 

family and friends to her birthday party and 

then decide on a menu for the party. For 

example: 

Who: 

What: 

Presentation 


The family of Great-granny 

echidna are pleased to invite you 

to Great-granny echidna’s 50th 

birthday party 

• Say the rhyme with the actions again for the 

class. 


rhyme. 


Where: 

When: 

Menu 

under the coolibah trees by the 

Matilda Billabong 

on Saturday 4 March at 7 am 

barbecued worm sausages with termite 

sauce 

fresh beetle bread rolls 

earthworm salad 

homemade ant-flavoured ice-cream birthday 

cake 

Discuss what might have happened at the 

party. For example, ‘Great-granny loved 

her birthday presents, especially a little 

silver coin with a picture of an echidna on it, 

wrapped in a fresh green gumleaf. The little 

echidnas played “Pass the parcel” and the 

older echidnas played “Marco Polo” in the 

billabong’. 



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• Discuss how to play ‘Marco Polo’. 

• Discuss Australian money. View five-cent 

coins and discuss the design of the echidna. 

• The design of the echidna (also known as 

the spiny anteater) on the Australian fivecent 

coin was created by Stuart Devlin. 



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Echidna 

Rustle Rustle 

Hustle Hustle 

Through the bush 

Echidna bustles. 



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Lines 1, 2, 3 & 4. Bustle busily through the bush. 



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EMU FEATHER 

Presentation 


• Discuss how the emu feather in the rhyme 

is friendly. Use this fact to introduce a 

discussion on friendship. Stimulus questions 

may include the following: 

– What makes someone friendly? 

– What do you like to do with your friends? 

(sleep overs, birthday parties, picnics, 

building a cubby etc.) 


• Write an acrostic poem about your closest 

friend. For example: 

Finds lost things 

Reads a lot 

Is often late 

Earns pocket money 

Never tells tales 

Doesn’t like pumpkin 

• Discuss best friends from books or movies 

and the things they like to do together; e.g. 

Winnie the Pooh and Piglet; Marlin and Dory 

(Finding Nemo); Shrek and Donkey (Shrek), 

Ariel and Flounder, Sebastian and Scuttle 

(The little mermaid) 

• Discuss other well-known friends from 

stories, movies or television. How do you 

know they were best friends? 

– What are the qualities of a good friend? 

– Would you want YOU to be your friend? 

Why/Why not? 


class. 


rhyme. 


• If the students are familiar with the story of 

Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, share this rhyme 

with them: 

Snugglepot and Cuddlepie 

Lived in the bush together 

And Snug said to Cuddle 

And Cuddle to Snug 

‘I know we’ll be friends forever’. 



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Emu feather 

As I was fl oating 

In the sky 



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An emu feather 

Floated by. 

And he was such 

A friendly feather 

We two fl oated 

On together. 

Lines 

1, 2, 3 & 4. Float alone. 

5 & 6. Smile. 

7 & 8. Float together. 



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PET CAT 

Preparation 

• If the stories listed in the additional activities are shared with the class, pictures of each type of 

animal could be collected to show the students. 

Presentation 


• The class claps the beat while saying the rhyme. 



• Share the following stories with the students 

to stimulate discussion about pets. 

The pet cat in the rhyme is a very independent cat. 

She likes to do things for herself. Her owner knew 

she didn’t like having to meow for the door to be 

opened each time she wanted to stroll in and out, 

so he made her a special cat door. He cut out a 

square hole in the bottom of an outside door and 

put a fl ap on it so she could push it open. This 

makes pet cat very happy. She loves her special 

door. 

What special things do you do/could people 

do to make pets happy? 

Justa was a bush brumby. One day, she came 

in from the bush to a paddock to eat the green 

grass. Then she found she could not get out of the 

paddock and wandered around and around. Jack, 

the farmer’s 12-year-old son, saw the little black 

mare, caught her and took her up to the house 

paddock. He broke her in to a bridle and saddle and 

rode her happily along the bush tracks near his 

home. Because she was small and not very strong, 

he called her ‘Justa’ as a friendly joke, meaning she 

was just a horse. 

Jack called his special pet ‘Justa’. What 

special pet would you like? What special 

name would you give it? 

Rat the rat belongs to Christopher. Rat lives in his 

cage in Christopher’s bedroom. When Christopher 

comes home from school, he and Rat play in the 

garden. Rat keeps away from Horse the cat and 

Bella the border collie puppy and spends a lot of 

his time curled up on Christopher’s shoulder. Rat’s 

face is all black, except for a white stripe from the 

top of his head down his nose to his chin. He has 

a black body and a long, pale, hairless tail. He eats 

rat pellets. 

Which unusual pet would you like to have? 

Why? 

Minnie is a Jack Russell dog. When Minnie was a 

puppy, she had a very sad life. Her owner wanted 

a big, well-behaved, quiet dog. Minnie was small, 

naughty and noisy. When her owner gave her to 

Carolyn, everyone was happy. Carolyn had always 

wanted a Jack Russell dog. Minnie gets hysterical 

in a thunderstorm, bossy when her blankets are 

not tucked properly into her basket, cheeky when 

she meets a bigger dog in the park, ecstatic when 

she catches a cockroach and crazy when she 

chases a soccer ball! 



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Minnie lived happily ever after. Make up a 

story about another pet that lives happily 

ever after. 



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Pet cat 

My lady cat strolls 

In and out 

In and out 

And round about. 

My lady cat strolls 

In and out 

And winks her eye 

At me. 



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Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Stroll in time with the rhyme. 

7 & 8. Wink. 



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GETTING UP 

Presentation 





• Share the following story with the students 

to stimulate discussion about the rhyme. 

A WOKE-UP-OUT-OF-BED-QUEASY-TUM-DIZZY- 

HEAD-DAY 

Charlie felt dizzy and queasy. His mother tucked 

him up in bed just as his grandad arrived to look 

after him. 

‘G’day, Charlie’, said Grandad. 

‘Hello, Grandad’, said Charlie. 

‘Why did the chicken cross the road, Charlie?’ asked 

Grandad. 

‘To get to the other side’, said Charlie, grinning at 

Grandad. 

• Charlie and Grandad love jokes and riddles. 

Students collect jokes and riddles from the 

children’s pages in local newspapers, tell 

them to their friends and pin to the jokes 

corner of the class noticeboard. 

‘Feeling peckish, Charlie?’ asked Grandad. Charlie 

knew ‘peckish’ was one of Grandad’s old-fashioned 

words. It meant ‘hungry’. 

‘No thanks, Grandad,’ he said, ‘but I’m a bit thirsty’. 

‘Righto’, said Grandad. He fetched a glass of water 

and a large tray from the kitchen. 

‘Here’s your sky juice, Charlie’, said Grandad. He 

took a pack of cards from his pocket and placed 

the tray exactly between Charlie and himself. 

‘Let’s play ‘Snap’, said Charlie. 

• Do you know how to play ‘Snap’? This is 

how Charlie and Grandad play. Charlie 

shuffles the cards and deals one to Grandad 

and one to himself until all the cards are 

dealt. Charlie turns one card from his cards 

face up in the middle of the tray. Then 

Grandad has his turn. He places one card 

face up on top of Charlie’s card. They play 

like this until there is a matching pair. Then 

the first player to call ‘SNAP!’ takes all the 

cards on the tray. The player who finishes 

with the most cards is the winner. 

• What is your favourite game? Explain to a 

partner how you play it. 

• Play the game ‘In Grandad’s Toolshed’. 

‘In Grandad’s Toolshed there’s a hammer’, 

says Grandad. 

‘In Grandad’s Toolshed there’s a hammer 

and a ladder’, says Charlie, adding a 

SECOND object. 

‘In Grandad’s Toolshed there’s a hammer, 

a ladder and a tin of paint’, says Grandad, 

adding a THIRD object. 

‘In Grandad’s Toolshed there’s a hammer, a 

ladder, a tin of paint and a saw’, says Charlie, 

adding a FOURTH object. When Grandad or 

Charlie reach the fourth object, they start the 

game again. 



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‘Fancy some lunch, Charlie?’ asked Grandad. ‘How 

about soldiers?’ 

‘Yes please, Grandad. I do feel a bit peckish now.’ 

‘You have a bit of shut-eye while I get your tucker 

ready.’ 

In two ticks, Grandad returned with Charlie’s boiled 

egg, a plate of toasted soldiers and a glass of sky 

juice on a tray. 

‘Tuck in, Charlie!’ said Grandad. 

• What happens when you have a woke-upout-of-bed-queasy-tum-dizzy-head-day? 



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Getting up 

Woke up 

Out of bed 

Queasy tum 

Dizzy head 

‘No school’ 

Mum said 



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Good Good 

Back to bed. 

Lines 1. Stretch. 

2. Jump. 

3. Rub tummy. 

4. Close eyes. Hold head. 

5 & 6. Shake head. 

7. Clap hands twice. 

8. Jump. Pull up covers. 

Snuggle. 



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DUGITE 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of dugites. 

• If possible, an old snake skin could be brought in to show the students during the discussion. 

Presentation 

• Share and discuss the dugite pictures with 

the students. 

• Say the rhyme with the actions for the 

students. 

• Discuss facts about snakes. Stimulus 

questions may include the following: 

– Why does a snake shed its skin? (A 

snake’s skin does not grow with its body 

so as the snake grows bigger, it has to 

keep shedding its skin. Also, when a 

snake has grown up and glides on its 

belly, the skin underneath begins to wear 

out, so it regularly sheds its skin and 

grows a new one.) 

– How does a snake shed its skin? (The 

snake rubs its nose on a rock or branch 

and sheds its skin head first, like peeling 

a banana.) 


• A dugite has a small head and a slender 

body and grows up to 1.85 metres. On top, 

it is greenish-brown speckled with black 

scales. Underneath, it is a creamish-grey 

colour. Dugites are found in south-western 

Australia in sandy places where house mice 

are plentiful. House mice are the dugite’s 

favourite tucker. Dugites also eat birds, 

reptiles, small mammals and amphibians. 

In spring, the female lays up to 20 eggs in a 

hole in the ground. The young hatch in late 

summer and are left by their mother to fend 

for themselves. Dugites are alert, quickmoving 

snakes and are very aggressive if 

approached. The dugite is one of Australia’s 

deadliest snakes. 

– Where does a snake shed its skin? (The 

snake sheds its skin in secret places 

around tree branches and in shrubs.) 

– What does an old snake skin look like? 

(It looks like a long, thin, empty sausage 

made from tissue paper. It is very pale, 

but the pattern of the scales can be 

seen.) 

– What do you know about dugites? 

– Do you know the names of other 

Australian snakes? 


students. 

• The students clap the beat while saying the 

rhyme. 

• The students say the rhyme with the actions. 

• Share the following rhyme about dugites 

with the students. The students can listen for 

the rhyming words. 



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LITTLE DUGITE 

My dugite life in the bush all day 

Is far from a happy one. 

Slithering around on the ground I fi nd 

Is terribly rough on my tum. 

And I’m always alone without any friends 

And it isn’t a lot of fun. 

What I really want is to be with my mum 

On a lovely hot rock in the sun. 



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Dugite 

Br-ea-th-ing in 

Th-ink-ing th-in 

Du-gite sn-ake 

Is shedd-ing its sk-in. 



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Lines 

1, 2, 3, 4. Lie on tummy. 

Squeeze and slither. 



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GUM TREE 

Presentation 





• Gum trees of different kinds grow in various 

parts of Australia; for example, the sugar 

gum in South Australia, gum-topped 

ironbark in Queensland, blue mountain 

mallee in New South Wales, Tasmanian 

snow gum in Tasmania, Grampians gum 

in Victoria, jarrah in Western Australia and 

weeping box in the Northern Territory. 

• Discuss what sort of gum trees grow in the 

local area. 

• Read the following story to the class. If 

possible, the students could sit under a gum 

tree while they are listening. 

GERTIE AND JACK 

Gertie Gum and Jack Jarrah grew in the forest 

with lots of other gum trees. Gertie and Jack had 

grown up together. Their leaves often whispered to 

each other. The bush creatures who lived in their 

branches, trunks and roots were neighbours and 

the humans who worked in the forest were their 

friends and cared for them. 

One day, some other humans with notebooks 

arrived. They pointed to Jack Jarrah. They 

walked around him and said such words as ‘good 

specimen’, ‘dining table’ and ‘fl oorboards’ and went 

away. Some time later, a big truck pulled up along 

the bush track nearby. Men with axes and chain 

saws got out. They chopped and sawed at Jack 

until he crashed down. They cut off Jack’s top 

branches, leaving him lying there as a big bare log. 

Then they carted him away on the back of the big 

truck. 

• Discuss the issues in the story above; e.g. 

‘Who do gum trees belong to?’ 

• Visit a gum tree in the school grounds or in 

a nearby park or street. Share, view, smell 

and stroke its leaves. Suggest words which 

describe how the leaves look, smell, feel and 

sound. 

• Create a gum tree out of paper and 

cardboard and make it ‘grow’ right up the 

classroom wall. Give the gum tree lots of 

branches. These can be filled with a variety 

of Australian birds and animals that call a 

gum tree home. 



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Gum tree 

Diddledy diddledy 

Dumpty 

An egg ran up 

A gum tree 

Broke his crown 

As he ran down 

Diddledy diddledy 

Dumpty 

Guess who? 

Humpty! 



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Lines 1 & 2. Palms together. Tap fingertips. 

3 & 4. Run fingers up toes, stomach, 

shoulders and head. 

5 & 6. Roll hands over and over. 

7 & 8. Palms together. Tap 

fingertips. 

9. Pat knees twice. 

10. Clap hands twice. 



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BUSH DAMPER 

Presentation 


• Discuss bush damper and how it is made 

from flour and water mixed to a scone 

dough and cooked in a camp oven over the 

hot coals of a bush camp fire. 


• Read the diary entry below to the students. 

CAMPING WITH DAMPER 

‘Today we go camping! We get up early. First Uncle 

and Auntie and our two cousins arrive in their 

truck, then Grandma and Grandpa. We are all going 

camping at the Gardner River! We close and lock 

the farm gate and drive south along the gravel 

roads through jarrah and red gum forests. Then we 

eat our lunch and drive on through the karri forest 

until we bump onto a sandy track and we know we 

are almost there! 

‘The sea,’ we shout, ‘the sea!’ And there it is, behind 

the sandhills. We camp nearby on a fl at stretch of 

green grass with the Gardner River running through 

the sandhills to the sea and little creeks running 

into the river. In the green grass is an old well. We 

fi ll the water bag with water and tie it to a branch 

with an enamel mug to drink from. 

We help the grown-ups put up the four tents. One 

is especially for us children. Then we unload the 

camping things except for a bag of fl our. It is too 

heavy. We always bring fl our to make damper. And 

we bring axes, rope, fi shing lines, camp stretcher 

beds, a tin bathtub, buckets, a camp oven, marron 

nets, torches, hurricane lamps, honey, tea, salt, 

sugar, apples, billies, frying pan, cricket bat, tennis 

balls and bait. 

The grown ups take their fi shing lines to the beach 

at high tide to catch fresh fi sh for tea. We play 

cricket with an old wooden box for a wicket. The 

fi sh is very good and Grandma makes damper in 

the camp oven on the camp fi re. We cook our own 

damper, twisted around long sticks and turned 

over and over in the hot coals of the fi re. We eat it 


class. 


rhyme. 


with lots of honey and listen to the grown-ups talk 

around the camp fi re while Uncle plays his mouth 

organ. 

Our fathers fi ll the buckets from the well, heat the 

water on the fi re and pour it into the bathtub. Each 

of us has a hot bath before bed then we talk and 

talk and talk and the grown-ups let us talk until we 

fall asleep one by one. 

Next morning we rush out of bed, get dressed, rush 

over to the fi re to eat breakfast and rush to the 

sandhills to play. The grown-ups are going fi shing 

so we fetch our fi shing lines and rush after them. 

We fi sh on the morning rocks at low tide. We swing 

our fi shing lines round and round and let the sinker 

and the baited hooks fl y out to sea. 

We eat the fi sh for lunch and later we go up the 

river with the grown-ups to catch marron. Marron 

are delicious black freshwater shellfi sh. We use drop 

nets with old meat for bait and drop the nets near 

an underwater log where marron like to hide. We are 

allowed to pull up the nets. We pull them up fast. 

It’s so exciting! Sometimes we get one marron, 

sometimes two and sometimes more. 



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Back to the camp for tea. We boil the marron in a 

large bucket of hot water with a spoonful of salt 

and a pinch of sugar and pour them onto a large 

clean cloth, shell them and eat the tails. They are 

really good. 

Then it’s hot baths before bed and we try to talk 

but we fall asleep.’ 

J L Summer 1928 

Discuss what the family did while they were 

camping. Ask the students to compare 

the events to what happens when they go 

camping. 



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Bush damper 

Flour and water 

Pinch of salt 

Mix it round 

And round a lot. 

Roll it fl at 

Not too thick 

Twist it round 

A long clean stick. 

Turn it over 

Red hot coals 

’Til it cooks 

A crusty gold. 



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Eat it hot 

With runny honey 

Our bush damper 

Tastes so YUMMY! 

Lines 1, 2, & 4. Mix the dough. 

5 & 6. Roll it. 

7 & 8. Twist it. 

9, 10, 11 & 12. Turn it over. 

13. Bite. Chew. 


15 & 16. Rub tummy. 



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WOMBAT 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of wombats. 

Presentation 

• Share and discuss the wombat pictures with the class. 





• Discuss why the wombat in the rhyme might 

have lost its way. 

• Role-play being a vet examining the wombat 

before it is pronounced unhurt and healthy 

enough to return to the forest. 

• Share the following scenario with the class: 

That night, the wombat decides to build a 

burrow. Wombats build their burrows close 

to each other with pathways in between to 

make a kind of wombat village. The wombat 

finds a place to build its burrow, loosens 

the soil with its front paws, shoves the soil 

backwards out of the burrow with its back 

legs, lies on its side to scratch and scrape 

at the walls and roof and compacts them 

with its body. A burrow may be about 30 

metres long. The wombat builds tunnels 

and rooms to sleep in and a small room 

inside the entrance. Here the wombat sits 

in the evening and waits until dark before it 

emerges to forage in the forest. 

• The wombat spends most of its time 

underground building and renovating its 

burrow, except when it trundles along the 

pathways to visit its wombat friends in their 

burrows. 

• When a baby wombat is born, it is the size 

of a bean and weighs about one gram. It 

crawls into its mother’s pouch, drinks its 

mother’s milk and falls asleep. After seven 

months, it leaves the pouch and stays at its 

mother’s side for another seven months until 

it is grown up and leaves home. By this time, 

the baby wombat has grown to a length of 

90 cm and weighs 35 kg. It has a bulky build 

with short strong legs and powerful claws 

for burrowing. It has small eyes and poor 

eyesight, acute hearing and a strong sense 

of smell. It is mainly nocturnal and forages at 

night for grasses, rushes, fungi and roots of 

shrubs and trees. 

• Tell the class that a wombat’s burrow is like 

its cubby house. Ask if they have ever built 

a special place for themselves and their 

special friends. Where? When? How? Who 

visits? What happens? 



Display Copy 

Share the following rhyme: 

Cubby 

My cubby is my castle. 

My cubby is my cave. 

And when I am inside it 

I’m safe and strong and brave. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Wombat 

It was a wild and 

Windy night 

When Wombat lost his way. 

Through the bush 

He stumbled on 

Lonely and afraid. 

We found him on 

Our doorstep 

Lost and cold and wet. 

So we made him warm 

And comfy 

And telephoned the vet. 



Display Copy 

Lines 1, 2, 3. Raise arms. Sway. 

4, 5, 6. Feel your way. 

7 & 8. Open door. Look surprised. 

9. Shiver. 

10 & 11. Rock Wombat gently. 

12. Press buttons of telephone. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

CROSSING A CREEK 

Presentation 





• Share the following story with the students: 

On Sunday, a family had a picnic in the hills. Mum, 

Dad, and their children Nick, Harry and Myra had 

lunch under a tree near a creek. After lunch, the 

boys took off their shoes and socks to paddle in 

the creek. But Myra refused to take off her shoes. 

‘Careful’, said Dad. ‘Those stepping stones are 

slippery.’ 

Nick crossed the stepping stones. Harry crossed 

the stepping stones. Then it was Myra’s turn … 

Oops! SPLASH! Myra slipped and fell in. 

Myra was now very wet and when she walked her 

shoes went ‘squelch, squelch, squelch’. 

Discuss the story, asking ‘Do you think Myra 

was embarrassed when she fell in the creek? 

Why/Why not?’ 

• Ask the students if they have ever had an 

embarrassing moment (for example, falling 

over and losing a race, leaning against wet 

paint, being late for a school assembly, 

treading on the cat’s tail). Discuss other 

embarrassing moments. 

• Students whisper into a partner’s ear their 

most embarrassing moment. 



Display Copy 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Crossing a creek 

Stepp-ing o-ver stepp-ing st-ones 

Stepp-ing care-full-y. 

Stepping over stepping stones 

Easy as can be. 

Stepping over stepping stones 

Lookatme! 

SPLASH! 



Display Copy 

Lines 1 & 2. Wobble a lot. 

3 & 4. Wobble a bit. 

5 & 6. Show off. 

7. Splash into water. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

TROLLEY 

Presentation 

• Tell the class you are going to give them 

clues that describe a mystery object. When 

they have heard all the clues, they can guess 

what the object is. 

I am used in shops. 

I am made of metal. 

I am one metre high. 

I am one metre long. 

I am half a metre wide. 

I am half a metre deep. 


• Read the following story to the class. 

TROLLEY 

Trolley trundled out the door of the store to start 

a wonderful new life. It was a very windy day and 

the wind blew Trolley across the car park, along a 

footpath and down a very steep hill towards a row 

of houses far below. 

‘This IS fun!’ thought Trolley. ‘It feels like fl ying.’ The 

next moment Trolley WAS fl ying! Faster and faster 

down the hill he fl ew until he sailed over a white 

picket fence and landed upside down on a rosebush 

in Mrs Mattie’s front garden. Mrs Mattie and her 

granddaughter, Rosie, had been to the park. They 

stopped and stared at Trolley. Simon arrived to 

mow Mrs Mattie’s lawn and he stopped and stared 

at Trolley. 

‘Where could it have come from, Simon?’ asked Mrs 

Mattie. 

‘Probably from the supermarket on High Street’, 

said Simon. ‘I know Robert the owner. I mow his 

lawns. Would you like me to phone him, Mrs Mattie?’ 

‘Yes please, Simon’, said Mrs Mattie. 

When Robert arrived, he looked at the rosebush and 

he looked at Trolley and at Trolley’s wheels, which 

had fallen off. 

‘I’m very sorry about your rosebush, Mrs Mattie’, 

said Robert. ‘If you tell me its name I’ll replace it.’ 

I have a wire basket attached to four wheels. 

I have a strong handle which customers use 

to steer me around the shop. 

What am I ? 

• Discuss the class’s experiences with 

shopping trolleys. 



rhyme. 


‘Thank you, Robert’, said Mrs Mattie. ‘It’s a very 

strong rosebush. I’ll just tidy it up a bit.’ 

‘The trolley comes from my store,’ said Robert. 

‘It’s an old, tired trolley. Its wheels wobble and its 

handle is broken.’ 

‘What happens to your old trolleys ?’ Mrs Mattie 

asked Robert. 

‘We donate them to organisations who have them 

repaired and put them to good use’, said Robert. 

‘Rosie goes to a mothers’ group’, said Mrs Mattie. 

‘I’m sure they would fi nd a trolley very useful.’ 

The mothers’ group was delighted to have Trolley. 

He could carry the children’s books to the library, 

buckets and spades to the beach, lunches and 

water bottles to the zoo and the children’s fruit 

for morning tea to the park. He was painted bright 

fi re-engine red and he had new wheels and a new 

strong handle and the mothers decided he should 

have a new name as well. 



Display Copy 

‘I think he should be called “Wally”’, said Rosie, 

‘because Wally rhymes with Trolley’. 

Everyone agreed and that is how Wally Trolley began 

his wonderful, new, busy and useful life and lived 

happily ever after. 

• After the story, ask the class ‘Do you 

know the names of other “happily ever 

after” stories? What about stories that end 

unhappily?’ The class can then talk about 

their favourite stories. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Trolley 

Shopping trolley trundling 

Trundling through the store 

Trundling up and down the aisles 

Trundling round the fl oor. 

Trundling on for miles and miles 

Trundling round once more 

THEN ... 

‘Enough’s enough!’ cries Trolley 

And he trundled out the door. 



Display Copy 

Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Trundle arms. 

7. Stop. 

8. Shake finger. 

9. Wave. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

WHERE AM I? 

Presentation 






AT THE DENTIST 

Benjamin Brown is four years old. When his mother 

goes to the dentist, Benjamin and Granny go 

with her. They say ‘Hello’ to Kerry, the dentist’s 

receptionist, and sit in the waiting room until 

Janet, the nurse, calls his mother into the surgery. 

Benjamin goes too. 

‘Hop up on the chair, Benjamin,’ says Dr Tyler, the 

dentist, ‘while I have a chat with your mother’. 

Benjamin loves sitting in the dentist’s chair. There 

are lots of interesting things to look at in the 

surgery. When Janet takes Benjamin back to the 

waiting room, Granny reads him a story. 

• Why do you think Dr Tyler, the dentist, 

invites Benjamin to sit in the dentist’s chair? 

In the waiting room is a table with magazines 

for mums and dads to read. Along one wall is a 

bookcase fi lled with children’s books as well as a 

box of games and puzzles and a bigger box of toys 

and puppets. When Granny fi nishes reading the 

story to Benjamin, he chooses a game they can 

play together. 

• What does your dentist’s waiting room look 

like? 

One day, Mrs Brown telephones her dentist to 

make an appointment for Benjamin. 

• Using toy telephones, play the roles of Mrs 

Brown and Kerry, the dentist’s receptionist. 

Kerry: 

Mrs Brown: 

Kerry: 

Good Morning, Dr Tyler’s dental 

surgery, Kerry speaking. 

Hello, Kerry. This is Kylie Brown, 

Benjamin’s mother. I’d like to make an 

appointment for him. 

Hello, Mrs Brown. Would you prefer a 

morning or afternoon appointment? 

Mrs Brown: 

Kerry: 

Mrs Brown: 

Kerry: 

Mrs Brown: 

Morning please, early if possible. 

Would Friday, the third of May, at 

8:30 suit you? 

That’s fi ne, Kerry. Thank you. 

We’ll see you then. Goodbye, Mrs 

Brown. 

Goodbye, Kerry. 

• Discuss with the class the need to speak 

clearly and listen carefully on the telephone. 

Benjamin is early for his appointment. It is his fi rst 

REAL appointment. 

‘Benjamin’, called Janet. Benjamin held his mother’s 

hand and they went into the surgery. 

‘Hop up on the chair, Benjamin’, said Dr Tyler. Janet 

fi lled the plastic cup near the little bowl next to the 

chair, and fastened a bib around Benjamin’s neck. 

‘Open wide’, said Dr Tyler. He used a mirror and a 

tool that looked like Granny’s crochet hook. ‘This 

is called a sickle probe’, Dr Tyler told Benjamin. ‘It 

helps me check your teeth.’ After a little while Dr 

Tyler said, ‘All done, Benjamin. Your teeth are in 

good shape. I’ll just give them a thorough clean’. 

When he had fi nished, Dr Tyler said, ‘Sip some water 

from the cup, Benjamin, rinse your mouth and spit 

into the bowl’. 



Display Copy 

‘So that’s what that’s for’, thought Benjamin. 

Last of all, Dr Tyler showed Benjamin how to clean 

his teeth properly, and everyone said ‘Goodbye’ to 

Benjamin and his mother. 

On the way home Benjamin thought quietly to 

himself, ‘I think I’ll be a dentist when I grow up’. 

• Can you remember your first visit to the 

dentist? What happened? 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Where am I? 

Feeling funny 

Squirm in seat 

Fidget fi ngers 

Shuffl e feet 

Name called 

Walk inside 

Voice says 

‘Open wide!’ 



Display Copy 

Lines 1. Frown. 

2. Twist and turn. 

3. Tap fingers. 

4. Push feet from side to side. 

5. Point to self. 

6. Take one step. 

7. Look up. 

8. Open mouth. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

OLD HOUSE 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of older houses—preferably those from the 1940s – 1950s. 

Presentation 

• Share and discuss the house pictures with the class. 





• Read the information to the class. 

In 1950, Jack Smith and his wife and family moved 

into their new war service home in Boronia Street. 

Their house had two bedrooms and a sleep-out. 

One bedroom was for the mother and the father, 

the other bedroom was for the younger children 

and the sleep-out on the back veranda was for the 

two older boys. 

The kitchen had a gas stove and an ice chest. The 

ice chest was used to keep food like butter and 

milk cold on hot days. Twice a week the iceman 

would come to the back door of the house with a 

fresh block of ice and put it in the top of the ice 

chest for Mrs Smith. 

There were no shops nearby and every Monday 

Mrs Smith telephoned the butcher and the grocer 

and gave them the weekly orders. The butcher and 

grocer delivered the orders to the house on Fridays. 

The baker and the milkman who drove carts which 

were pulled by horses, called at the house each day. 

The family would sit in the lounge room and listen 

to the wireless and on cold winter nights they 

would sit around the open fi replace to keep warm. 

The laundry, which was part of the back veranda, 

had a large copper for boiling clothes and a 

cement trough and a door which led from the 

laundry into the toilet. There was also a clothes 

ringer with a handle which was turned by hand to 

drain the clean washing. 

In the backyard, Mrs Smith had a very long 

clothes line and a prop she used to hoist the 

washing up to catch the breeze. Mr and Mrs 

smith were saving up to buy a Hills ® hoist. 

The Smith family had no air-conditioning, no car, 

no garage, no washing machine, no refrigerator, no 

vacuum cleaner and no power mower. 

Such luxury items were too expensive for most 

families at that time. 



Display Copy 

• Discuss the difference between old houses 

and houses of today. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Old house 

Old house 

Creaking door 

Rusty Hills ® hoist 

Dusty fl oor. 

Weeds where fl owers 

Grew before 



Display Copy 

No-one lives here 

Anymore 

Lines 1. Touch fingertips. 

2. Sway arm slowly. 

3. Stretch arms out stiffly. 

4. Spread fingers. 

5. Droop fingers. 

6. Open fingers. 

7 & 8. Shake head slowly. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

JACKAROO 

Jackaroo word ladder 

2 

o 

3 

m 

1 

j 

Presentation 





• Share the following information with the 

class. 

A jackaroo is a man who works on a station 

in the Outback of Australia. A woman who 

does the same job is called a ‘jillaroo’. 

Jackaroos and jillaroos work very hard all 

day and need to be fit. They gather the 

stock together to drive them into yards 

for food and water. They check windmills, 

water tanks and troughs. They make sure 

that gates are shut at all times so the stock 

cannot wander. They check the tracks of 

wild dogs and foxes. They repair station 

Clues 

1. A man who works on a station is called a 

j_ _ _ _ _ _ _ . (down) 

2. A jackaroo works in the O_ _ _ _ _ _ of 

Australia. (across) 

3. A jackaroo must be able to ride a horse 

and a m_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . (across) 

4. A jackaroo enjoys r_ _ _ _ _ . (down) 

5. A jackaroo works on a s_ _ _ _ _ _ . (across) 

6. A jackaroo checks water tanks, troughs 

and w_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . (down) 

7. A jackaroo needs a s_ _ _ . (across) 

4 

5 

r 

s 

6 

7 

s 

machinery. They learn to be early birds 

because stock do not travel well in the heat 

of the day. 

Jackaroos and jillaroos work in very hot dry 

weather, in dust and sometimes in floods. 

Flies and mosquitoes are troublesome 

too. So jackaroos and jillaroos need 

wide-brimmed hats, long-sleeved shirts, 

sunglasses and sunscreen, jeans, strong 

elastic-sided boots and a swag. 

Jackaroos and jillaroos must be able to ride 

horses and motorbikes. After work, their 

horses have to be washed down and given 

a feed and a drink. Their motorbikes must 

be refuelled, punctures mended with a 

puncture kit and their helmets hung on the 

motorbike’s handlebars. 

Jackaroos and jillaroos enjoy barbecues, 

country dances, rodeos, fishing and 

swimming in waterholes. 

After the information has been discussed, 

copy the word ladder below onto a large 

sheet of paper and complete it with the help 

of the class. 



Display Copy 

Answers 

2 

O 

1 

j 

u t b a c k 

c 

k 

a 

r 

o 

4 

r 

3 

m o t o t b i k e 

o 

d 

o 

5 

s 

t a t i 

o 

6 

i 

n 

d 

m 

i 

l 

l 

7 

s 

w a g 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Jackaroo 

I crack my whip 

I gallop my horse 

I drive the cattle 

Across the plain. 



In the dust and the sun 

And the wind and the rain. 



’Cos I’m a jackaroo 

Of course. 



Display Copy 

Lines 1–12. Gallop hands on thighs. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

CANE TOAD 

CANE TOAD 

• WHAT does the cane toad look like? 

The cane toad’s body is covered with dry rough blotchy 

skin. Many large warts cover the body, particularly 

behind the head where poisonous glands bulge from 

the toad’s neck. The head is large with protruding eyes 

and thick eyelids covered with warts. It has a broad thick 

body, short legs, stubby fingers on the front legs and 

webbed toes on the back legs. 

• HOW large is the cane toad? 

A cane toad can grow up to 23 cm and weigh up to 

3 kg. 

• WHERE does the cane toad live? 

The cane toad thrives in rainforests, sandy dry areas 

and in suburban gardens, but it prefers to live in grassy 

lowlands. 

• HOW does the cane toad travel? 

The cane toad hops along tracks and roads. It can also 

hitch rides in fruit crates and luggage. 

• WHAT does the cane toad eat? 

The cane toad eats everything it can swallow, including 

insects, reptiles, small birds and mammals. 

• HOW poisonous is the cane toad? 

The poison of the cane toad is so venomous it can kill 

crocodiles and tiger snakes. 

The cane toad is toxic at every stage of its life—even as 

an egg or tadpole and even when it is dead. 

If you ever see a cane toad, DON’T TOUCH IT. 

• WHEN does the cane toad breed? 

The female cane toad lays up to 35 000 eggs twice a 

year. 

• WHY don’t we want the cane toad in Australia? 

The cane toad doesn’t really belong in Australia. It was 

brought into Queensland in 1935 to eat beetles that 

were damaging the crops of sugar cane. The cane toad 

is now spreading from Queensland across the Northern 

Territory to Western Australia 

• HOW can we save Australia from the cane toad? 

Two well-known Western Australians, Tim Winton 

and Luc Longley, believe a toad trap would be the 

best way to catch cane toads. Some people in the 

Northern Territory formed a group called ‘Frog Watch’ 


Preparation 

• Collect pictures of cane toads. 

Presentation 

• Share and discuss the cane toad pictures 

with the class. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1 


rhyme. 


and designed a trap which lures the cane toad through 

a one-way door into a trap equipped with lights that 

attract insects. Then the cane toads are carefully 

collected from the trap and placed into plastic bags and 

destroyed. Cane toads are still poisonous to touch even 

after they are dead. They cannot be buried because 

their poison will seep through the ground and perhaps 

get into water that animals (or people) might want to 

drink. Toad traps can be effective in some places but 

scientists continue to work to find other solutions to 

exterminate cane toads. 

• Share the following story with the class. 

TOAD TRAP 

Early one morning, Bully the cane toad hitched a ride on a fruit 

and vegie truck. He found his way into a box of fruit and was 

gobbling away when the truck pulled up in a parking bay. 

Bully hopped off the truck and into a nearby forest. A winding 

track led him through the trees to a busy frog bog in a shady 

swamp. 

‘Frogs for brekky!’ thought Bully. 

Then he heard a peculiar sound. 

‘Brrrm Brrrm, Brrrm Brrrm’, went the sound and there, sitting 

on the bank, was a plump little motorbike frog. 

‘You’ll do for starters’, thought Bully and he smiled horribly at 

Brrrm Brrrm. 

Brrrm Brrrm trembled with fright. 



Display Copy 

Then, just as Bully was about to pounce, Swamp Tortoise saw 

him, scooped Brrrm Brrrm up in its mouth and took him down to 

the safe muddy bottom of the swamp. 

Bully decided he didn’t want frogs for breakfast after all. 

‘Waterbirds lay their eggs around swamps’, remembered Bully. 

‘Duck eggs! Egret eggs! Heron eggs! YUM!’ 

Soon he was hopping from nest to nest, gobbling and gorging 

until he could eat no more. 

‘Time for a nap’, thought Bully. 

It was dark when he woke up. He noticed a light through the 

trees. He hopped towards it. Inside a toad trap, insects were 

fl ying about the light. 

‘Insects!’ thought Bully. ‘My favourite tucker!’ 

He pushed the door open and hopped inside and the door of the 

trap closed fast behind him ... 

• What do YOU think happened next to Bully the 

cane toad? 

30 R.I.C. Publications ® www.ricgroup.com.au

Cane toad 

It chomps up the middle 

It chomps up the top 

And whatever is left 

It will chomp up the lot! 



Display Copy 

Lines 1, 2, 3 & 4. Chomp. 


31 I can dance the barramundi 

ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

MAGPIE 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of magpies. 

Presentation 

• Share and discuss the magpie pictures with 




class: 

Magpies live in tall trees in the bush and in 

parks and suburbs. They have striking black 

and white feathers and they love to sing 

together, especially in the early morning. 

This dawn carolling also confirms their 

territory. 

Magpies build their nests in forked branches 

of tall trees, more than 15 metres above 

the ground. Their nests are large and bowl- 


• Read the recounts below to the class. 

MARIE’S MAGPIE NEWS – Year 1 

We went to a special bush place for a picnic and 

magpies swooped on us. Dad said they were looking 

after their babies in the nest so we packed up and 

had a picnic at Nanna’s. 

• What can we do to help people understand 

about magpies’ behaviour? Discuss. 

MAGPIE STORY by Angela, Year 2 

I am in Year 2 and every day our teacher puts our 

lunch orders and money in a bag that goes into a 

big plastic basket and we take turns taking the 

shaped and lined with grass, bark, hair, fur 

and wool. The nests can be built with wire– 

even barbed wire is used in the construction. 

Nesting begins in July. Instead of defending 

their nests in pairs, magpies form groups 

of three to 20 individuals to patrol their 

territory. They live permanently in their 

particular area and are very aggressive and 

swoop at anyone intruding too close to their 

nests. 


class. 


rhyme. 


basket to the canteen. I went with Thomas and 

magpies dived on us. We tried to run but they kept 

diving and clicking their beaks. We put the basket 

over our heads. It was hard to hold up because 

we had the bag too. We could see the magpies 

through the holes in the basket. Then we got to the 

canteen and we were safe. 



Display Copy 

• If there are magpies nesting in trees 

near YOUR school, what can the school 

community do to help stop people being 

swooped by magpies? Discuss. 


32 R.I.C. Publications ® www.ricgroup.com.au 

ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Magpie 

I love 

My dappled magpie tree 

Full of warble chortle 

But 

Sometimes 

When they dive on me 

I think 



Display Copy 

Magpies are awful. 

Lines 1 & 2. Raise arms. Flutter fingers. 

3. Open and close fingers and thumbs of each hand. 

4, 5, 6. Swoop hands. 

7 & 8. Pull a face. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

KOALA 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of koalas. 

Presentation 

• Share and discuss the koala pictures with 

the class. Ask the students to share their 

experiences with koalas. 



class: 

The koala in the rhyme is enjoying its lunch. 

Koalas, however, are said to be fussy eaters 

because they prefer to eat the leaves from 

just a few eucalypts. The koala mostly lives 

on its own, high above in the treetops, 

snoozing for up to 18 hours a day! It wedges 

its small tail into the fork of a branch of a 

gum tree, settles, and when it is hungry, 

helps itself to gumleaves growing nearby. 

Sometimes it has to climb along a branch to 

find more leaves, often sniffing a leaf before 

munching one! 


• Read the following news item to the class. 

KOALA DISAPPEARS 

Before breakfast this morning, while her mother 

was asleep, Cutie Koala climbed down their gum 

tree and disappeared. A search for her has begun. 

• Through questioning, encourage the 

children to create a story sequence. 

Beginning: 

Where did Cutie live? 

Who did she live with? 

Did Cutie like living there? 

Why/Why not? 

How far did Cutie wander? 

After a while, how did she feel? 

Middle: 

When Cutie sat down to have a rest, 

some bush creatures came along. 

Koalas get their water from the gumleaves 

they eat and from dew and rain showers. 

The koala’s arms and legs are very strong 

for climbing. Rough pads on the paws and 

sharp pointed claws help the koala to climb 

and cling to the smooth branches of the 

eucalypts. 

The koala’s thick furry coat keeps it snug in 

winter as it curls up into a ball to keep warm. 

In the summer it keeps cool by lying on its 

stomach on a branch and dangling its arms 

and legs over the branch! 


class. 


rhyme. 


Who were they? 

Did they offer to help Cutie? 

How did they take Cutie home? 

Ending: 

When they reached Cutie’s gum tree: 

How did Cutie feel? 

How did her mother feel? 

Did they remember to thank the bush 

creatures? 



Display Copy 

• The koala is Queensland’s faunal emblem. 

• Koalas are precious Australian animals. In 

as little as 15 years, they may disappear 

from the wild. Remember to record ‘Save 

the koala month’ (July) in the class diary/ 

calendar. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Koala 

Crunch Crunch 

Munch Munch 

Yummy gumleaves 

For my lunch. 



Display Copy 

Lines 1. Bite. Chew. 


3 & 4. Rub tummy. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

SPRING THINGS 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of animals, plants or other images associated with spring. 

Presentation 

• Share and discuss the spring pictures with 




• Say the rhymes below to the class. Have the 

students listen for rhyming words. 

BUTTERFLY 

A gentle little 

Butterfl y 

Spread its wings 

And fl uttered b ___. 

DANGER - BEES AT WORK 

Beware the bees 

On spring days sunny 

Busy making 

Yummy hon __. 

SPRING 

Cough cough 

Sneeze sneeze 

Something sniffy 

On the bree __ . 


rhyme. 


• Write a class diary of things that happened 

in spring; e.g. ‘James helped his dad spring 

clean the shed’, ‘Rory’s cat had five kittens’, 

‘Lia brought her skipping rope to school’. 

• Make spring butterflies using the procedure 

below. 

MAKE A SPRING BUTTERFLY 

• WHAT YOU NEED 

1 large origami square 

1 butterfly template 

scissors 

pencil 

glue 

paper scraps – wrapping paper, doily paper, 

tissue paper etc. 

• HOW YOU MAKE IT: 

1. Fold the origami square in half. Place the 

butterfly template along the fold. 

2. Draw around the template with the paper 

still folded. 

3. Cut out the shape of the butterfly half 

and unfold the paper. You will have two 

symmetrical halves. 

4. Cut the scrap paper into different 

shapes. 

5. Decorate the butterfly by gluing on the 

pieces of scrap paper. Allow to dry. 



Display Copy 

Make a class springtime display by 

tying fishing line around the body of 

your butterfly and hanging it. 

Enjoy your lovely spring thing! 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Spring things 

Butterfl ies 

Buzzy bees 

Baby birds 

Sneezy breeze – 

SPRING! 



Display Copy 

Lines 1. Link thumbs. Flutter fingers. 

2. Watch a bee buzz by. 

3. Flap elbows. 

4. Sneeze twice. 

5. Twirl around. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

DUCKSAILING 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of ducks and ducklings. 

Presentation 

• Share and discuss the pictures with the 

class. 




DUCKLINGS – A TRUE STORY 

One day under a palm tree by the river, Grandfather was 

raking leaves when he heard ‘plop!’ then ‘plop! plop!’ then 

‘plop! plop! plop!’ He looked around and found six little 

fl uffy yellow ducklings behind him. 

Grandfather went to tell Gran and the six little fl uffy 

yellow ducklings waddled in an obedient line after him. 

They thought Grandfather was their mother! 

Gran could not believe her eyes! 

‘Six little fl uffy yellow ducklings!’ she said. ‘But where can 

their mother be?’ 

So Gran rang the Council and they told her about a lady 

on a farm who cared for injured and deserted birds. The 

lady, whose name was Wendy, told Gran she was very 

happy to have the ducklings. 

‘Keep them warm’, she said, ‘and bring them over right 

away.’ 

Wendy had prepared a large hot water bottle and tucked 

it up in a soft blanket in the shape of a mother duck. 

The six little fl uffy yellow ducklings snuggled up to their 

new mother and fell asleep. 

‘How old are the ducklings?’ asked Grandfather. 

‘A mother duck lays her eggs in the spring’, said Wendy. 

‘She lays them in a warm nest lined with her own 

feathers. The eggs hatch in four weeks. The ducklings 

are wet and wobbly. If they get cold they will die so they 

cuddle up under their mother and sleep for several days. 

When they wake up, their feathers are dry and fl uffy and 

they can stand without wobbling. I think your ducklings 

are about six days old’, said Wendy. 

‘What could have happened to their mother?’ asked 

Gran. 


rhyme. 


‘Perhaps the mother duck left the nest to fi nd a safe 

place where her ducklings could feed’, said Wendy. ‘She 

might have been taken by a fox. A fox is a duck’s main 

predator.’ 

‘What will happen to the ducklings now?’ asked 

Grandfather. 

‘Tomorrow they’ll have their fi rst swim in our special 

duckling pond’, said Wendy. ‘Soon they’ll be swimming and 

feeding and grooming themselves in the water. They eat 

lots of insects and juicy water weeds.’ 

Wendy smiled at Grandfather and Gran. 

‘In three months,’ she said, ‘your six little fl uffy yellow 

ducklings will have grown into six big beautiful white 

ducks!’ 

• Read the following rhyme to the class. Have 

the students listen for the rhyming words. 



Display Copy 

As Grandfather was raking leaves 

PLOP! He heard a sound 

And looking down Grandfather saw 

A duckling on the _ ! (ground) 

Then PLOP! and PLOP! and PLOP! PLOP! PLOP! 

Grandfather stood and stared 

As fi ve more fl uffy ducklings 

Came plopping through the _ ! (air) 

They snuggled round his wellies 

And smiled at one another 

For they had quite decided that 

Grandfather was their _ ! (mother) 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Ducksailing 

On the water 

Crumpled, wavy 

Sails a duck 

And duckling navy 

Sailing slowly 

Smooth and sleek 

But paddling madly underneath! 



Display Copy 

Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Float arms up and down. 

Ripple fingers. 

7. Tuck hands behind back and paddle 

legs madly! 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

VERANDA 

Presentation 



rhyme. 


• Hold a class discussion about the student’s 

grandparents. 


• Read some of the stories below to the class. 

The students can then write stories about 

their own grandparents and illustrate them. 

GRANDPARENTS 

Russell: 

Emily: 

Amanda: 

Lia: 

When we were sitting on the veranda 

chatting, my grandfather told me about 

his father, who was a trooper in the 10th 

Light Horse Regiment in the 3rd Light 

Horse Brigade in the First World War. 

He wore an Australian soldier’s hat with 

emu feathers in the band, a khaki uniform 

and riding boots. He carried a rifl e with a 

bayonet. His horse’s name was Ned. 

My Poppie is very friendly. He chats to 

Mei and Ho and their mother on their way 

home from school when he is watering his 

roses. They worry he is lonely in his house 

by himself so they asked him to their 

house. They had stir-fry. It had pork with 

bok choy, noodles and soy sauce. Poppie 

liked it so much Mei and Ho wrote out 

the recipe for him. 

On Anzac Day on the 25th April I march 

with the other Brownies down the main 

street of our town to the war memorial. 

We wear the medals belonging to our 

fathers and grandfathers. We wear the 

medals on the top right side of our 

shirts. 

My grandma is very organised. Our 

family always gives her a big diary for 

Christmas with her other Christmas 

presents. She writes her appointments 

under the dates in her diary to remind 

her. 

Peter: 

She uses a blue biro. When she has been 

to the doctor, she ticks the date in red 

biro. She ticks the date on the calendar 

after she has taken her medicine each 

morning. My grandma has a birthday 

book with EVERYONE’S name in it. 

My Grandad learns the computer. He 

goes to classes. Granny helps him at 

home. She went to computer classes 

last year. She makes him pumpkin scones 

after his lessons. 

Christopher: On my bookshelf I have a photograph of 

my grandfather in his air force uniform. 

He was in the Royal Australian Air force 

for fi ve years in the Second World War. 

Thomas: 

Sarah: 

My nan sold her car and she bought a 

motorised wheelchair with a little fl ag 

on a stick. When she wants to cross the 

road she uses special places called ‘on 

and off ramps’. 



Display Copy 

Patrick: 

My grandmother saves paper and takes 

it to our school. They shred it and then 

she takes it to the pet shop. She grows 

her own vegies. She has a lemon tree in 

her backyard and some grapes and an old 

mulberry tree. We helped her build a frog 

pond. She has an earthworm farm. She is 

saving up to buy a secondhand windmill. 

My grandad tapes TV programs about 

famous people and battles. We gave him 

a Walkman for his birthday. He listens 

to the news and football and cricket while 

he is cooking and washing up. He cleans 

his shoes every morning. On Saturday 

nights when he is watching the news and 

weather he gives himself his treat for the 

week – a block of milk chocolate. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Veranda 

When I stay with Grandpa 

And Tom, that’s Grandpa’s cat. 

We three sit on the veranda 

And chat and chat and chat. 



Display Copy 

Lines 1. Point to self. Point to Grandpa. 

2. Stroke Tom, the cat. 

3. Point to self, to Grandpa, to Tom. 

4. Open and close fingers and thumbs of each hand. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

SOUTHERN CROSS 

Preparation 

• Collect an Australian flag. 

Presentation 

• Share the flag with the class and discuss its 

history, design, colour and number of stars. 



• The first national Australian flag was flown 

in Melbourne in September 1901. The flag 

has a blue background and features three 

symbols: 

(i) 

(ii) 

The Commonwealth Star, which has 

seven points, one for each state and 

one for the territories. 

The Union Jack, which can be seen in 

the top left-hand corner of the flag. 

(iii) The Southern Cross has five white 

stars on the blue background of the 

flag. The four large stars all have seven 

points and the smallest star has five 

points. The Southern Cross gets its 

name from its four brightest stars which 

form the outline of a cross. It is the 

brightest constellation in the Southern 

Hemisphere. 

• Encourage the students to view the stars at 

night with their parents and grandparents. 

To find the Southern Cross, face south and 


rhyme. 


look to where the earth meets the sky. From 

there, measure two hand spans up and look 

for a kite-shaped set of stars. 

• Discuss ways of viewing stars at night. If 

possible, visit an observatory or planetarium. 

• Discuss what stars are and why they are not 

as visible during the day. Learn the names of 

other constellations and individual stars. 

• Find examples in the community where the 

Southern Cross is displayed; e.g. Australia 

Post. 

• Using an atlas and a map of Australia, 

discover how many places in Australia are 

called ‘Southern Cross’. 



Display Copy 

• Discuss – ‘If you could make a wish upon a 

star, what would it be?’ 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Southern Cross 

I’m looking for 

The Southern Cross 

It’s in the sky 

Somewhere. 

But how am I 

To fi nd it? 



Display Copy 

There are so many stars 

Up there. 

Lines 

1, 2, 3, 4. Circle eyes with fingers and thumbs. 

5 & 6. Shake head. 

7 & 8. Stretch arms high. Twinkle fingers. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

JOEY 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of young kangaroos. 

Presentation 


class. Have the class members discuss their 

experiences with kangaroos. 

• Read the following to the students: 

When a baby kangaroo is born it is very tiny. 

It must climb up its mother’s furry tummy 

and crawl into her pouch. It is safe and warm 

in there. It has a drink of its mother’s milk 

and falls asleep. 

A joey will live in its mother’s pouch for 

a long time—about 240 days! After 18 

weeks its eyes open and it climbs out of the 

pouch—but it soon hops back in! 


• Say the following rhyme to the class. Have 

the students listen for the long vowel sound 

‘oo’, then say the rhyme again. The students 

can hop to the beat of the rhyme and twitch 

their noses when they hear the ‘oo’ sound. 

Hop, hop, kangaroo 

All the way to Paraburdoo. 


Say ‘G’day’ to a jackaroo. 


Catch a wave at Ningaloo. 


Hop on a ferry to Sydney Zoo. 

• Discuss Australian coins. Current Australian 

coins and notes are produced by the 

Australian government in the Royal Mint. 

In 1965 a new mint was established in 

Canberra especially to produce decimal 

currency. 

When a joey is eight months old, its mother 

decides it is old enough to leave the pouch 

and learn the ways of the bush, although it 

still stays close to its mother as she teaches 

it which grasses and herbs and shrubs to eat 

and where there is danger. 



rhyme. 


• View one-dollar coins. The design of the five 

kangaroos was created by Stuart Devlin. 

• The red kangaroo is the Northern Territory’s 

faunal emblem. 

• Ask the students where they may have seen 

a flying kangaroo. (QANTAS logo) 



Display Copy 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Joey 

In his mother’s pouch 

When he was new 

Grew little Joey Kangaroo. 

He was safe and warm 

And cosy too 

And when he was bored 

He could look at the view 

And sometimes he’d wave 

To Joeys he knew 

And all the time 

He grew and grew 

Little Joey Kangaroo. 



Display Copy 

Lines 1, 2, 3. Rock Joey gently. 

4 & 5. Close eyes. Snuggle. 

6 & 7. Rest chin on paws. 

Peep left and right. 

8 & 9. Wave. 

10, 11, 12. Rock Joey gently. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

HILLS ® HOIST 

Presentation 


• Read the following information to the class: 

• Lance Hill was an Australian soldier in World 

War II. In 1945 the war ended and Lance Hill 

came home. Before the war he had been a 

motor mechanic and one day his wife asked 

him to think of something better than the old 

clothes line and ‘prop’ she used when she 

hung out the washing. 

• Lance set to work and designed a handle 

that could be turned round and round to 

hoist the washing up to catch the breeze. 


Now many Australian homes have a Hills ® 

hoist. 

• Count the homes you know which have a 

Hills ® hoist. 

• Ask your grandparents and parents about 

props and old clothes lines. 


rhyme. 


• Another Australian invention is the Victa mower, invented by Mervyn Victor Richardson in 1951. 

He called it the Victa after his middle name. Some grandfathers call their Victa mower their ‘toy’. 

• Invent a toy you can play with on a fine day, a rainy day, in the car, at the beach, in bed when 

you aren’t feeling well etc. Draw a diagram of your invention, label it and give it a name. 

• Many years ago, in 1907, Frederick Peters arrived in Australia and began making ice-cream each 

morning to sell in the afternoon. Peters ice-cream became one of Australia’s favourite brands of 

ice-cream. 

• Invent a new ice-cream. Draw a picture of it, list the ingredients and give it a name. Yum! 



Display Copy 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Hills ® hoist 

Washing on the Hills ® hoist 

Flapping up and down 


whizzing round and round 


Swaying to and fro 

Up and down 

Round and round 



Display Copy 

And to and fro 

We go! 

Lines 1 & 2. Flap arms. 

3 & 4. Whizz around. 

5 & 6. Sway. 

7. Flap arms. 

8. Whizz around. 

9 & 10. Sway. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

WALKING BUS 

Presentation 

• Read the following story to the class and 

discuss how a Walking Bus is a safe and 

friendly way of keeping us healthy and 

active. 

Children and their families are being encouraged 

to walk part or all of the way to school. 

Every morning, old Mrs Poppy tucks her little cat, 

Winkie, in an old doll’s pram and takes her for a 

walk with their neighbour, old Mr Berry and his dog, 

Chummy. 

On weekday mornings, the Walking Bus comes along 

on its way to school. 

The children say ‘Hello’ to Winkie and Chummy and 

to Mrs Poppy and Mr Berry. Then Mrs Poppy and Mr 

Berry and Winkie and Chummy join the bus and walk 

along with the children and the mums and dads 

and grans and grandfathers to school. 

Walking is good for EVERYONE! 


• Read the following rhymes to the class. 

LOLLIPOP LADY 

Lollipop lady 

Smiles ‘Hello’ 

She stops the cars 

And across we go! 

• Discuss how the Lollipop lady or man keeps 

the walking bus safe. 


• Ask the students ‘Have you ever been on 

a walking bus? Where? When? Why? Who 

were you with? Do you feel safe on the 

walking bus? Who keeps you safe on a 

walking bus?’ 


class. 


rhyme. 


FRIENDLY BUS 

Often on our walking bus 

Friends and family walk with us. 

Sophie’s mum and Mandy’s gran 

And Tom’s dad pushing the baby’s pram. 

Today we stop at number eight 

Two children wait there at the gate. 

We don’t know them, I think they’re new 

We smile at them and they smile too. 

And then they start to walk with us 

And off we go on our walking bus. 



Display Copy 

• Discuss who helps to make your walking bus 

friendly. ‘How do they help?’ 

• The walking bus is a safe and friendly way to 

keep active and healthy. Discuss other ways. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Walking bus 

Off we go 

On the walking bus 

With a mum or two 

And a dad and us. 

And sometimes a gran 

and a grandad too 

And there’s lots of room 

On the bus for YOU! 

We chat and wave 

As we walk down the street 

And we say ‘Hello’ 

To people we meet. 

And of course we learn 

Our safety rules 

On the walking bus 

On the way to school. 



Display Copy 

Lines 1–16. Walk hands on thighs. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

KAKADU 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of Kakadu National Park. 

Presentation 



students. Share some information about 

Kakadu with the class (see ‘Additional 

activities/information’). 

• WHERE is Kakadu? 

Kakadu is located at the top end of the Northern 

Territory of Australia, 250 kilometres by road, 

east of Darwin. 

• WHAT is Kakadu? 

Kakadu is a famous Australian national park. 

It covers almost 20 000 square kilometres of 

wilderness, wildlife, wetlands, waterfalls, plunge 

pools, billabongs, lagoons, high sandstone cliffs 

and deep rocky gorges. 

• WHERE can YOU see wildlife in Kakadu? 

From the deck of a boat you can see flocks of 

birds including pelicans, herons, egrets, redlegged 

jabiru, magpie geese, cormorants and sea 

eagles living on the wide flat shallow wetlands 

and on billabongs and lagoons. 


• Have each child bring an item from a 

recent holiday to share with the class; e.g. 

souvenirs, photographs, badges, maps, 

diaries. The following postcard could be 

read as an example: 

Dear Liam 

We hope you had a lovely birthday and we hope you liked 

your birthday present! We enjoyed our train trip on the 

Ghan to Darwin. Last night we watched the sun set over 

Darwin Harbour, which is three times bigger than Sydney 

Harbour! Today we went to a Crocodile Park. Poppie held a 

tiny baby crocodile in his hands. It will grow into a HUGE 

saltie one day! Later we are going on a cruise on a very 

old pearling boat (called a lugger). Diving for pearls was 

very dangerous work in the olden days. We left Darwin 

very early this morning and drove to Kakadu National 

Park. We went on a boat trip on a billabong called Yellow 

Water. There was so much water everywhere. We seemed 

• Hop in your four wheel drive and discover 

kingfishers and cockatoos making their 

homes in open woodland where eucalypts 

offer shelter and nesting places. 

Here are some tips you should follow when 

visiting Kakadu: 

• Tread softly. Do not disturb the kangaroos, 

brushtail possums, sugar gliders, bandicoots 

and bats in the open woodlands. 

• Take care! You are in CROCODILE country. 

You may see a saltwater crocodile, the 

largest living reptile on earth. 

• You may see geckos and skinks during the 

day, but snakes are silent night creatures 

rarely seen by visitors. 


class. 


rhyme. 




Display Copy 

to be fl oating on a fi eld of waterlilies. We saw lots and 

lots of birds and some crocodiles. Some were sunbaking 

on sandbanks and others were just drifting underwater 

with just their eyes and nostrils above the surface. 

We had bush tucker for lunch, billy tea, damper and 

bush stew! Tomorrow we are going to see the wonderful 

waterfalls at Jim Jim and Twin Falls. We are having a 

great adventure! Kakadu is a wonderful place. Will write 

again soon. 

Lots of love from 

Nan and Poppie 

x x 

• Play ‘I am going on a holiday’ with the class. 

One player begins ‘I am going on a holiday 

and I packed a toothbrush’. The next player 

repeats the sentence and adds another item. 

Continue the game until four or five students 

have had a turn, then start over again. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Kakadu 

Skip with me 

Mum and Dad 

And Baby too. 

To Kakadu 

Skip to the tune 

Of the didgeridoo 



Display Copy 

All the way 

To Kakadu 

Lines 1. Pat knees. Clap hands. 

2. Pat knees. Clap hands. 

3. Pat shoulders. Pat head. 

4. Rock baby gently. 



7 & 8. Wave. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

BUNYIP 

Presentation 





• The bunyip is said to be a wild and wily 

creature. At night it can be heard prowling 

through the bush, bellowing, grunting and 

growling horribly. By day it lurks in its lair 

deep down on the bed of a river, emerging 

to haunt nearby swamps and waterholes, 

creeks and billabongs. 

• The bunyip is said to be scary. Write an 

acrostic poem about a different kind of 

bunyip; for example: 

Best friend is a teddy bear 

Understands people-talk 

Never frightens children 

Yabbies are its favourite food 

Is frightened of thunder 

Plays the guitar 

• Read the following rhyme to the class. Have 

the children perform the actions indicated. 

BABY BUNYIP 

Little baby bunyip 

Skip Skip Skip 

Skipping round a billabong 

Yip Yip Yip 


(Skip in a small circle 

on the spot.) 


(Skip heavily on the spot.) 

Skipping through a sloshy swamp 

Yip Yip Yip 



(Skip on toes on the spot.) 

Skipping down a gurgly creek 

Yip Yip Yip 



(Skip slower and slower.) 

Skipping home to bunyip bed (Lie down.) 

Yawn Y - aw - n --- Yip (Curl up and sleep) 



Display Copy 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Bunyip 

Rompa Stompa 

Rompa Stompa 

Bellow, grunt and growl. 

Rompa Stompa 

Rompa Stompa 

Bunyip on the prowl. 



Display Copy 

Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Stomp and grunt. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

SANDCASTLE 

Presentation 

• Read the following to the class and ask them 

to guess where you are. 

Hot sand 

Summer sky 

Salty sea breeze 

Where am I? 

• Ask the students to tell what a beach is. 


• Write a recipe for a sandcastle. Include a list 

of ingredients and utensils and instructions. 

Illustrate the recipe and then share it with a 

friend. 

• Share the following rhymes with the class. 

Have the students listen for the rhyming 

words to complete each one. 

Sea breeze 

The sea is asleep 

On a hot summer’s day 

’Til the sea breeze whispers 

‘It’s time to pl___! 

Waves 

Waves swell 

And surge and roar 

And crash and splash 

Upon the sh___. 

• Why are beaches special? 

• Discuss various aspects of visiting beaches; 

e.g. having fun, sun protection, playing 

safely on the beach and in the water. 



rhyme. 


• Encourage the students to talk about their 

experiences with waves and sandcastles. 

• Discuss the questions: 

Why do children love the beach? 

Why do parents love the beach? 

Why do grandparents visit the beach? 

• Collect reusable materials to create threedimensional 

pictures of the beach. Display 

the pictures during National Recycling Week 

in November. 



Display Copy 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Sandcastle 

I built a castle 

On the beach 

Beside the bright blue sea. 

Next morning it had 

Disappeared 

Wherever can it be? 



Display Copy 

Lines 1 & 2. Dig sand. Shape castle. 

3. Float arms. 

4 & 5. Circle eyes with fingers and thumbs. 

6. Shade eyes with hand. 

Look into the distance. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

MATILDA WALTZING 

Presentation 



rhyme. 


• Discuss the meaning of the word ‘billabong’. 


• Waltzing matilda is a well-loved Australian song. The words were written by Australian poet 

Banjo Paterson in 1895. A swagman was a man who wandered the Outback looking for work. He 

carried his belongings in a swag, which he called ‘Matilda’. The swag swayed or ‘waltzed’ on his 

back as he walked. 

• Create a class book of special Australian words and their meanings; e.g. jumbuck, billy, 

boomerang, G’day, arvo, brekkie, ugg boots. Some are given below. 

Billabong 

Jumbuck 

a waterhole in a river or 

creek which dries up during 

the dry season 

a sheep 

Coolibah tree a eucalypt 

Billy 

Tucker 

Joey 

Barramundi 

Boomerang 

AFL 

a small tin with a handle 

across the top. It is used for 

boiling water over a campfire 

food 

a young kangaroo 

a large perch. It is found 

in the waters of Northern 

Australia 

an Aboriginal tool used for 

hunting, fishing and music 

The Australian Football 

League 

Vegemite will be 85 years old on 30 

May 2008! In 1923 Fred 

Walker, a shopkeeper, 

employed Dr Cyril Callister, 

a chemist, to create a tasty 

spread made from vegetable 

and yeast extract. A public 

competition was held to find 

a name for the product and 

the prize-winning name was 

Vegemite 

Ugg boots 

Cooee 

Snaggers 

Barbie 

‘G’day mate’ 

are another Australian 

product. In the 19th 

century, early settlers 

in Australia used sheep 

hides and wool to make 

their clothes, including 

boots. Today, ugg boots 

are sold around the world. 

a call to attract attention 

sausages 

a barbecue 

‘Hello, friend’ 

‘Goodo’ and ‘Righto’ in agreement 



Display Copy 

Arvo 

Cocky 

Maggie 

Mozzie 

Tassie 

Brekkie 

Chrissie 

Prezzies 

afternoon 

cockatoo or farmer 

magpie 

mosquito 

Tasmania 

breakfast 

Christmas 

presents 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Matilda waltzing 

I saw Matilda waltzing 

In the bush today. 

I hurried through the long grass 

To catch her on her way. 

I ran along the billabong 

To where we used to play. 

But when I waved 

And called her name ... 

Matilda waltzed away. 



Display Copy 

Lines 1 & 2. Sway. 

3 & 4. Rub palms together. 

5 & 6. Pat thighs quickly 

7 & 8. Wave. 

9. Sway. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

KARRI 

Presentation 



rhyme. 



• Read the story below and discuss the 

student’s opinions on what happened. 

The story could be used as a script for an 

assembly item. 

HARRY THE KARRI 

The karri forest has always been beautiful and peaceful. 

Every day the branches of the karri trees whisper the 

news of the forest to each other. Early one morning, 

Harry the karri, the oldest, wisest and tallest karri tree 

in the forest, heard some dreadful news. 

‘If this is true,’ he thought, ‘it will change our forest 

forever’. 

So he sent for Mopoke, the boobook owl. 

‘Gather the forest creatures together, Mopoke,’ said 

Harry the karri, ‘and bring them to me’. 

‘Mopoke! Mopoke! Mopoke!’ echoed Mopoke’s call through 

the karri trees as she gathered the forest creatures to 

her. 

Fairy wrens, honeyeaters, cockatoos and parrots, 

mopokes and robins, barking owls and a noisy scrub bird 

followed Mopoke and settled in the branches of Harry 

the karri. 

Possums and quokkas, echidnas and numbats, 

bandicoots and wallabies, dingos and bats and rats 

followed Mopoke and gathered about the great trunk of 

Harry the karri. 

Tiger snakes curled up on warm rocks and skinks rested 

in the cool grasses. Dragonfl ies hovered and beetles 

scuttled under leaves. Frogs sat quietly on lily pads. 

Marron in a nearby stream poked their whiskers out of 

the water to listen. 

When everyone was assembled, Harry the karri spoke to 

them. 

‘Friends of the forest,’ he said, ‘I welcome you all here 

this morning. I have something to tell you’. 

Then Harry the karri announced the news he had heard 

that morning. 

‘People from local timber mills are coming here today to 

inspect our forest to decide which karri trees they will 

cut down and carry away to their timber mills.’ 

The forest creatures could not believe their ears. Silence 

fell in the forest. 

The dragonfl ies and beetles trembled. The skinks and 

tiger snakes slithered quietly away. 

But the other birds and animals were FURIOUS! 

‘CUT DOWN OUR TREES?’ bellowed a possum. 

‘DESTROY OUR FOREST?’ squeaked an echidna. 

‘TURN OUR TREES INTO LOGS?’ howled a bandicoot. 

‘AND WOODCHIPS?’ shrieked a noisy scrub bird. 

‘This way, Joe’, said a voice. ‘Over here.’ 

Timber mill people could be seen through the trees. They 

stopped and stared in silence at Harry the karri and the 

forest creatures gathered about him. 

‘I’ve worked in this forest for many years’, said one of 

the timber mill people. ‘It’s like home to me.’ 

‘If we chop everything down it’s gone forever’, said 

another. 



Display Copy 

‘But I need a job. I’ve got a wife and family’, said a third. 

‘Bushwalkers come to this forest all the time’, said a 

fourth timber mill person. ‘They love it here. Why don’t we 

talk to the tourist people to see if they can arrange jobs 

for us?’ 

The timber mill people nodded their heads and stood 

talking together for some time, then they turned back 

and disappeared through the trees. 

The forest creatures were ECSTATIC! Harry the karri and 

the other karri trees waved their branches with delight 

and all the birds and animals jumped with joy. 

‘Friends of the forest,’ said Harry the karri at last, ‘I 

think we all agree that this karri forest is kept as an 

old growth forest to be protected and never felled for 

timber’. 

• What do YOU think? 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Karri 

We love 

The giant karri trees 

So old 

So high 

So strong. 

When next we went 

To visit them 

The karri trees 

Had gone. 



Display Copy 

Lines 

1, 2, 3, 4 & 5. Stand on tiptoe. 

Wave to the karri trees. 

6 & 7. Pat thighs gently. 

8 & 9. Shade eyes with hand. 

Look into the distance. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

PLATYPUS 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of platypus and 20-cent coins. 

Presentation 

• Read the following to the class, telling them 

they must guess which Australian animal 

you are. 

WHAT AM I ? 

• I am a warm-blooded Australian mammal. 

• I lay eggs. 

• I live in a burrow in a riverbank. 

• I have a bill like a duck’s. 

• I am a strong swimmer because I have a tail like 

a paddle and webbed feet. 

• I have waterproof fur that keeps me warm in the 

freezing river in winter. 

• I am almost 60 centimetres long. 


• When the platypus dives underwater, it 

closes its eyes, ears and nostrils. However, 

receptors in its bill detect tiny electric 

currents from molluscs and worms 

concealed in the rocks and mud of the river 

bed. The platypus catches the worms and 

molluscs with its bill and stores them in 

its cheek pouches. When it swims to the 

surface, it grinds up the catch and swallows 

it. The platypus eats molluscs, worms, 

shrimps, frogs and insects. It fossicks and 

fishes from dusk to dawn. The platypus 

is a vulnerable little animal. Its survival is 

threatened by pollution and destruction of its 

home. 


class. 



rhyme. 


• View 20-cent coins, which feature the 

platypus swimming underwater. The design 

was created by Stuart Devlin. 

• The platypus is the faunal emblem of New 

South Wales. 



Display Copy 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Platypus 

Dig your burrow 

Deep and dry 

Safe from scary passers-by. 

Frolic in 

Your secret stream 

Where the water’s cool and green. 

Catch a worm 

Or two for tea 

Watch a leaf fall lazily. 

Crawl inside 

Your burrow deep 

Curl up, Platypus, and sleep. 



Display Copy 

Lines 1 & 2. Dig. 

3. Look left, Look right. 

4, 5 & 6. Roll hands over and over. 



9. Look high. Look low. 

10 & 11. Wriggle. 

12. Curl up. Close eyes. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of Uluru. 

Presentation 

• Share and discuss the pictures of Uluru with 




• Uluru is a giant rock towering over the desert 

in the centre of Australia. 

• Uluru is 348 metres high. 

• The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is 

included in the United Nations World 

Heritage list. 

• Have the students close their eyes and read 

the following to them. They can then draw 

some of the images they imagined. 

– Imagine you are a wedge-tailed eagle 

flying over Uluru for a bird’s-eye view 

of the colours of the rock. By day, 

Uluru is a brilliant red against the blue 

Australian sky, but as the light changes 

Uluru becomes the colours of the desert 

– yellow, orange, brown, purple. In the 

evening, Uluru turns grey then black 

under the starry sky. 

– Fly over Uluru for a bird’s-eye view of its 

surface. Uluru is covered with lumps and 

holes—huge boulders, caves, potholes 

and hidden hollows. The scarred 

surface of Uluru is flaky and scaly like 

a dinosaur’s skin. Uluru is marked with 

grooves that look like cracks running 

down its sides. When black storm clouds 

gather and lightning and thunder and 

wind fill the sky, the showers of rain 

which run down the grooves become 

waterfalls tumbling and crashing to the 

ground. 

– Fly over Uluru for a bird’s-eye view of 

the creatures that live there. Insects are 


rhyme. 


quietly at work. Ants, butterflies, bees, 

wasps, termites, grasshoppers and 

spiders forage, build nests, mounds and 

hives, collect pollen and wild honey and 

spin webs and cocoons. 

– Fly over Uluru for a bird’s-eye view of 

reptiles which live there. Among them 

is a blue-tongued lizard with a waddling 

walk, rummaging for its tucker. On a flat 

warm rock, a large snake sunbakes. It is 

a mulga or king brown snake, venomous 

and dangerous. From its rocky outcrop, 

the perentie, the largest lizard in 

Australia, hunts mice and wrens and 

skinks. 

– Fly over Uluru for a bird’s-eye view and 

listen to the birds—the noisy, screeching 

parrots, the mournful cawing of crows, 

early morning carolling of magpies and 

the hooting of boobook owls. You will 

see pink cockatoos, turquoise wrens, 

red-capped robins and green and yellow 

budgerigars. 



Display Copy 

– Fly over Uluru and on your way home 

to roost, glimpse a hopping mouse. 

It appears cautiously from its burrow 

to forage for insects and seeds for its 

evening meal. Euros, red kangaroos and 

black-footed wallabies gather around a 

waterhole to drink at dusk, and night falls 

silently on Uluru. 

• Discuss what Australian animals the students 

like to see when they go to a wildlife 

sanctuary, national park or zoo. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

A bird’s-eye view 

I spread my wings 

And away I fl ew 

For a bird’s-eye view 

Of Uluru 

Red rock 

Sky blue 

The wonder in me 

Grew and grew. 



Display Copy 

Lines 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Spread wings wide and fly. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

WINDMILL 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of Australian windmills. 

Presentation 






class. 

• Why does a farmer need a windmill? 

A farmer needs to pump water from under 

the ground for his/her stock to drink and to 

irrigate his/her property. 

• How does a windmill go around? 

The wind turns the blades of the windmill 

around; the wind creates energy which 

drives the blades. 

• How does a farmer use wind energy? 

A farmer uses this wind energy to pump 

water from the ground into dams, water 

tanks and drinking troughs for thirsty 

animals. 

• Read the following story to the class. The 

students could then make up or talk about 

their own windmill stories. 

WINDMILL 

‘Nearly there Josie’, said Aunty, as they turned off 

the main road and drove along the winding bush 

track to the farm. The two kelpies, Tia and Bailey, 

jumped off the veranda and rushed to the car, 

barking and wagging their tails. 

‘Kettle’s on!’ said Uncle as he kissed Aunty and 

hugged Josie. 

Josie was eight years old and this was her fi rst 

visit by herself to the farm. 

‘I’m going to check the windmills this afternoon’, 

said Uncle. ‘Would you like to come Josie?’ 

‘Yes, please’, said Josie, and after lunch they set 

off in the ute over the paddocks. 

‘How many windmills have you got, Uncle?’ asked 

Josie. 

‘We’ve got two windmills’, said Uncle. ‘One windmill 

for each dam.’ 

Josie had never seen a windmill. 

‘They are so high’, she said. 

‘Our windmills are about eight metres high’, said 

Uncle. ‘That’s about as high as the power post in 

front of your house in the city. On a farm a windmill 

has to be the right height for the right wind.’ 

‘Who looks after the windmills?’ asked Josie. 

‘I check them regularly’, said Uncle. ‘If something’s 

not working properly I take my tools up and fi x it.’ 

‘Is it scary up there?’ asked Josie. 

‘It’s scary when the wind changes’, said Uncle. ‘I 

have to hang on with everything, including my toes 

and fi ngernails!’ 



Display Copy 

That night Josie cuddled up with her teddy in the 

little bed in the spare room. In the distance across 

the paddocks she could hear the windmills turning 

... turning ... turning ... in the wind. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Windmill 

Windmill turning 

Round and round 

Filling farmers’ dams 

So deep 

Pumping water 

From the ground. 



Display Copy 

With water for 

The thirsty sheep. 

Lines 1 & 2. Stand tall. 

Turn right arm round and round. 

3 & 4. Pump left arm up and down. 

5 & 6. Arms at sides. 

Raise arms slowly. 

7 & 8. Drink. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

DINGO 

• The dingo is a carnivore. Dingos resemble 

domestic dogs although dingos have 

flatter, larger skulls, larger canine teeth and 

narrower noses. Most dingos are yellow 

in colour but some are ginger-brown and 

others are black. The dingo has a bushy tail 

and large pointed ears, which are held erect. 

The mother dingo has her pups in a den. 

This could be in a small cave or a hollow log 

Dingo word ladder 

1 

s 

Answers 

1 

s 

h e e 

2 

p 

o 

i 

n 

t 

e 

3 

d 

2 

p 

3 

d 

e 

4 

c 

a 

5 

r 

n 

i 

v 

o 

r 

e 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of dingoes. 

Presentation 


class and discuss facts about dingoes (see 

‘Additional activities/information’). 



4 

5 

a 

c 

r 

6 

b b i t s 

r 

6 

t 

7 

y 

h 

8 

e 

h 

7 y e l l o w 

s 

w 

l 

8 


rhyme. 


or an old rabbit warren. Dingo pups drink 

their mother’s milk until they are about four 

months old then their mother forages for 

food for them for another month, when they 

will leave the den to hunt for themselves. 

Older brothers and sisters in the pack help 

the parents to rear the young pups, guarding 

them and coaching them to hunt. On hot 

days, dingos shelter in caves and under 

shady trees. A dingo will hunt alone for small 

prey such as rats, rabbits, reptiles and birds. 

Dingos hunt in packs for larger prey such 

as kangaroos, cattle and sheep. In some 

places in Australia, special fences are built to 

prevent dingos from hunting sheep. Dingos 

howl at night to keep contact with their pack. 

• After the information has been discussed, 

copy the word ladder below onto a large 

sheet of paper and complete it with the help 

of the class. 



Display Copy 

Clues 

1. Dingos hunt in 

packs for larger 

prey such as 

s _ _ _ _. (across) 

2. A dingo has large 

p _ _ _ _ _ _ ears. 

(down) 

3. The mother dingo 

has her pups in a 

d _ _ . (across) 

4. The dingo is a 

c _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . 

(down) 

5. A dingo hunts alone 

for small prey such 

as r _ _ _ _ _ _ . 

(across) 

6. Dingos shelter 

during the hot days 

in caves or under 

shady t _ _ _ _ 

(down) 

7. Most dingos are 

y_ _ _ _ _ in colour. 

(across) 

8. Dingos h _ _ _ at 

night. (down) 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Dingo 

Lost dog dingo 

Running down the track 

Ten k’s there 

And ten k’s back 


Looking for his pack 


Running down the track. 



Display Copy 

Lines 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Pat thighs gently. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

TIN ROOF 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of tin roofs. 

Presentation 


class. 



• Discuss the sound the rain makes; e.g. 

drip-dropping, pitter-pattering, gushing and 

rushing along the gutter, gurgling down the 

drainpipe, and splashing into a rainwater 

tank. 

• Read the following rhyme to the class. Once 

the students are familiar with the rhyme, 

organise a performance in the following 

way: 

– The students speak the title and the last 

line in unison. 

– Groups speak verses in sequence and 

cumulatively. The students use the 

suggested movements or improvise 

appropriate movements to accompany 

the verses. 

(Unison) 

RAIN 

Group A: 

Drip – drop (Flick forefi nger 

and thumb of each 

Drip – drop 

hand.) 

Drip – drop 

Drip – drop 

Group A & B: Pitter – patter 

Pitter – patter 



(Wiggle fi ngers.) 

Group A, B and C: 

Group A, B C and D: 

(Unison) 

Gush – rush 

Gush – rush 

Gush – rush 

Gush – rush 

Gurgle - gurgle 

Gurgle – gurgle 



(Move arms 

forward gradually 

while clenching 

fi sts and 

spreading fi ngers.) 

SP – L – A – SH! (Wave arms.) 


rhyme. 


• Discuss what sounds you might hear at 

night in the city and the country; e.g. sirens, 

horns, footsteps in the street in the city and 

possums in the roof, wind in the trees and 

owls in the country. 

• Say the following rhymes to the class. For 

‘Sounds in the city’, have the students 

improvise appropriate actions. For ‘Sounds 

in the country’, have the students identify 

the animal sounds. 

SOUNDS IN THE CITY 

Tired boots trudging 

Down the street 

Trainers jogging 


High heels tapping 


Thongs fl ip-fl opping 

Down the street. 

(Thump chests) 

(Jog on the spot and 

pump elbows.) 

(Click fi ngers) 



Display Copy 

(Roll hands over 

and over. Start at 

your nose and stop 

at your knees.) 

(Flip fl op hands on thighs) 

COUNTRY SOUNDS 

What says ‘Baa’? What says ‘Quack’? 

What says ‘Moo’? What says ‘Neigh’? 

What says ‘Cock– What says ‘Buzz, buzz, buzz,’ 

a–Doodle-Doo’? All day? 

What says ‘Cluck’? And when at last 

What says ‘Meow’? It’s time to sleep 

What says ‘Bow wow What says ‘Cheep cheep, 

wow, wow, wow, wow’? cheep, cheep, ch- ee- p’? 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Tin roof 

Snug and warm 

In my soft bed 

I heard a sound 

Above my head 

Drip Drop 

Drip Drop 

Drip Drop 



Display Copy 

... drip-drop! 

Lines 1 & 2. Close eyes. Snuggle. 

3. Hand to ear. 

4. Look up. 

5, 6, 7. Flick forefinger and thumb of each hand. 

8. ... give a quick flick-flick! 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

CROCODILE 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of saltwater crocodiles. 

Presentation 


class. 




class. 

THE SALTWATER CROCODILE 

• A reptile is a crawling animal. Snakes, lizards, 

crocodiles, turtles and tortoises are reptiles. An 

amphibian reptile is a reptile that lives on land 

and in water. Saltwater crocodiles are the largest 

amphibian reptiles on our planet. 

• A large saltwater crocodile can weigh about 600 

kilograms and grow to about 5 metres long. 

• Reptiles need to warm their blood to live and hunt. 

In the north of Australia, saltwater crocodiles are 

often seen basking in the sun on the banks of rivers 

and billabongs. 

• At nesting time a female crocodile collects grasses 

and water reeds, leaves and sticks and prepares 

a nest shaped like a mound. She chooses a quiet 

sandy place on the bank of a river. The nest must 

be high enough to be safe from fl ooding waters. 

She makes a hole in the nest and lays her eggs. 

She will lay about forty or so eggs. She then covers 

the eggs carefully with the grasses and reeds and 

guards them from such predators as goannas and 

snakes. 

• Inside the nest, the reeds and grasses and leaves 

begin to decay and the nest grows warmer. The 

warmth incubates the eggs. About 12 weeks later, 

the mother crocodile hears faint grunts and yelps 

from inside the nest. The eggs are beginning to 

hatch. 


rhyme. 


• The mother crocodile opens the nest and very 

gently lifts the hatchlings in her huge jaws and 

carries them to a quiet pool. There she can protect 

them from predators. In this haven, the hatchlings 

hunt for tadpoles, insects and shrimps. 

• For some weeks the baby crocodiles keep together 

by calling to their mother and to each other. When 

their mother leaves them they become vulnerable 

and most perish. 

• As a young crocodile grows, it hunts turtles and 

waterbirds. Later it hunts feral animals, cattle, 

kangaroos and horses as they drink at the water’s 

edge. Silent unseen hunters, crocodiles patrol the 

waterways, watching and waiting, only their eyes 

and nostrils above the water. 

• When a crocodile has selected its prey, it swims 

closer and closer then lunges, vaulting from the 

water, its powerful back legs and feet levering the 

huge body upwards. It seizes its prey in its strong 

jaws, rolls it in the water until it drowns and then 

devours it. 



Display Copy 

• Have students who have seen crocodiles in 

zoos, wildlife parks and crocodile farms talk 

about their experiences. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Crocodile 

Deep down on the riverbed 

Lurking in the ooze 

A prehistoric monster takes 

His after-dinner snooze. 



Display Copy 

Lines 1, 2, 3 & 4. Lie on tummy. 

Extend arms, one on top of the other, as jaws. 

Clench fingers as teeth. 

Close eyes and feel the ooze. 

between the ‘tooze’. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

DAINTREE 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of rainforests, particularly the Daintree. 

Presentation 

• Share and discuss the pictures with 

the class. If any students have visited a 

rainforest, ask them to talk about their 

experiences. 



• Share the following information and rhymes 

with the class. 

• If you visited the Daintree tropical rainforest, 

you would see huge trees growing high 

above your head. Their branches overlap 

to form a canopy over the trees and ferns, 

which grow below. 

Daintree trees 

Grow so tall 

We cannot see 

Their tops at all. 

• Say the rhyme for the class and have the 

children improvise the actions. 

• The Daintree is a deep green forest of giant 

trees, tangled thickets and woody vines that 

twist and twine; but somehow sunshine 

finds its way down to the ground so you can 

walk through the forest safely. 

Between the leaves 

And shadows too 

The dappled sunshine 

Filters through. 


students improvise the actions. 

• The Daintree is moist and misty. 

Everywhere, droplets of water drip from the 

tips of leaves. 


rhyme. 


Little drips 

Drip and drip 

And drip and drip and drop 

Big drips 

Drip and drip 

And drip and drip and pl-op. 


students improvise the actions. 

• When we visit the Daintree tropical 

rainforest, we should remember . . . 

Be gentle with 

Each branch and stone 

It could be 

Some small creature’s home. 



Display Copy 

• Creatures of all kinds make their homes in 

the Daintree tropical rainforest. They include 

the Daintree River ringtail possum and the 

musky rat-kangaroo, the golden bowerbird 

which builds its nest three metres 

high, the flightless southern cassowary 

and the rainbow bee-eater, lorikeets and 

kingfishers. Frogs, skinks, geckos and snakes 

live there as well as insects, including the 

bird-wing butterfly and the Hercules moth, 

waterbeetles and dragonflies. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Daintree 

Come with me 

Take my hand 

Step inside 

Rainforest land. 



Display Copy 

Lines 1. Beckon. 

2. Offer hand. 

3. Take one step. 

4. Look left. Look right. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

ROTTNEST 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of Rottnest Island and quokkas. 

Presentation 


class. 



• Rottnest, a holiday island, is 19 km from 

Fremantle off the west coast of Western 

Australia. It takes about 30 minutes to get 

there by ferry. 

• Rottnest is 11 kilometres long, 4.5 kilometres 

at its widest point and the land area 

measures 1900 hectares. 

• The quokka is a small Australian marsupial 

that lives on Rottnest Island. It is a quiet, 

furry little creature with gentle dark eyes, 

a small round head, a short thick tail and 

strong hind legs and bounds along in long 

and short hops. 

• The quokka is a herbivore and eats grass, 

leaves, shrubs and succulents. It is active at 

night and shelters during the day in small 

groups in dense low scrub. 

• Share the following story with the class, then 

discuss being a friend or buddy. 

OCKER THE QUOKKA 

Little Ocker the Quokka lived in the quokka retreat on Rottnest, 

a holiday island. One night he decided to have an adventure. 

He saw some bright lights in the distance and hopped towards 

them. 

Humans were everywhere. Ocker hopped up to a doorway and 

peeped inside. Humans were sitting together laughing and 

talking. Ocker took one step inside, then another step and 

another—and suddenly he was tangled up in two long legs! 

The legs belonged to a human who was carrying a large tray. 

Cups and cakes and the tray and the human went fl ying through 

the air and there was a terrifi c CRASH! 

‘Oops!’ said Ocker. He grabbed a cake from the fl oor, hopped out 

the door and back to the retreat as fast as he could. 

‘You have cake crumbs on your whiskers’, said the quiet voice of 

Elder Quokka. ‘Where have you been?’ 

Ocker licked his whiskers and told Elder Quokka all about his 

adventure. 


rhyme. 


‘Do not wander away again’, said Elder Quokka. 

Ocker meant to obey Elder Quokka, but two nights later while 

he was foraging for food, he found a ‘Boogie Bug’ three-wheeled 

trike on a path that led down to the beach. 

He hopped on the seat and the wheels began to turn faster and 

faster until the Boogie Bug bumped into a sandhill and Ocker 

fl ew over the handlebars. 

‘Wow!’ said Ocker as he brushed himself off. ‘Wow!’ 

The sun was coming up and Ocker watched sea lions ducking and 

diving through the waves. A family of dolphins frolicked past and 

waved their fl ippers and Ocker waved back. He decided to have a 

quick paddle in the rock pools when ... Ouch! A crab made a grab 

at Ocker’s paw with its claw. His paw hurt and it took him a long 

time to hobble home. 

Trusty, a little girl quokka who always smiled at Ocker and said 

‘Hello’, hopped up to him. 

‘Elder Quokka’s looking for you’, she said. ‘He’s worried about you.’ 

But Ocker was already planning his next adventure. Would he 

climb the Wadjemup Lighthouse or explore the guns and tunnels 

at Battery Point? 

The next night, Ocker set off but his paw hurt and he curled up 

in a quiet place and fell asleep. A loud noise woke him. It was 

morning and an aeroplane was circling round and round overhead 

and men were running towards him ... 

Ocker had fallen asleep on the airport runway! The men caught 

him, wrapped him in a blanket and drove him to the quokka 

retreat. 

‘Does this quokka belong to you?’ one of the men asked Elder 

Quokka and Trusty. 

‘He does’, said Elder Quokka. ‘I hope he hasn’t been troublesome.’ 

The men told him what had happened at the airport. Then they 

drove away. Ocker stood there looking very foolish and ashamed. 

‘Ocker’s real name is Oscar’, Elder Quokka told Trusty. ‘It is a 

grown-up name and I think Oscar has grown up at last. What 

Oscar needs now is not an adventure but a buddy.’ 

‘I’ll be Oscar’s buddy’, said Trusty. ‘If he wants me to.’ 

‘Yes, please’, said Oscar. 

And Oscar Quokka and Trusty Buddy lived happily ever after in 

the quokka retreat on the holiday island of Rottnest. 



Display Copy 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Rottnest 

Cuddly little quokkas 

Snoozing in the sun 

While the humans 

Rush about 

Having lots of fun. 



Display Copy 

Lines 1 & 2. Fold paws. Close eyes. 

3, 4 & 5. Run on the spot. 

Wave arms Wiggle fingers. 

SMILE! 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

BUSH TALES 

Presentation 





• Tell or read the fairytale Little Red Riding 

Hood. Discuss stranger danger. 

• Help the students to create an Australian 

bush tale based on the story; for example, 

Red Riding Hood and Feral the Fox. Some 

ideas are given below: 

– Develop the original story’s sequence 

– Use Australian characters, names and 

locations. 

– Improvise situations, dialogue and 

actions. 

An example is given below. 

RED RIDING HOOD AND FERAL THE FOX. 

One morning, Red Riding Hood was walking through the bush. 

She stopped to pick some wildfl owers. High in a gum tree, 

Kookaburra saw Feral the Fox following Red Riding Hood. 

‘Where are you going, Red Riding Hood?’ asked an unpleasant 

voice. 

Red Riding Hood turned around and there stood Feral! She 

was startled but she answered politely. 

‘I am going to visit my grandmother’, she said. 

‘Are you indeed?’ thought Feral the Fox as he sped away 

through the scrub. 

Kookaburra fl ew from tree to tree. 

‘Red Riding Hood is in danger!’ he told everyone. 

Possum, Joey, Wombat, Echidna, Wallaby and Koala hurried 

after her and Kookaburra, Mopoke, Willy Wagtail and Magpie 

fl ew overhead. 

Meanwhile, Feral the Fox reached Grandmother’s cottage. He 

shut her in a cupboard, jumped into her bed, put her nightcap 

on his head, pulled up the covers and waited. 

When Red Riding Hood and her bush friends arrived at the 

cottage, she knocked on the door and went in. 

‘Oh, Grandmother, what big eyes you have!’ she cried. ‘And 

what big ears! And what big teeth!’ 

Just as Feral sprang upon her, the door fl ew open and there 

stood the ranger! He seized Feral and tossed him into a sack. 

He lifted Grandmother from the cupboard, put her gently into 

her wheelchair and tucked a rug around her. Then he turned 

to Red Riding Hood and said, ‘Always remember you could be 

in danger, so never, never talk to a stranger’. 

‘I will remember’, promised Red Riding Hood. 

The ranger picked up the sack, waved goodbye to everyone 

and disappeared between the gum trees. Red Riding Hood’s 

kind bush friends took her and her grandmother safely home 

to Red Riding Hood’s mother. 

• Tell or read the tale of Jack and the 

beanstalk. Discuss the bully in the story 

– the giant. Talk about bullying and child 

protection. 

• Help the students create a new Australian 

bush tale called Bilby, Bunyip and Bully 

Dingo. Begin by deciding where the story 

happens, who it happened to, why it 

happened, what happened and how it ends. 

An example is below. This could be used as 

the basic story sequence, then dialogue and 

characterisation could be added. 

BILBY, BUNYIP AND BULLY DINGO 

Bully Dingo bullied the new boy, little Bilby, by making him 

climb the tall prickletree that grew beside the small bush 

school. 

Bully Dingo did this because he knew that there was a bunyip 

at the top of the prickletree who would frighten poor little 

Bilby. 

Bunyip saw little Bilby and he roared and bellowed and chased 

little Bilby down the prickletree. 

But when little Bilby reached the bottom of the prickletree, 

his teacher came out of the school, stood between little Bilby 

and Bunyip and told Bunyip to go away. 

She gave little Bilby a piece of sweet fruit to eat and took 

him back to the classroom so everyone could look after him. 

Then the teacher said to Bully Dingo, ‘Come with me to the 

principal’s offi ce’. 



Display Copy 

• Record the stories for the class listening 

corner. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Bush tales 

Tiptoe out 

Tuck yourselves in 

Time for a story 

Let’s begin! 



Display Copy 

Lines 1. Tiptoe. 

2. Sit comfortably. 

3. Nod twice. 

4. Close palms. Open palms to form a book. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

POSSUM 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of the common brushtail possum. 

Presentation 


class. 



• The common brushtail possum is a 

marsupial. A baby possum lives in its 

mother’s pouch for about five months then 

for another month it rides on its mother’s 

back and learns how to live in the bush. It 

has silver-grey fur, large ears, a little pointed 

foxy face and luminous eyes. It is an agile 

climber and has a long bushy tail capable 

of grasping branches and strong claws for 

gripping tightly. 

• The common brushtail possum lives in 

Australian rainforests, eucalyptus forests and 

open woodland and has adapted to living in 

gardens and parks in suburbs and cities. Like 

all possums it is nocturnal and sleeps during 

the day in hollow trees, logs and rabbit 

holes. In suburbs, possums climb into the 

ceiling space of houses where they create a 

nightly nuisance screeching, quarrelling and 

chasing each other. 

• In the bush, common brushtail possums eat 

eucalyptus leaves, fruits, blossoms, grasses 

and insects. On city streets they scavenge 

for food from rubbish bins and in gardens 

they eat rosebuds, geraniums, grapes, 

passionfruit, mulberries and other homegrown 

fruits and flowers. One desperate 

gardener set up a scarecrow to frighten 

possum invaders away, but they took turns 

to run up the scarecrow and sit on its hat! 

• When a baby possum grows into a strong 

young possum it leaves its mother and looks 

after itself. 

• Read the diary of a young possum. After 

reading, discuss how the possum had 

a balanced diet of vegetables and fruit. 

Discuss what makes a balanced diet for 


rhyme. 


humans. A class diary of what the students 

eat could be kept. 

YOUNG POSSUM’S DIARY 

• Monday 1 March: On my fi rst night away from home I 

climbed a gum tree all by myself! I was hungry so I looked 

for a fresh green leaf to eat. First I smelt it. Then I ate 

it. DELICIOUS! 

• Tuesday 2 March: I woke in my rabbit hole and made 

my way in the moonlight to the creek for a drink. 

Blackberries grew in a hollow nearby. ‘Blackberries for 

breakfast,’ I thought, ‘but watch out for thorns’. Juicy 

blackberries. YUM! 

• Wednesday 3 March: On hot nights my mother would 

take me to a cool, quiet thicket where trees and shrubs 

grew close together over sweet, green grasses. I found 

the thicket and was munching away when a grasshopper 

jumped out at me. It gave me a fright so I ate it. VERY 

TASTY! 

• Thursday 4 March: There was a big yellow moon in 

the night sky, perfect for an insect hunt! I ate a huge 

breakfast of one cicada, three midges, two small 

moths, one caterpillar and a praying mantis. CRISP and 

CRUNCHY! 

• Friday 5 March: It was just after sunset when I climbed 

a gum tree, perched on a branch and helped myself to 

nectar, pollen and blossoms. I ate so much I got the 

HICCUPS! 

• Saturday 6 March/Sunday 7 March: No time to write! I 

am going with my cousins to visit a place called a ‘city’. I 

hope I can get bush tucker there! 



Display Copy 

• Make fruit and vegetable recipes such as the 

ones below. 

Crunchy vegie kebabs – Wash hands. Wash 

crunchy vegies, cut into chunks and thread 

on wooden skewers. 

Fruit faces – Wash hands. Select and wash 

fruit for eyes, lips, cheeks, nose, hair and 

eyebrows. Arrange fruit faces on paper 

plates. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Possum 

Brush-tailed possum 

Ran away 

From her gum tree home 

One day 

Where will she go? 

What will she do? 

Will she come and live with 

YOU? 



Display Copy 

Lines 1, 2, 3 & 4. Run paws lightly on thighs. 

5. Look left. 

6. Look right. 

7. Run paws lightly on thighs. 

8. Point. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

PHILLIP ISLAND SEAL 

Preparation 

• Collect pictures of seals. 

Presentation 


class. 



• Share the baby seal family album below 

with the class, then have the students draw 

pictures of their families and write their 

favourite memories. Make them into an 

album. 

BABY SEAL’S FAMILY ALBUM 


rhyme. 


My mum is beautiful. She is silver all over except for her 

brown tummy. 

My mum likes to keep herself tidy with her front 

fl ippers. My mum and dad eat lots of fi sh and squid and 

octopus and cuttlefi sh. My mum says she will teach me 

to fi sh when I am older. 

My dad is huge and fi erce. He has lots of muscles and 

a big mane of long, rough, thick hair on his neck and 

shoulders. My dad says fur seals have coats that are 

water repellent. I think that means they keep the water 

out. My dad tells me to take care in the water and 

watch out for fi shing lines that could tangle me up. My 

dad says never swallow plastic bags and bottles that 

are fl oating about in the sea, and I don’t. 



Display Copy 

I am a little fur seal. I live in a colony of fur seals on 

Victoria’s Phillip Island. My mum feeds me yummy, thick, 

rich milk. She is teaching me to swim. Instead of hands 

and feet I have front and back fl ippers and I use my 

front fl ippers like oars to swim through the water. When 

I sit on the rocks with my mum, I rest on my front and 

back fl ippers and when we go for a walk I bounce along 

on my tummy. We watch the seabirds and sometimes 

we see scary great white sharks. 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

Phillip Island seal 

Flap Flip 

Flip Flap 

Baby seal 

Is learning to 

CLAP! 



Display Copy 

Lines 1, 2, 3, 4. Flap flippers. 

5. Clap! 



ISBN 978-1-74126-424-1

RIC-6277 I can dance the Barramundi

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