
The resources and links listed on this page will enhance your nature study lessons for the Australian Nature Study Guide | Volume Four.
Book resources and links have been updated since this volume was published in 2018. Should you encounter an expired link, please let us know, and we’ll fix it.
Should you find a resource that will complement any lesson within the guide, be sure to contact us so that we can add it to the list.
We also welcome photographs of your nature study encounters and activities while using this resource. If you would like to share, please send photographs with a note about your experience or activity and I will add them here to inspire other families on the same unit.
Starting a nature journal.
Table of Contents
Weeds
A few common edible weeds are: (pg 18)
• Dandelions | (Taraxacum officinale)
• Chickweed | (Stellaria media)
• Cleavers | (Galium aparine)
• Wild Lettuce | (Lactuca serriola)
• Wild Brassicas| (Brassica)Further Exploring
Further exploring
- The Weed Forager’s Handbook by Adam Grubb
- Wild Herbs of Australia and New Zealand by Tim Low
- A Weed Busters Curriculum | Gould League
- A Weed Manual for Surveying and Mapping Nationally Significant Weeds by Department of Agriculture
Related Internet Links
- 10 Edible Weeds That are Safe to Eat | ABC News
- Bush Tucker | Edible Weeds | Survival, Tracking and Awareness
- Hello Little Weed | Weed Foraging Booklets
- Edible Weeds | The Garden Gurus
Nature Rambles
Literature Jaunt
- Weeds Find a Way by Cindy Jenson-Elliot
- The Dandelion Seed by Joseph Anthony
- The Dandelion Seeds Big Dream by Joseph Anthony
- Weeds and Seeds by Tracey Lynn
Poetry Picnic
The Dandelion by Janet L. Niehaus
A Song
Weeds by Roland Zimmerman
Picture Study (pg 20)
Make a Wish and Blow by Betsy Frahm
Digging Deeper (pg21)
Young Students:
• Make a Dandelion or Cleavers Crown like this.
• Bake Dandelion Cookies.
• Create a Dandelion artistic masterpiece using a dish brush here.
• Make a Weed Tea Fertilizer for your vegetable or flower garden.
Older Students:
• Create edible weed identification cards like this for your area.
• Compile a Weedarium which consists of pressed, dried and identified weeds for your locality. You’ll find instructions in the Weedbusters Curriculum on page 22.
• Organise the Largest Root Competition as described in the Weedbusters Curriculum, page 56, with a group of nature friends.
• Sketch a dandelion with this tutorial.
• Choose an activity of your choice from the Weedbusters Curriculum by Gould League.
• Research the most deadliest plants in Australia and prepare a project to display the dangerous flora and fauna of Australia. You’ll continue to add to the project as we study spiders and reptiles in the future. Start here.
Oldest Students: (pg21)
- Weed Field Manual – no longer here. Try this web page instead.
- Cook up a Dandelion Pesto Pizza. Find the recipe here.
- Discover the meaning and types of inflorescence by watching this.
Spring Trees
Further Exploring (pg 24)
- Exploring Creation with Botany by Fulbright.
- Roots by Steffi Cavell-Clarke
- The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
Related Internet Links
- Plants Use an Internet Made of Fungus to Communicate |Gross Science
- Trees Transport Water from Roots to Leaves | California Academy of Sciences
Literature Jaunt
- Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow
- The Root Children by Sibylle von Olfers (References to Mother Nature)
A Hymn
Rooted by Jack Gilbert music.
Picture Study
Buttress Roots by Tina Dinte
Digging Deeper
Young Students:
• Watch a Silly Symphony of Flowers and Trees by Walt Disney
Older Students:
• Find out how tree roots grow down, around and through crevices by watching this.
- Discover the secret world beneath your feet and how plants depend on a special fungi network and symbiotic relationship to survive and thrive by watching this.
Oldest Students:
• geotropism
• ‘Wood Wide Web’
Caterpillars
Further Exploring
- Exploring Creation with Zoology 1 by Fulbright.
- The Wonderland of Nature by Nuri Mass
- Purnell’s Life Cycle Book of Butterflies by Ronald Riddout
- Caterpillars by Claire Llewellyn
- My Little Book of Lifecycles by Australian Geographic
- Anatomy of Nature by Julia Rothman
Related Internet Links
- Caterpillar Identification of Australia | The Butterfly House
- Caterpillars | Backyard Buddies
- Caterpillar Control | Gardening Australia
- Anatomy of a Caterpillar | ThoughtCo.
- Casemoth Caterpillars
- Scribbly Gum Moths
- Caterpillar to Butterfly
Nature Ramble
Literature Jaunt
- From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Bedtime Stories
- Parables of Nature by Alfred Gatty
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- The Very Ordinary Caterpillar by Gary Fleming
- The Story Book of Science by Jean Henri Fabre
Poetry Picnic
A Hymn
A Scripture Song | Ephesians 4:22-24
Picture Study
Notodontid Moth and Caterpillar by Harriet Scott
Digging Deeper
Young Students:
• Watch the Very Hungry Caterpillar animated film here.
• Watch how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly here.
• Make playdough and create a caterpillar.
• Create a hungry caterpillar using things from nature like leaves. Look here for inspiration.
• Grow silkworms by purchasing the eggs online.
Older Students:
• Grow silkworms by purchasing the eggs online.
• Research the world’s most deadliest caterpillar and share your discoveries with your family.
Oldest Students:
• Find out how to treat hairy caterpillar stings and infections.
Butterflies
Watch Butterflies drinking turtle tears.
Further Exploring
- Exploring Creation with Zoology 1 by Fulbright.
- The Wonderland of Nature by Nuri Mass
- Junior Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife by Kylie Currie and Steve Parish
- A Flutter of Butterflies by Michael Braby and Penny Olsen
- Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman
- Butterflies Close Up by Charles Hope
- Grow With Me Butterfly by Kate Riggs
- Butterfly | A Photographic Portrait by Thomas Marent
- Butterflies and Moths by John Farndon
- A Wild Australian Guide to Butterflies and Moths by Steve Parish
- The Complete Field Guide to Butterflies of Australia by Michael F. Braby
- The Butterflies of Australia by Albert Orr and Roger Kitching
Related Internet Links
- The Wanderer Butterfly | Australian Museum
- The Monarch Butterfly | Backyard Buddies
- The Butterfly Life Cycle | National Geographic for Kids
- Butterfly Host Plants | ABC Gardening Australia
- Butterfly Wings Up Close | Australian Geographic
Nature Ramble
Literature Jaunt
- Where the Butterfly Grows by Joanne Ryder (Start at 0:45)
- Little Busy Body by Jeanette Augustus Marks
- Our Wonderful World by Emery Lewis Howe
- Maisie the Monarch by Sue Galbraith
- The Girl Who Drew Butterflies by Joyce Sidman
- A Butterfly is Patient by Diana Hutts Aston
- Maria Merian’s Butterflies by Kate Heard (For Older Children)
- Maria Sibylla Merian – Artist, Scientist, Adventurer by Sarah B. Pomeroy
Poetry Picnic
A Butterfly’s Day by Emily Dickinson
A Hymn
A Picture Study
A Common Brown by Helena Scott
Digging Deeper
Young Students:
• Explore symmetry with these colouring pages.
• Make a butterfly print with a sponge. Here’s how.
• Bake Vanilla Butterfly Cupcakes here.
Older Students:
• Create a rich and thriving butterfly habitat in your yard. Start your research for the right plants to grow here.
• Colour beautiful butterfly specimens from around the world with Maria Sibylla Merian’s Clouring Book.
• Make paper butterflies like this.
• Read ‘If Life Sends You Lemons, Butterflies May Follow’ by the Paperbark Writer, Paula Peters.
Oldest Students:
• Watch Metamorphosis | The Beauty and Design of Butterflies DVD. (Christian Worldview).
Dragonfly
Further Exploring
- Exploring Creation with Zoology 1 by Fulbright.
- The Wonderland of Nature by Nuri Mass
- Junior Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife by Kylie Currie and Steve Parish
- Dragonflies by Chris Earley
- The Complete Guide to Dragonflies of Australia by Gunther Theischinger and John Hawing.
Related Internet Links
- Dragonflies and Damselflies: Order Odonatan | Australian Museum
- Dragonflies | Backyard Buddies
- What do Dragonflies Eat?
- The Dragonfly Lifecycle
- How can You Tell the Difference Between a Dragonfly and a Damselfly?
- Dragonfly Identification Key
- Australian Dragonflies Website no longer available, try this Facebook page instead
- How to Collect Dragonflies
- Dragonflies: Designed to Dart | Creation Ministries
- Dragonflies of Australia | National Geographic
Literature Jaunt
- A Dragonfly Dance by Rebecca Johnson
- Are You a Dragonfly by Judy Allen Read Aloud
- Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner
- One Square Pond by Donald M. Silver
- Dragonflies by R. Hugh Rice
- Eliza and the Dragonfly by Susie Caldwell Rinehart
- Little Busy Bodies by Jeannette Augustus
Poetry Picnic
Fly, Dragonfly! By Joyce Sidman
A Hymn
Thou Art Worthy – Lyrics – Music
Digging Deeper
Young Students:
• Watch this dragonfly science video.
Older Students:
• Learn how to draw a dragonfly here.
• Study Dragonfly anatomy, life cycles and metamorphosis with the help of these informative cards.
Watch the metamorphosis of a dragonfly here.
Oldest Students:
• Learn how to paint a dragonfly here.
• Explore the picture study fossil of a dragonfly and read ‘Did Dragonflies Really Predate Dinosaurs?’ by Creation Science.
• Colour in this picture of a pond ecosystem.
• Investigate the system of thermoregulation and how dragonflies use it to control their internal body temperature.
• Learn how researchers are studying insects in an effort to create flying machines with the same capabilities in aerodynamics here.
Dangerous Spiders
The 10 Most Dangerous Spiders in Australia according to National Geographic are:
• Sydney funnel-web spider.
• Other funnel-web spiders such as the Northern tree funnel-web and the Southern tree funnel-web spiders.
• Red-backed Spider.
• Mouse Spider.
• Trapdoor Spiders.
• White-tailed Spiders.
• Australian Tarantulas.
• Recluse Spider.
• Huntsmen Spiders.
• Common Garden Orb Weaver Spider.
Further Exploring
- Exploring Creation with Zoology 3 by Fulbright.
- The Wonderland of Nature by Nuri Mass
- A Wild Australian Guide | Dangerous and Deadly Wildlife by Ted Lewis and Steve Parish
- Spidentify | Australia’s most comprehensive spider identification assistant and field guide app for mobile devices.
- A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia by Robert Whyte and Greg Anderson
- Australia’s Most Dangerous Spiders by Kathy Riley
- Australia’s Most Dangerous Spiders, Snakes and Marine Animals by National Geographic
- Green Guide | Spiders of Australia by Terence R. Lindsey
Related Internet Links
- Arachne.org.au for spider identification and information.
- Australia’s Spiders: The 10 Most Dangerous
- Spiders Identification Chart and Website
- What to Do if You Find a Spider
- Australian Spider and Insect Bites
- Spider Structure | Australian Museum
- Egg Sacs, Spiderlings and Dispersal | Australian Museum
- Watch a Ballooning Spider Take Flight
Literature Jaunt
- The Spider Makes a Web by Joan M. Lexau
- Life Cycle of a Spider by Ron Fridell and Patricia Walsh
- I’m Trying to Love Spiders by Bethany Barton Listen to the Read Aloud here.
- The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt
Poetry Picnic
Wolf Spiders Nest by James McAuley – link broken
A Hymn
Our Confidence is in the Lord by Noel Richards
Picture Study
A Digital Illustration by Jamie Jones
Digging Deeper
Young Students:
• Watch Spiders | Animals for Children here.
• Take a another walk searching for spider webs at sundown. You may find spiders weaving webs in an effort to trap nocturnal insects. Return in the morning to see the nights catch and if the web sustained any damage.
Older Students:
• Find out why spiders don’t get stuck in their webs here
• Are you an Arachnophile, a person who loves spiders? Then perhaps you’d like to be a Huntsman’s buddy. Find out how here.
• Learn to identify venomous and dangerous spiders in your locality and how you should respond in the rare event of being bitten by one.
• Watch Spiders for Kids here.
• Draw a Red-backed Spider with this tutorial.
Oldest Students:
• Explore the purpose of stabilimenta and why spiders decorate their webs.
• Investigate how spider venom attacks the nervous system or tissues in humans and what our first-aid response should be to spider bites.
• Watch Brave Wilderness featuring a Funnel web spider here and Red back spiders here.
• Do spiders love music? I wonder…find out here and here.
• Learn to sketch a spider with this tutorial.
Dangerous Snakes
The 15 most dangerous snakes in Australia are the:
• Eastern Brown Snake
• Western Brown Snake
• Mainland Tiger Snake
• Inland Taipan Snake
• Coastal/Eastern Taipan
• King Brown Snake/Mulga
• Common Copperhead
• Southern/Common Death Adder
• Small-eyed Snake
• Red-bellied Black Snake
• Spotted or Blue-bellied Black Snake
• Yellow-bellied Sea Snake
• Beaked Sea Snake
• Rough Scaled Sea Snake
Further Exploring
- Exploring Creation with Zoology 3 by Fulbright.
- A Wild Australian Guide | Dangerous and Deadly Wildlife by Ted Lewis and Steve Parish
- Australia’s Dangerous Snakes by Peter Mirtschin
- What Snake is That? | Introducing Australian Snakes by Gerry Swan and Steve Wilson
- Snakes of Australia by Gerry Swan
Related Internet Links
- Australia’s 10 Most Dangerous Snakes | Australian Geographic
- Top 10 Deadliest Snakes with Steve Irwin Documentary
- World’s Deadliest Animals | National Geographic Documentary
- Red-belled Black Snake Information
- Eastern Brown Snake Information
- Western Brown Snake Facts
- Australian Snake Bites – link no longer available
Nature Rambles
This is what we WONT do!
Watch this instead
Literature Jaunt
- One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree by Daniel Bernstrom Read Aloud
- Snakes by James Maclaine
- I (Don’t) Like Snakes by Nicola Davies
- The Drover’s Wife by Henry Lawson
- The Jungle Doctor’s Fables by Paul White
Poetry Picnic
The Brown Snake by Douglas Stewart
A Hymn
Here I Am Lord, Send Me lyrics and music.
Picture Study
The Snake Charmer by Henry Rousseau
Digging Deeper
Young Students:
• Watch snakes for kids here
• Create a Salt Dough Snake. Here’s how!
Older Students:
• Meet the most dangerous snake in Australia here.
• Learn to draw a snake here.
• Create a snake with patterned rocks. Here’s how!
Oldest Students:
• Watch the World’s Deadliest Snake on Nat Geo Wild here.
• Learn how to treat a snake bite here.
• Learn how to draw a snake illustration here.
• Discover how snake venom works here.
Cicadas
Further Exploring
Related Internet Links
- Cicadas | Australian Museum
- Summer of Singing Cicadas | ABC Science
- Cicada Names and Identification
Literature Jaunt
- Cicadas | Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle
- Uncle Vic’s Farm by Caisley Raewyn
- Aesop’s Fables-The Cicada and the Ant
Poetry Picnic
Cicadas by David Campbell – link no longer available
try Cicada Songs by David Granville instead
A Hymn
Sing Unto the Lord a New Song by Charles Ritchie music.
Picture Study
Digging Deeper
Young Students:
• Learn about the loudest bugs in the world here.
• Create a cicada flannel/felt board like this.
Older Students:
• Lean about the dormant army of cicadas beneath your feet here.
• Watch a cicada emerge from its suit here.
• Make a cicada origami here.
Oldest Students:
• Learn about the periodical cicadas of North America which emerge every 17 years here.
• Find out how to draw a cicada here.
Bats
Further Exploring
- Exploring Creation with Zoology 1 by Fulbright.
- Junior Encyclopedia of Australian Wildlife by Kylie Currey
- All About Bats by DK
- A Wild Australia Guide |Bats by Les Hall and Steve Parish
Related Internet Links
- Bat Sophistication in a Minute | Creation Science
- Find Out About Bats | DK Science
- Bat Fact Sheets | Australian Bat Society
- All About Bats of Southern Queensland
- Wildcare Australia | Bats
- Find Bat Species in Your Location | Australian Museum
- Fruit Bats in Australia
The secrets and mysteries of bats
Literature Jaunt
- Batmouse by Steve Smallman
- Stellaluna by Jenell Cannon Read Aloud
- Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies Read Aloud
Poetry Picnic
Basil the Fruit Bat by Tom Higgins
A Hymn
Be Merciful to Me Oh God by Jason Silver lyrics and music here
Picture Study
The Flying Fox by Vincent Van Gough
Digging Deeper
Young Students:
• Learn all about bats here.
• Make a bat face mask with this template.
Older Students:
• Watch the Wild Kratts | A Bat in the Brownies expedition here.
• Draw a bat with this guide.
• Make a bat finger puppet with this template.
• Read through the Flying Fox Life Cycle Education Kit and work through the activities.
• Learn about echolocation here.
• Test your ability to echolocate with this experiment.
Oldest Students:
• Debunk bat myths by reading this article.
• Learn how to paint a bat here.
• Create a bat kite with this template.
• Sew your own needle felt bat with these instructions.
• Read through the Flying Fox Education Kit and work through the activities.
• Investigate and learn about echolocation here and here.
• Can we echolocate like bats? Find out how humans are using echolocation here and here and share your discovery with the family.
Parrots
- Galah
- Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
- Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
- Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
- Major Mitchell Cockatoo
- Gang-Gang Cockatoo
Further Exploring
- Exploring Creation with Zoology 1 by Fulbright.
- A Wild Field Guide | Parrots by Steve Parish and Karin Cox
- Flocks of Colour by Penny Olsen
- Night Parrot by Penny Olsen
- Parrots of Australia by Terence Lindsey
- Beaks, Feet and Feathers by Mark Edwards and Damien Feneley
- Sibley’s Birding Basics by David Allen Sibley
- The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds by Peter, Pat and Raoul Slater
Related Internet Links
- Healthy Food List for Parrots
- Australian Native Birds | Parrots (Identification)
- Australian Parrot Bird Chart | Gould League
- Parrots in the Land of Oz Documentary
- Parrots | Backyard Buddies
- Parrot Puzzle | Creation Science
- These Parrots Aren’t Just Parroting | Creation Science
Literature Jaunt
- Crimson Feathers for Ty by Andrew Coram
- Alex the Parrot |No Ordinary Bird by Stephanie Spinner
- Saving the Parrots by Diana Noonan
- Normie by Jane Carrol
Poetry Picnic
The King Parrot by C.J. Dennis
A Hymn
Creation Glory | Psalm 104:24-35 Song here.
Picture Study
The Superb Parrot by John Lewis (Slide 4)
Digging Deeper
Young Students:
• Learn more about beautiful parrots here.
• Create a parrot using leaves. Here’s someone to inspire you.
• Choose activities and investigations to complete in the Beaks, Feet and Feathers educational resource by Birds in Backyards.
Older Students:
• Create a colourful paper parrot. Here’s how.
• Learn to draw a parrot with this quick tutorial.
• Choose activities and investigations to complete in the Beaks, Feet and Feathers educational resource by Birds in Backyards.
Oldest Students:
• Create a parrot masterpiece by using ink and fingerprints. Take a look.
• Choose activities and investigations to complete in the Beaks, Feet and Feathers educational resource by Birds in Backyards.
Additional Activities
Resource List
Steve Parish Field Guides
- First Field Guide to Australian Mammals
- First Field Guide to Australian Birds
- First Field Guide to Australian Frogs & Reptiles
- First Field Guide to Australian Marine Life
- First Filed Guide to Australian Fish
- First Field Guide to Australian Insects & Spiders
Steve Parish Amazing Facts Series
- Amazing Facts about Australian Reptiles
- Amazing Facts about Australian Mammals
- Amazing Facts about Australian Marine Fishes
- Amazing Facts about Australian Birds
- Amazing Facts about Australian Frogs & Toads
- Amazing Facts about Australian Native Plants
- Amazing Facts about Australian Marine Life
- Amazing Facts about Australian Insects & Spiders
- Amazing Facts about Australian Wildlife Conservation
- Amazing Facts about Australian Southern Skies
Field Guides
- Field Guide to Australian Birds by Micheal Morcombe
- Tracks, Scats and Other Traces by Barbara Triggs
- Wild Food Plants of Australia by Tim Low
- Australian Guide to Seashores by Gould League
- Australian Guide to Pondlife by Gould League
- Australian Guide to Beaches and Rockpools by Gould League
- Australian Guide to Frogs and Reptiles by Gould League
- Australian Guide to Garden Wildlife by Gould League
- Ponding Activities by Wilhelmina & Gould League
- Coasting by Gould League
- First Flight: Activities for Birdwatches by Gould League
Bush Books of Western Australia:
- Mammals
- Birds
- Birds in the Backyard
- Wildflowers
- Trees
- Woodland Wildflowers
- Rainforest Plants
- Alpine Wildflowers
- Wildflowers of Mt Wellington
- Common Orchids
- Coastal Plants
Nature Journaling
- An Australian Country Woman’s Diary by Elizabeth Conabere
- A New Zealand Nature Journal by Sandra Morris
- The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden
- Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie & Charles Roth
- The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling by John Muir Laws
- Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman
Journaling Pages
- My Australian Nature Journal eBook by Joelle Grubb
- Bush and Nature Calendar Journal eBook by Homeschooling Downunder – No longer available
- Subscribe with Nature Study Australia to receive free notebook resources throughout the year.
Nature Poems
- Birds in Mind by Andrew Lansdown
- Australian Poems to Read to the Very Young
- Poems to Read to Young Australians by Mary Gilmore and Lynda Pender
- More Poems to Read to Young Australians
- The Pixie O’Harris Treasury of Animal Verse by Methuen
Nature Books
- Parables from Nature by Mrs Alfred Gatty
- Bush Seasons by Joan Semmens
- A Bush Calendar by Amy E Mack (OOP)
- Bush Days by Amy E Mack (OOP)
- The Wildernes by Amy E Mack (OOP)
- Australian Nature Story Collection for Children by Homeschooling Downunder – No longer available
- Little Busybodies: the life of crickets, ants, bees, beetles, and other busybodies by Jeannette Augustus Marks, 1875-1964 (OOP)
- Our Wonderful World by Emery Lewis Howe, 1871 (OOP)
Astronomy
- Australian Backyard Astronomy by Ragbir Bhathal
- Your Guide to the Night Sky by Ken Wallace, Glenn Dawes & Peter Northfield