Nature Study Australia

Australian Nature Study Guide | Volume 4 | Links & Resource List

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.

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

Related Internet Links

Nature Rambles

Inflorescence

Literature Jaunt

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)

Spring Trees

Further Exploring (pg 24)

Related Internet Links

Literature Jaunt

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

Thanatosis

Processionary Caterpillars

lepidopterism

insect metamorphosis

Further Exploring

Related Internet Links

Nature Ramble

silkworms online

Literature Jaunt

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

Related Internet Links

Nature Ramble

Butterfly Chrysalis Kit

Literature Jaunt

Poetry Picnic

A Butterfly’s Day by Emily Dickinson

A Hymn

I Am a New Creation

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

Incomplete Metamorphosis

Further Exploring

Related Internet Links

Literature Jaunt

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.

Uloboridae

Ballooning

Further Exploring

Related Internet Links

Literature Jaunt

Poetry Picnic

Wolf Spiders Nest by James McAuley – link broken

Try Spider by Pat Simmons

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

Eastern Brown

Western Brown

Red Bellied Black

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

Related Internet Links

Nature Rambles

This is what we WONT do!

Watch this instead

Literature Jaunt

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

Literature Jaunt

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


Cicada Eclipse by Alex Louisa

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

Related Internet Links

The secrets and mysteries of bats

Literature Jaunt

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

International Parrot Trade

Further Exploring

Related Internet Links

Literature Jaunt

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

Cabinet of Curiosities

Diary of Firsts

Phenology Wheel

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

Plant Identikits of Tasmania:

  • 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

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
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