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Some fun follow up activities to use with kindergarten or primary aged children

Here are some activities you might like to try. If you enjoy them, please let me know, I’d love to hear from you.

1. The Music Tree

 

Reading the Music Tree to children can be a great interactive activity and can be followed up with music and a little 'music therapy.' Look out for the possum in the tree as you read  the story...

 

Build your own Music Tree.  Select a suitable sturdy tree in the yard, or construct one using a large branch  anchored in a large bin full of sand. You could even use a washing line if you  don't have any kind of tree! Children can bring 'instruments' from home such as  saucepan lids, pans, metal dishes, spoons, bits of pipe...in fact anything that  makes a noise as long as it is not breakable.

Children can take turns making their own music. This could be a reward or  even creative tim out for an exuberant and energetic child. A little positive Music Therapy.

 

Make your own musical  instruments. Children can make their own musical instruments. For example,  shakers made from plastic bottles filled with dried peas or similar. Make sure  you seal the lid safely with tape. guitars can be made by cutting a hole in a  cereal box and stretching rubber bands of different thickness over the box.

 

Experiment with sound. Fill  glasses of the same type and shape with different amounts of water.  Observe the changes in sound... how does the amount of water change the note? Can you play a tune?

 

Create an artistic Music Tree  collage. Collect leaves from various sources. Draw the outline fo a tree trunk  and branches onto a large sheet of paper. Attach to wall. Children can use paint to fill in the trunk, then stick on the leaves. Children can then draw or colour  in pictures of various things that might be found in a Music Tree.

 

Explore the different categories  of musical instruments in an orchestra.

Percussion: drums, tambourines, shakers etc

Woodwind: flute, piccolo, whistle

Brass: trumpet, trombone, saxophone

Strings: violin, viola, cello

If possible bring in examples of these.

Your local high school or primary school may have a band or choir. See if you  can arrange a visit.

 

2. My Grandad Marches on Anzac Day.

 

Reading the book 'My Grandad Marches on Anzac Day,' is a simple and  effective way to introduce this topic to a wide variety of age groups. Use it to generate discussion on the meaning of ANZAC Day but also  the importance of family traditions and stories, not just those about war.

 

Activities for ANZAC Day for children in kindergarten and early primary.

 

Photocopy an outline of a medal. Children can cut this out and colour in.  This can then be attached to a piece of ribbon. (nb. Ribbon can sometimes be  expensive. An alternative is to get striped material and cut into suitable  length strips.)Their ‘medal’ can be worn throughout the week. Teachers can write  something on their medal when they have done something special.

Cook some ANZAC biscuits.

Here are a few links to recipes and  history of the ANZAC biscuit.

 http://www.aussieslang.com/features/anzac-biscuits.asp

 http://goaustralia.about.com/od/practicalinformation/r/anzacrecipe.htm

 http://www.anzac.govt.nz/significance/traditions.html

 

Activities for ANZAC Day for older students.

 

Questions relating to book, 'My Grandad Marches on Anzac Day,' are listed  below.

Click here to download as a word document. Permission is given for reproduction  for use in schools.

My Grandad Marches on Anzac Day.

 What date is ANZAC Day?

 Why do we use that date to commemorate ANZAC Day?

 What do the letters ANZAC stand for? 

In what country is Gallipolli? 

What do you think the  word veteran means? 

Page 8/9

Can you find the ANZAC day badge on the war memorial? What letter is in the centre? 

How many ANZAC day badges  can you count throughout the book? 

Page 14/15

The large medal on this  page is called the Victoria Cross.

What do you think the  word valour means?

You might like to find out more about the Victoria Cross.

 Page 18/19

At the top of the page,  there are some headstones. What do the letters RIP stand for? 

Page 24/25

There are many old photographs in this page. What kind of hat are all these people wearing? 

Why were the men on the  previous page wearing different hats? 

 

This book was  written about a real Grandad called George. Do you know a grandad or grandma,  mum or dad, aunt or uncle or even a friend who marches on ANZAC day? You might  like to interview them.

  

Some questions might be:

 

Ø     Why do you march on Anzac Day?

Ø     Do you think children should be  allowed to march on Anzac Day?

Ø     What branch of the services were you in (ie Army, Navy, Air Force)

Ø     Did you serve overseas? If so, where? Try to find this on a map.

Ø     How long were you in the forces?

Ø     Do you go to the dawn service?

Ø     Do you have any medals?

 

You might like to tell your class what you found out. Can you bring in some interesting objects to show  people?

 

 

Homework Project:

Find out the answers to  the following questions. You can ask an adult, look in library books, contact your local council or try using the internet

 

What does RSL stand for?

What is the address of your local RSL.

Do they have a dawn  service?

What is a gunfire  breakfast and why is it served?

 

 

Find out more about  someone who served at Gallipoli. Here are some suggestions but there are many more.

 

Ø     Sir John Monash.

Ø     Private John Simpson

Ø     Field Marshall Thomas Blamey

Ø     Attaturk

Ø     Evelyn Gertrude  Brooke

Ø     William George Malone

Ø     Alice Kitchen

 

Many people who served at Gallipoli kept diaries or wrote  books afterwards. You may like to write your own diary about what it would have  been like to land there.

  

Some other useful links for curriculum ideas:

 http://www.abc.net.au/tv/btn/teachers/activitysheets/ep09/0426gallipoli.doc

 http://www.education.tas.gov.au/mediacollection/anzac

 http://www.defence.gov.au/army/AHU/HISTORY/Battles/Monash_Gallipoli.htm

 http://www.awm.gov.au/Encyclopedia/gallipoli/bio.htm

 

 

 

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