Morah Katie: What continent is called the island continent?
Efraim: Australia.
Morah Katie: Why is it called the island continent?
Efriam: Surrounded by ocean!
Morah Katie: Is it the largest continent?
Gracie: No.
Morah Katie: If it is not the largest, what size is it?
Sroli: It is the smallest!

While in Australia we visited the Sydney Opera house and the Harbour Bridge.

Morah Katie: I am interested in visiting the LARGEST rock on earth. Where would I go?
Efraim: To Uluru.
Gracie: You would go to Australia.
Efraim: It is in the middle. 
Scout: You would have to go to the very middle of Australia.

Gracie is Uluru and Ella is an Adelaide penguin.

Efraim is Uluru while Isaac sorts Aussie animals.

 Morah Katie: Is a kookaburra a marsupial?
Gracie: No, Morah Katie it's not a marsupial.
Scout: It's a bird.
Morah Katie: Do kookaburras really eat gumdrops, like in the song?
Amelia: No.  It eats the sap.
Morah Katie: If a kookaburra is a bird, then what animal is a marsupial?
Gracie: Like a kangaroo.
Efraim: A wallaby.
Sroli: A koala.
Morah Katie: What makes a marsupial so special?
Sofia: They live in Australia.
Efraim: They have a pocket to carry the baby.
Ameila: The pocket keeps the baby safe.
Morah Katie: Do all animals have pockets to carry the babies?
Ella: No. But a wallaby does have a pocket.

"A willaby wallaby woo 

an elephant sat on you!"

Morah Katie: Wait! Do elephants live in Australia?

Gracie: NO!

Morah Katie: Do wallabies live in Australia?

Sroli: Yes! 

Morah Katie: Should we be worried about elephants sitting on us?

Abigail: No.

Judah: It's just a silly song!

While in the "outback" we made didgeridoos.

Morah Katie: How are didgeridoos made?
Isaac: It is a long stick.
Gracie: It is a branch.
Morah Katie: It is a branch or tree limb. People hollow out the branch and are able to use it to create music. 

Morah Katie: How are the Australian people similar, the same, to other places we have visited?
Zim: They need food and water.
Efraim: They need homes.
Ella: They need jackets and blankets to keep warm.
Morah Katie: Australia has a lot of sheep.  What can people use the sheep's fur for?
Scout: Clothes. 
Morah Katie: Some Australians care for herds of sheep, and use the wool to create cloth for clothes for people on every continent.

 

 Morah Katie: Zim, what do you think the sweater is made from?
Zim: Sheep's wool. 
Anton: It would keep you warm.

Australians speak English, yet we were able to pick up a few new words:

Buddy or pal became mate

Sheep became jumback

Sweater became jumper

Hello became G'day

It has been an exciting trip so far. We will be returning to Vancouver, Washington for the next couple of weeks during which we will be preparing for the Jewish holiday of Purim!

It will be an exciting time as our classroom is transformed into the city of Shushan and we meet Mordechai and Esther, from the Purim story.