Australian education!

So I have been meaning to write this post for a while; I have scanned some of the school work my kids come home with here in Australia. Most of the time it is what I would expect to see in America, but sometimes I get something on the fridge that makes me smile. For instance:

First: art work during the Queen's jubilee

a salamander 

Worksheet on a funnel web spider...I have smashed one before!

 This diagram is probably actual size for a funnel web...it looks just like this!

Olivia's picture of her school- her classroom was in The Cottage- I love the tall gum trees-

 Shark facts....

 A journal entry about getting to pet a "dingo"

 Here she is with the dingo-

and last of all- learning how to count...crocodile eggs!

Aside from school work we also have school projects that give me a run for my money. For instance, I was supposed to bring something in to share with the class from "AMERICA" to eat. Yes, it was international food day. I couldn't think of anything. What is American food?  American food is a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities; so we have all kinds of food! I looked on the Internet but only 'Fourth of July' food came up....red, white and blue stuff. Then I thought of McDonald's... if that isn't American I don't know what is; BUT I didn't want to buy a happy meal for each kid in the class. I had one hour and I couldn't find anything then Mary said, "what about S'mores" 

This was PERFECT! I bet you didn't realize Australians don't make s'mores! Yes- here is proof: according to wiki: A s'more (sometimes spelled smore) is a traditional nighttime campfire treat popular in the United States and Canada consisting of a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker.^[1]

I ran to the store and found biscuits (no graham crackers in Australia) and some Cadburry chocolate (no Hershey's in Oz either) and then bought some marshmallows.  This was hard because Marshmallows only come in the medium size (so you need two mallows on each biscuit) and they come in rainbow packets so I had to buy three packets to pull the white coloured ones out. The other colours are flavoured funny--which would not go with a s'more.

I melted the mallows in the microwave and made 20 s'mores and then let them cool and boxed them up. When I dropped off the food I said here are some smoores. The teacher had never heard of them so I had to explain what they were (chocolate, marshmallow and biscuit) and how they were made and when they were made (camping!) After I gave her a 5 minute run down she said, "O- I was hoping you would have brought Pumpkin Pie...." Duh-I'm an idiot! How come everyone can think of American food BUT ME? Pumpkin pie is an American staple, and can be found in Costco...just down the street!

When Thomas had "international food day" I had the same problem...I couldn't think of anything. So I brought in Yorkshire puddings and filled them with maple syrup and sprinkled powdered sugar on them. When probed by the class, I fessed up that none of it was American (the Yorkshire puddings were from England and the syrup was imported from Canada).... but it was the combination that made it unique--the Brits put gravy and potatoes on their Yorkshire puddings not syrup :-) Either way, I brought a treat right?