So... Jen's idea of conquering jet lag is to settle into the routine of the new country as soon as possible. In that spirit, today I joined Ruth's class on a field trip to Royal National Park, where the kids were learning about Aboriginal culture and the local wildlife. Ruth teaches a 2/3 split class (they call them combined classes here), but only her grade 2's were on the trip, along with a straight grade 2 class, for 47 kids in total.The park was about an hour away, so I spent the bus ride chatting with the other teachers and parent volunteers on the trip. Once we arrived, the park staff took the children into a classroom which reminded me very much of BORC - of course, with the exception that all the stuffed animals around the room were Australian! They entertained questions from the kids about all the different animals, where they were from, what they ate, etc. etc., and of course the most commonly asked question, "how did that animal die?". (Remember these are grade 2's.) Then we were split into two groups to go on a hike.
My group walked a little way into the woods and stopped for a while to hunt for insects. Remembering that there is a lot of Australian wildlife that can kill/hurt you, the kids were instructed to not touch any critters with their fingers, but to use a stick to gather them up and put them in the bug jars. Then, while we were in the middle of the bug hunt, I happened to see a pokey-moving animal about the size of a groundhog wandering across the trail a little ways up from us. I pointed it out to Wendy, our group leader - and it turns out I'd just spotted the local echidna! Echidnas look something like a huge hedgehog, with a long narrow snout like an anteater. They have spines like a hedgehog does, and when startled, they curl themselves into a large, spikey ball - which is what this one did, right beside the path! So we all got a good look and then left the poor thing alone. Echidnas are also one of only two mammals in the entire world that lay eggs - the other is the platypus. Definitely a highlight of the day!
After the bug hunt, we walked down the side of a big steep hill, stopping to look at various plants and animals along the way. We learned how the Aborigines used various plants for food and medicine. I especially liked the tree they showed us. Apparently this type of tree was used by the Aborigines to make boomerangs, bowls and other wooden objects. We stopped under a rock outcrop and learned how the Aborigines did their rock painting with ochre - and then we used some ochre to do colouring on patterned paper. Down at the bottom of the hill, we walked along the river bank and looked at a midden heap full of shells, also left behind by the Aborigines.
We ate lunch by the river, then tried our hand at dip netting aquatic critters from the water. But at that point, a huge black cloud rolled in, the thunder rolled, and the rain came down - and we all scrambled for the bus!
Ruth's students are very sweet and polite. I kept remarking to the parents and teachers with us that I wished my students were so well-behaved! I am looking forward to going back and working with her class again next week.
Tonight I am off to a campfire training with the local Girl Guide leaders... I already feel sorry for the poor girl who's running it! Apparently the leader who's running the training is doing so in order to complete some of her leadership qualifications... and Ruth and Carroll have been telling everyone that "THE" Becky Vincent is coming! That's right - just like back home in Canada, my website is very well-known here - and many folks are looking forward to meeting me. Hee hee hee! I hope I don't upstage the trainer!
