This week we learnt all about the platypus and Australian Aboriginal Dot Art.
Australian Aboriginal Dot Art: The Platypus
During our morning meeting, I had been reading through Stories from the Billabong
This particular morning I had read the story of why the Platypus is such a special creature. We learnt that they have fur like mammals; can swim under water like fish and the mother platypus lays eggs like birds. We also learnt that no Aboriginal Australian would ever hunt and kill a Platypus, even if they are very hungry.
Australian Aboriginal Dot Art: Mini Presentation
I sent the children off to find out all they could about these peculiar little animals. I asked them to write notes which they would be able to follow when presenting the information they found:
They maybe had half an hour or so on their computers before they gave a quick presentation:
Aboriginal Australian Dot Art: Creating our own dot art
My goal for this lesson was to create our own piece of dot art, but I wanted to do it as simply as possible. Fortunately, I had found a fun print out of a platypus which I photocopied, and this made things so easy. We gathered together the following supplies for some dot art:
Using q-tips we each created a dot art platypus:
The children thoroughly enjoyed this art technique, and A7 took much time and trouble over hers:
And the finished products:
Next week I will be sharing C’s mini project on the art of the Aboriginal Australians.
If you are studying this in your history lessons, do pop over and have a look at my other posts on the Australian Aboriginals:
1) Australian Aboriginals Resources
2) Australian Aboriginals Cave Art and Stone Carvings
3) Australian Aboriginals The Platypus and Dot Art
4) Australian Aboriginals Boomerang and Didgeridoo
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