The theme for the Poppins Book Nook this month was The Wild West. As we live in Australia, I decided to put an Australian spin on it. Our boys really enjoyed learning about the bushrangers of Australia.
Bushrangers were Australian men and some who robbed and attacked carriages, banks, pubs and homesteads during the 18th and 19th centuries. Sometimes they shot the police and the people they robbed. Bushrangers hid in the bush, sometimes building forts to live in. They relied on the difficult countryside to keep them hidden from police.
The book we chose to read was: Met Ned Kelly
We also read The Legend of Moondyne Joe and Bushrangers: A History of Australia’s Outlaws
To go with our Australian Bushranger studies, we made the famous Ned Kelly Armour. You can read about how we made this armour here: Ned Kelly Armour.
Continuing on with learning about bushrangers, the boys made wanted posters. These posters were used to help capture bushrangers. To find out how we made these posters, check out this post: Wanted Posters
The boys also painted a Ned Kelly Picture. They got the inspiration for this picture from the Series on Ned Kelly by Sidney Nolan.
I also made some Bushranger Timeline Cards which the boys used to learn what happened in which particular year. You can purchase these cards here: Australian Bushranger Timeline Cards
The boys had a great time arranging the Bushranger Timeline Cards into year order before we punched a hole in the top corner and clamped them together with a ring.
We also used the Bushranger Notebooking Pages to write about each Bushranger we read about.
You can download my FREE Bushranger Notebooking Pages by clicking the link below:
I also made a Bushranger Book if which our boys draw a picture of the bushranger and then wrote a short summary of their life.
You can download this FREE printable book here: Australian Bushrangers Book
The boys have had an awesome time with this book and these activities!
Hope you enjoy our Australian spin on the Wild West!
Monday Memory Verse: Colossians 3:23
Great to see an Australian spin on this! I loved watching the Ned Kelly movie when I was younger and I am sure my boys will love learning about the bushrangers when they are older.
This is a great take on the Wild West! We are discussing Australia soon in our cultures study. I’ll save this to use then. 🙂
Thank you. We really enjoyed learning more about the history of the country we live in.
I love the suit! What a creative idea and a great take on the Wild West!
Thank you for helping to bring a spoonful of reading fun to the Poppins Book Nook this month!