Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2017 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

1. You will hear about 250 different languages spoken in Sydney, Australia’s biggest city. For about 30,000 years, indigenous Australians have lived in and around Sydney, which is home to almost five million people. The first European settlers arrived in the late 1700s. The city boasts citizens with roots from around the world. 2. Try to imagine Sydney Harbour without the iconic “sails” of the Sydney Opera House. Designed by Jørn Utzon, the building was very controversial during construction. Over budget and running behind schedule, Utzon was fired without ever having laid eyes on the completed opera house. 3. Feeling brave? A climb up the Sydney Harbour Bridge might be your kind of adventure. Businessman Paul Cave opened Bridge Climb in 1998. Since its inception, more than three million people…

It’s one of the most visited cities in the world, and landmarks like its famous opera house are familiar to almost everyone. It’s also a multicultural city, in which 250 different languages are spoken daily by people who have moved there from many other places. And if you’re a Sydneysider, then you also call this city of almost five million people home. Have you guessed where you are? You’re in Sydney, Australia, the capital of New South Wales and the biggest city in Australia and Oceania. Indigenous Australians have lived in and around Sydney for 30,000 years. These ancient people migrated from northern Australia and southeast Asia, and remnants of stone tools found near Sydney suggest that there may have been humans living there even 50,000 years ago. By the…

Seventy-two-year-old Australian businessman Paul Cave has an unusual obsession — the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In 1932, Cave’s future father-in-law slept overnight in a train station to purchase ticket number 00001 — the first rail ticket issued for travel across the bridge on its opening day. Cave’s future father-in-law showed him the ticket when Cave was just 19 years old. From that day forward, Cave was fascinated with the bridge. That ticket is now the centerpiece of his 6,800-piece collection of bridge-related memorabilia. A medal that was awarded to the only worker to survive a fall from the bridge during its construction is part of the collection, as is the sword that was used to cut the bridge’s inaugural ribbon. (Cave found the sword after 17 years of searching.) The entire…

Visitors clapped along as indigenous dancers circled a small fire pit. Smoke from burning leaves swirled into the air around them. The dancers performed on the morning of January 26, 2017 near Sydney Harbour as part of a traditional Aboriginal Smoking Ceremony that kicked off Sydney’s celebration of Australia Day. The smoking ceremony is one way Australia pays respect to Australia’s indigenous — or original — peoples as part of its annual Australia Day traditions. Australia Day celebrates the country’s past and present as well as its many cultures. The festival also marks the anniversary of the first British settlers’ arrival in Sydney in 1788 to form the colony of New South Wales. This new colony caused many hardships for the indigenous people, who had been living in Australia for…

Location: Southeastern Australia. It is the state capital of New South Wales. Climate: Located in the Southern Hemisphere, Sydney’s summer months are December through February, with January usually being the hottest month. In general, Sydney experiences mild winters and warm summers. Population: 4.9 million (2015 estimate) People: Nearly half (49.1 percent) of Sydney residents were born overseas. Visitors: 610,000 people visit the city on any given day, according to the City of Sydney government web site.…

The Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge are two of Australia’s most iconic landmarks. The bridge offers spectacular views of the opera house, one of the most famous works of architecture in the world. A harbor bridge to connect Sydney to North Sydney was first proposed in 1815, but it wasn’t until 1900 that the government invited engineers from around the world to submit bridge design proposals. All designs were rejected due to “cost, structural defects, or other features.” In 1923, the government once again asked for proposals, and a design created by an engineering firm in England was chosen. Work on the bridge began in 1924, and foundations for its four main bearings were dug to a depth of 39 feet (12 m) and set into sandstone.…

Long before the first European settlers arrived in Australia, the indigenous people of the continent lived harmoniously with the land. Although Sydney is a modern city, the culture of the Aboriginal people is all around. In fact, visitors can take specialized tours that highlight the culture of these people, who are believed to be one of the oldest surviving cultures on Earth. DREAMTIME OR DREAMING At the heart of Aboriginal existence and spiritual life is the Dreamtime, or Dreaming. Dream is an English word, but the Aboriginal meaning does not relate to the dreams one has when sleeping. Dreamtime describes the world’s creation, “the Earth’s dreaming,” and the relationships and balance between spiritual, natural, and moral elements. Each Aboriginal clan has its own Dreamtime stories based on the land and…

English is spoken in Australia, but would you understand it? Australian lingo and rhyming slang (strine) is very popular with Australians. However, for Americans, it might be a little confusing. Let’s pretend that you are with your family in Sydney to visit relatives. Your Aussie cousin, John, leaves this phone message at the hotel for you. “G’day, mate! Welcome to the Big Smoke. Steak and kidney is the best city in Oz. I will meet you at the Johnny Horner at 12 o’clock. You’ll want some tucker, so we can get some bangers and maybe a dog’s eye. It’s just one Oxford scholar. This arvo, we can have a chinwag and you can ‘ava Captain Cook at my boomerang. It’s true blue from the bush. My friend Tommy will be…

• Eucalyptus trees come in 700 different species. Most of these are native to Australia. • A music teacher named Marion Sinclair wrote a nursery rhyme titled “Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree” in 1934. A gum tree is a type of eucalyptus tree. The (laughing) kookaburra is a bird from the kingfisher family. It is native to eucalyptus forests and is well known for the laughter-like sound of its call. Properties • Fire! Oil vapors rise from eucalyptus forests on warm days, creating a blue haze. The tree oils can easily catch fire. These forests are actually dependent on occasional fires for the trees to spread and regenerate. • Look Out Below! Eucalyptus trees often lose entire branches as they grow. Uses • These trees use lots of…

Fifty million years ago, a giant plant-eating mammal as tall as a human, and weighing more than 500 pounds roamed eastern Australia. As the climate became drier, the huge herbivore, Phascolonus gigas, was deprived of food. About 40,000 years ago, Aboriginal people had hunted the slow-moving animal to extinction. Fast-forward to 1798, when a European explorer called the much smaller descendant of the giant mammal a “whom-batt.” This was based on the name wambad given to the creature by Aboriginal people who lived in the area that is now Sydney. The common (or coarse-haired) wombat looks like a small, pudgy bear with coarse sandy, dark brown, or black fur. It is the largest burrowing animal in Australia, with strong feet and long claws, which make it a master digger. The…

At what zoo can you sleep overnight in safari tents, wake up to the chirps, rumbles, and growls of the animals, and look out at the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge? The world-famous Taronga Zoo in the heart of Sydney! Called the “Roar and Snore” ultimate overnight camp adventure, this is just one of the exciting activities that awaits you. Started 100 years ago as a zoo with 228 mammals, 552 birds, and 64 reptiles, Taronga now features more than 4,000 animals from 350 species, 20 keeper talks, education programs, and many wildlife encounters and outdoor adventures. On your visit you’ll not only see Australian animals such as the Southern hairy-nosed wombat, Australian sea lion, greater bilby, and regent honeyeater, but also animals from around the world like the…

Across 5. Term for residents of Sydney 6. The largest Survival Day celebration in Australia (two words) 8. Popular game in Sydney played by the Sixers 9. Zoo that hosts Roar & Snore 10. First name of businessman who owns a company that takes climbers to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Down 1. Man who designed the Sydney Opera House (two words) 2. One of Sydney’s most popular beaches 3. Mountain range west of Sydney (two words) 4. Oils from this tree can be used to relieve sore throats and congestion. 7. Sydney is this country’s largest city. Answers are on page 48.…

CHARACTERS: Storyteller 1, Storyteller 2, Storyteller 3, Maroochy, Adina, Bunji, and Toba Storyteller 1: Long ago, some young men left their camp. Maroochy: We will get some food for our wives and children. Bunji: I will race you to the bush! Toba: You win. But can you hurl a spear as far as this? (throws spear) Bunji: A child could throw a spear that far. Maroochy: A spear is no weapon compared to my boomerang. See how it returns every time I throw it! Storyteller 1: Although the young men did not travel very fast, they eventually reached a flat place with a set of pools and standing bulrushes. In times of flood, this same land was full of water, but it was mostly dry in the height of summer.…