Thanks to jennybluewren for sharing these videos on YouTube for us all to see…

Why not register your home school and start getting involved now (as of the 1st of February) for the three online Educational Games to be held on the 6, 7 & 8th of March.

 

The World Education Games 2012 will take place from 6-8 March 2012.

Sydney, Australia is the host city and over 1 million students from 200 countries are expected to participate.
World Spelling Day – 6 March 2012
World Maths Day – 7 March 2012
World Science Day – 8 March 2012

Registration and practice are free! Which country will win the Education World Cup in 2012?

Thanks to jennybluewren for sharing this video on YouTube for us all to see…

I recently went hunting through YouTube to try and find some old footage or pictures of Port Arthur in Tasmania. I was amazed to find  the images below by J. W. Beattie (1859-1930) taken around 1910. I was also taken by the second video that looks at not only Port Arthur but other area as of significant interest to us as we delve into the convict history of Tasmania.  When I came across them I knew they were well worth checking out. For us it is an opportunity to deepen our learning about Port Arthur and the Convicts with images of what it was like through Someone else’s viewpoint and in a by-gone era….. These are well worth watching, Enjoy!

Thanks to Colpeperite for sharing these videos….

Photos from a trip to the former Port Arthur convict settlement and the Tasman Peninsula c. 1910 by J. W. Beattie (1859-1930). Places shown include Tasman Island, Cape Pillar, Tasman’s Arch, Port Arthur, the Isle of the Dead, Point Puer (the boys’ prison) and Saltwater River (coal mines).

Eric Portman reads Lovelace’s famous poem on freedom, with pictures of some Tasmanian colonial gaols – Sarah Island, Macquarie Harbour; Port Arthur, Tasman Peninsula; Cascades Female Factory, Hobart; the Isle of the Dead, Port Arthur.

 

The Shingle Strike by David Young tells the story of Irish poet Francis Macnamara’s endeavour to overcome the bullying tactics of an unscrupulous overseer. The convicts’ only hope of resistance and justice is to strike, but can Macnamara persuade his gang to join him?

What a wonderful experience this was. We thought we had missed all the plays that were on throughout the day as we had focused on ensuring that we managed to actually attend the Port Arthur Beneath your Feet – Archaeology session. Which was our main aim of going to Port Arthur. However after enjoying the Harbour Cruise, we decided to have a look at the Commandants House and the buildings surrounding it. However as we approached this the actors in the play were calling out ‘Last play of the day!’ so we decided to go and see what it was all about.

What a wonderful surprise it was. Everyone, even the children enjoyed the play!

Here are some pictures taken during it…

One of the many reasons we decided to spend Australia Day at Port Arthur this year was for the children to enjoy their Archaeological Digs. The Children have been learning about Ancient History and how we find out about the past. In doing so we have looked at Archaeology in particular and the ways in which it can help us learn about the past, it’s people and how they lived.

So to be able to go to Port Arthur and see the work of some real Archaeologists was a pleasure. But to be able to learn about the history of our convicts through the findings of an Archaeological Dig was even more impressive.

First we had to examine documents and any photographs of the area where the Archaeological Dig was to take place.

Then we got to see what a section of an Archeological dig would look like. This picture is of the 20th layer on the dig.

We were then shown a drawing made by an archaeologist of the dig site were were looking at. It was very interesting to see all the detail they provided in their drawings.

We then got to ‘clean up’ some artifacts that were found at Port Arthur. This was real hands on and a lot of fun!

Here are some of the artifacts we ‘cleaned up’. Can you see some of them actually fit together…

We also found some of the items had stamps on them. These stamps gave us information and clues as to when the times was made and what it was used for….

We then had to do what all good archaeologists do, document and draw the artifacts we uncovered and cleaned up…

And the best part… Tata had as much fun as the children did and we all learnt a lot!