Homeschooling Downunder
Our Sunburnt Country
A highly acclaimed Australian illustrated history book that all will enjoy.
A Library Treasure
This Australian living history book will capture your child’s interest with its powerful literary text and vibrant illustrations. Reading this book alone will enrich your knowledge and understanding of Australian history and bring history alive to your children and leave them begging for another chapter.
Our Sunburnt Country: An Illustrated History of Australia tells the story of Australia's heritage, from Aboriginal settlement until the present.
Peg Your Knowledge In Place!
This book is like a washing line, a place to hang your pegs of knowledge. Each chapter follows chronologically so you can teach history sequentially.
It is not a boring fact dissection that has attempted to cover everything. Instead it offers the reader a smooth-flowing piece of good literature that captures the historical events that have shaped a nation and culture.
Charlotte Mason Favourite
Numerous Charlotte Mason Living booklists and forums highly recommended this book. In fact that is why we had it reprinted and updated to 2008. For we knew it was in demand and that it would be an asset to your homeschool.
“Multiple Ages Can Enjoy This Living Book.”
I first read this book to my two oldest children when they were 7 and 8 and they LOVED IT. It was my first attempt using Charlotte Mason’s idea of reading living books. We would snuggle on the couch and I would finish a chapter and they would ask for another.
They were not the only ones to benefit for I learnt my Australian history for the first time (better late than never!)
History Lessons Without A Textbook
Are you worried about making the break from a textbook/workbook approach to teaching Australian history using living books?
Do you need a few ideas that will help you add structure and make your history lessons more formal?
If so read on and see how you can use this renowned book as part of your homeschool lessons.
Read Aloud
a chapter a week (or more) as part of your social studies lesson (HSIS or SOSE).
This will cover;
- Geography, with the migration of aborigines and the paths of the explorers.
- Politics, as penal colonies are established around the country and Australia heads for Federation.
- Farming, as they cross the Blue Mountains to find the Bathurst Plains and Merino sheep begin to flourish.
- Population growth, as Australia swells with the Gold Rush.
- The effects of war, as Australians fight around the world.
- Injustice, as Aboriginals struggle for the land rights and their right vote.
- And more....
Ask your child to narrate (tell) back to you what they have heard you read.
Older children can listen to the read aloud or you can allocate read alone chapters. You can then assign written chapter summaries or narrations.
A Quick Reference Index
at the back of the book makes this a handy aid to basic facts about Australia’s history. Avoid the internet and look up the index.We use it as our main reference with Australian Book Traveller
Make an Australian History Notebook.
Notebooking is a great way to create a record of learning in a creative and meaningful way. Learning is not limited to the textbook or worksheet but to what has captured the child’s interest or what the child knows. As they create their notebooking pages they learn. As they record their information they discover and make a reference for the future. 
Our Australian History Notebook will help kick-start your child’s notebook.
There are over 100 Australian themed notebooking pages to choose from, including one notebooking page for each chapter of Our Sunburnt Country.
Read more about Australian History Notebook
Age Range: 10-16
The One Room School House Resource
Rather than fill out an expensive workbook that will probably never be looked at again, why not invest in this library treasure that you will use over and over again for all of your children (and maybe your grandchildren).
Download a sample from the book.
Read aloud from ages 6 —7.
Read alone from ages 10 —11.
Book details: 144 pages & colour illustrations.
Available in Soft Cover
Exclusive to Downunder Literature. Stocks are Limited.
Australian History Book Package Deal
For your convenience we have packaged Our Sunburnt Country and Australian History Notebook ebook.
Purchase the set together to recieve your discount.
Australian History Notebook is an ebook. It will be available for instant dowload after you purchase
A Short Summary of Our Sunburnt Country Chapters.
1. The Land of the Dream time. Aboriginal culture and practice before white settlement.
2. New Visitors came to an Old Land. European discoveries of Australia
3. They Came and Stayed. The arrival of the ‘The First Fleet’ in 1788
4. Rum Rebellion. Early problems in the new colony.
5. Bass and Flinders Map the Coastline- Bass and Flinders boat trips along the east coast of Australia.
6. Over the Barrier-Crossing the Blue Mountains an discovery of the Bathurst plains.
7. The Riddle of the Rivers-Discovery of the Darling, Castlereagh, Hasting, Lochlan rivers.
8. New Colonies in Australia-Melbourne, Perth, Tasmania, Adelaide, Brisbane.
9. Days of Gold-The gold rush, bush rangers, Eureka Stockade.
10. Men of Industry-Macarthur, Marsden, Thomas Sutcliffe Mort, Kanakas, BHP.
11. Birth of a Nation-Australian federation, Sir Henry Parkes, Alfred Deakin, Liberal and Labour party, White Australia policy, Aboriginals right to vote.
12. A Nation at War-Australia joins Britain in the war. ANZAC’s, war stories and heroes.
13. After the WWI-Soldier settlement, the depression, irrigation of dry land, dams built, Waddamana power station, Holden, Keith Smith, Bert Hinkler, Kingsford Smith, John Flynn and the Flying Doctor Service.
14. The Second World War- War stories, war in the Pacific and bombing in the Northern Territory.
15. Advance Australia- United Nations, SEATO and ANZUS, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, natural disasters, environmental issues facing Australia, Opera House, Mabo, Kevin Rudd’s “Sorry!”, Australian exports and engineering achievements, Olympic games, National Anthem.