An Aussie night before Christmas
- Author: Yvonne Morrison | Age: 4+ years
Do you sometimes worry that Santa is going to overheat in his inappropriately warm suit? Are the children hopeful that there will be snow at Christmas as depicted on so many decorations, cards and books? How does Santa sneak in at night if the house has no chimney?
In An Aussie night before Christmas, Santa, wearing shorts and thongs, arrives in an old ute drawn by kangaroos. Reading a typical British or American Christmas book alongside this Aussie version, you could discuss the differences with the children. This can spark some great investigations into cultural, geographical, linguistic, zoological, botanical, climate and many other differences between the northern and the southern hemisphere settings of the story. Which Australian plants and animals are mentioned in the book? Why does it snow in some countries when it is hot in Australia? Why do reindeer live in cold countries? Why are there different clothes for every season? Why do people eat different foods in different places?
With our book recommendations, we want to spark an interest in children to discover STEM in their everyday lives. Most books go beyond the obvious STEM connections and can be a great starting point for exploring children’s questions and ideas further.
Learn more: Book a STEM workshop.
Article author: Kerstin Johnson
Content Editor & Resources Developer
Kerstin is our editor and looks after all the content at Little Scientists. Her aim is to make everything as engaging and user-friendly as possible for workshop participants.
