DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Australia Crafts, Facts, and Activities for Kids

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind this website is meant for children, so I do generalize and simplify quite a bit!

In recent years (and as of 2021), Australia has been classified as a country in the continent of Oceania. However, Australia is often referred to as a country and a continent itself. Australia has some of the most dangerous animals and spectacular natural features on earth; it is an interesting country for children to study for this reason.

image of famous landmark called Uluru centred in front of green and red dusty landscape on a bright, sunny, bluebird day

Ulruru, Northern Territory, Australia
Photographed by © Steve Collis used with permission under C.C. BY 2.0

Australia is primarily an English-speaking country. Other commonly spoken languages in Australia include Cantonese, Mandarin, and Italian. Did you know: Australia has NO official language! English is its de facto official language; a de facto official language means that a language is not legally official on documents but rather that it operates as an official language in day-to-day life!

Since Europeans settled the land now known as "Australia" through colonization, English has been the main language, but there are many Indigenous languages. Djambarrpuyngu is a dialect of the Yolŋu languages spoken by the Dhuwa moiety. Pitjantjatjara is a language spoken by the Pitjantjatjara aṉangu. Warlpiri is a Ngarrkic language spoken by the Warlpiri people. Tiwi is spoken by the Tiwi people on the Tiwi Islands. Murrinh-Patha is a language spoken by the Murrinh-Patha people, many of whom live in Wadeye. Kunwinjku is a language spoken by the Kunwinjku people.

Australia is a country found in the Southern Hemisphere and the Eastern Hemisphere of the globe. As of 2021, the country is split into 8 political divisions (6 states and 2 territories): Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, and Tasmania.

Australia is a large land mass (often referred to as both an island and, as mentioned, a continent) and is surrounded by water and other islands. For example, you can see the Tiwi Islands from the Northern coastline of Australia, and the island of Tasmania is a state of Australia but is also an island of its own. Australia is located between the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean (also formerly known as the Antarctic Ocean), and the South Pacific Ocean; its shores and offshore territories are also located in the Timor Sea, the Tasman Sea, and the Coral Sea.

Capital city:  Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
Language:  No official language; English (de facto)
National Bird:  Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)
National Animal:  Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus)
National Flower:  Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha Benth)
Currency:  Australian dollar (AUD)

Australia Crafts:
	All About Australia Paper Quilt Craft Grade school and up

	Australian Friends Toilet Paper Roll Crafts preschool and kindergarten

	Australian Medal preschoolers and up

	Australian Team Colours Toilet Paper Roll Crafts preschool and kindergarten

	Australian Wreath preschool and kindergarten

	Cave Drawings - Handprints

	Cave Drawings - Sand Paper Art Kindergarten and grade school

	Rainbow Eucalyptus Pencil Holder Elementary school and up

Neat Facts about Australia: Australia has approximately 3 times more sheep than people! Australia is known as the "Land Down Under" because it is south of the equator! Most of Australia's plants and animals (also known as: flora and fauna) cannot be found anywhere else in the world!
Australia Printables:
	Australia Coloring Pages

	Australia Itsy Bitsy Book

	Australia's States Worksheets

	Australia Tracer Pages

	Australia Worksheets: Anagram Word Mining: (version 1) (version 2) Word Search

	Dot Art Kindergarten and grade school

	Kk is for Koala and Kk is for Kangaroo coloring pages or check out "The Wiggles" Coloring Pages (an Australian kids tv show)

Australia has a unique physical geography, with 5 geographical features well-known around the world: Uluru (also known as Australia’s Big Rock) Uluru is the world’s largest single rock formation. It is red in colour and made of sandstone. 2.5 km of Uluru is underground! Ulurus is located in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. The Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef system. It is the largest living thing on earth. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The corals are alive, which is why scuba divers and humans need to be especially careful not to harm these species. There is a vast diversity of species of wildlife that reside in the Great Barrier Reef! The Twelve Apostles The Twelve Apostles are collection of limestone stacks estimated to be between 15-20 million years old! Wow! While the collection started as 9 stacks (despite its name), there are currently 8 standing stacks. Over 1 million people visit the Twelve Apostles each year. These standing rock stacks were formed by a combination of wind and water erosion. The Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range is Australia's largest mountain range. It is also the third-largest land-based mountain range on earth! (Land-based, here, because some mountain ranges actually sit under the ocean!) The highest peak in the Great Dividing Range is called Mount Kosciuszko. The Great Dividing Range forms the main watershed in Australia, meaning that the majority of water that runs off of glaciers and snowfall into the Pacific Ocean comes from this range. The Great Australian Blight The Great Australian Blight is the Australia's largest bay. Did you know that a large bay is called an "embayment?" It is located on the coast of the Indian Ocean. The embayment spans 1,160 km! The embayment has so many southern bluefin tuna that it can support the largest Australian commercial fishery for the species. The Great Australian Blight is home to several of the most well-known species in Australia, such as southern bluefin tunas, great white sharks, Australian sea lions, humpback whales, blue whales, southern right whales—as well as white-bellied sea eagles and albatrosses!
Australia Activities:

	Australian Flag Facts about the Australian Flag

	Australian National Anthem Lyrics and tune to the national anthem

	Australia On-Line Jigsaw Puzzles

	Australia Recipes

More Neat Facts: When kids in Australia look forward to the "Great Australia Day Barbie" they're not talking about Mattel's 11 1/2 inch plastic blonde grin. In Australia, a "barbie" is a barbeque. My 6 year old was so disappointed ;>) Australians have a national holiday called Australia Day every January 26th to remember their origins and celebrate their achievements. Click here to learn more about the origins of Australia Day. Approximately 90% of all of Australian's population lives on the coast!
Animals of Australia:
	Australian Animal Crafts

	Bats

	Kangaroos

	Koalas

	Spiders

	Snakes

	Other Australian Animals
Other Australia Links:
	Wiggles The Wiggles are a Sydney-based children's entertaining group. They're television program has recently begun showing in the United States.