Watch Kids' Reviews of
FAMILIES OF AUSTRALIA

Good attention holder. "This movie really taught us a lot about Australia and what it is like to live there - both in the country and the city." "I liked it a lot because it shows neat things about kids in Australia. I liked the exciting things like their sports." "The narrators are kids, just like us." "Everyone is nice to each other and help their families out." "I liked the Australian instruments."

Wonderful tool that both parents and teachers can use to help their children learn about Australia and its culture. Simple storyline with kids as narrators, it delivers information about typical children living in another country. It offers an up-close view of two families' lives and their daily schedules. It is entertaining and educational at the same time. Half of it features a country family, half a city family - making good contrast and comparison between two very different lifestyles in the same country. Because it is narrated by children, it's easy for child viewers to understand and uses languages suitable for elementary age children. It encourages a person to think about how kids live in other countries.

Introduces two children from differing locales and follows their daily activities from waking to bedtime, all the while showing young viewers the similarities between their lives and those of children the same age living thousands of miles away: similar chores, school and extra-curricular activities and family interactions. Eight-year-old Phoebe lives in Attunga, a town northwest of Sydney, with her family. Phoebe contributes to the family chores, including feeding the chickens and collecting eggs and herding the sheep. After eating breakfast with her family, Phoebe and her brother set out for school. This particular day is Sports Day, a friendly athletic competition with other schools. During her day, she also studies math, enjoys pizza and recess and plays field hockey with her classmates. Phoebe's after school activities include violin and ballet lessons and learning to ride a motorbike to help with the herding. After dinner she reads with her father before heading off to bed. Joshua is a seven-year-old who lives in Sydney with his family. Dad works as a journalist in downtown Sydney while Mom, a former journalist, is a stay-at-home mother and novelist. We learn how Joshua's family deals with the long Australian droughts by conserving water in efficiently inventive ways. During Joshua's day at school he studies English and penmanship and plays at recess with his friends. After school he visits his grandparents, practices piano and enjoys a nice bath before reading a story with his mother and going to bed.