Evelyn is a lively 10-year-old growing up in the newly federated Australia. She dreams of becoming a teacher but spends her days helping her mother, caring for siblings, and navigating the expectations of family life. Against the backdrop of Federation celebrations, debates about women’s rights, and the introduction of pensions and fair wages, Evelyn discovers her own voice, —writing poems, listening to stories, and imagining a future shaped by learning and fairness. Her story explores family responsibility, civic identity, and the hopes of a generation in a new nation.

Clip 1: Games from India

In this clip, Evelyn, her brother Edward and their friend Freddie Müller are playing an imaginary game under the tree. They are pretending to be tiger hunters in India. Miss Müller tells them about tigers and their inability to reverse down trees. Evelyn's father brings home the Mr Wong's 'No. 5' assortment of fireworks to be used on cracker night.

As a class, discuss the following questions:

• Why did Australia become a nation in 1901?
• How did the British Empire and popular books influence children’s imagination and play?
• What sources can help us answer these questions? (Think: books, newspapers, old photos, posters, and speeches like Parkes’ Tenterfield Address.)
• What does Federation mean for Evelyn’s family and community?

Complete one of the following activities:

Option 1: Research the author Rudyard Kipling. Write a short report explaining why his stories, like The Jungle Book and Kim, were popular during the British Empire.
Option 2: Create fact cards about British India and explain its connection to Australia at the time.
Option 3: Look at Evelyn’s clothes from the early 1900s. Compare them with what children wear today. Design paper-doll costumes to show the differences.

Watch Clip 2: Mr Wong's Emporium

In this clip, Evelyn, Edward and Freddie try to replace the fireworks. They visit Mr Wong's emporium to buy a replacement box but and friends try to buy fireworks but face limits of money and exclusion.

In pairs, complete one of the following activities:

Option 1: Design your own fireworks box with label, instructions, and artwork.
Option 2: Create a timeline of Chinese immigration to Australia.
Option 3: Write a profile of Mr Wong, imagining his life story.
Option 4: Compare currency and prices of bread/milk in 1908 with today
Option 5: Research women’s suffrage in 1902 and compare with Evelyn’s world.

As a class, share what you found by completing the above activites and discuss the following question:

• How have family roles remained the same or different from the past?
• How did children contribute to family life in the 1900s?

Watch Clip 3: Chores and punishment

In this clip, Evelyn's brother Edward taunts her with the prospect that their father will punish her for being irresponsible about the fireworks. Evelyn needs to complete her chores by five o'clock. She is eventually saved by Miss Müller's generosity.

Cultural Link: Discipline reflected Victorian values; corporal punishment was common in homes and schools.

Family Life Link: Children’s chores (polishing silver, waxing tables) prepared girls for domestic roles.

In small groups, complete one of the following activities:

Option 1: List Evelyn’s chores and compare with your own; evaluate difficulty and rewards

Option 2: Research corporal punishment laws and compare past and present.

Option 3: Create a newspaper article: “Children’s Dreams in a New Nation.”

Option 4: Debate: “Should girls have the same opportunities as boys in 1908?”

Option 5: Compare Evelyn’s schooling with modern classrooms.

Watch Clip 4: Cracker Night

In this clip, Evelyn's family joins the other families in their community to celebrate cracker night with fireworks purchased from Mr Wong's Emporium, echoing Guy Fawkes Night traditions.

Complete one of the following activities:

Option 1: Write song lyrics about Cracker Night to the tune of Waltzing Matilda
Option 2: Write a newspaper report with quotes from Evelyn or Edward; design an advertisement for Mr Wong’s fireworks.
Option 3: Research Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot; create a fact poster.
Option 4: Create a class display of images comparing Guy Fawkes Night with modern Australian celebrations.

Evelyn’s games, chores, shopping, and Cracker Night show how family life was shaped by empire, reform, and community traditions.

As a class, discuss the following questions:

• How do symbols, such as flags and a coat of arms, help communities feel connected?

• How do we use symbols today to show identity and belonging?

In small groups create a podcast or letter about what Federation means to Evelyn's family.

Apply learning with a Federation Day classroom event blending civic pride with family traditions.

Select one of the following class activities: 

Option 1: Create a Federation display with artefacts, posters, and oral histories.
Option 2: Host a storytelling circle about chores, games, and celebrations in 1908.
Option 3: Create a display showing how families contributed to civic identity at Federation.

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