Colours, Crosses, Stars and Stripes of All Types
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Follow us on Facebook Published by the Peter Underwood Centre www.facebook.com/UnderwoodCentre/ August 16, 2021 What do the seven points The flag on the of Belize Commonwealth is famous for star represent? which colourful fact? What shapes are the flags of Switzerland, Vatican City and Nepal? FLY THE FLAG Pictures: iStock/ Oleh Svetiukha/ emarto Colours, crosses, stars and stripes of all types DO flags interest you? five smaller stars that represent which has ceremonial We think they are very the Southern Cross constellation. significance. interesting, and so do a lot of Its original design was chosen The circle of yellow in the other people, because there in 1901 from entries in a centre of the flag represents the are flag societies all around the competition. Sun. world. The winner’s prizemoney of Your challenge is to design a These are groups of people £200 was split between five flag that represents your who come together to share people - whose designs were school. knowledge and find out more almost identical - and Ivor Children’s University Tasmania about flags. Evans, a 14-year-old, was members can earn stamps in The history of what we among the winners. their passports for this recognise as flags today, a The National Flag of Australia, challenge, at the discretion of piece of cloth with a distinctive is of course not the only one their school coordinator. design and colours, dates back called a vexillologist, and a the oldest tricolour flag (red, people associate with this To help you design your flag, thousands of years. person who designs flags is a white and blue in this case), country. vexillologist Ted Kaye has You might therefore think that vexillographer. but it inspired several other The Australian Aboriginal flag, developed five principles of a the study of flags, which is good flag. One popular use of flags is to nations’ flags, including France, designed by artist Harold known as vexillology, would Continued Page 2 represent countries. Russia, Italy and Mexico. Thomas in 1970 to have existed for a long time represent the Aboriginal If you watched the Olympics in The flag of Turkey was the also. people of Australia and Tokyo you would have seen inspiration for flag designs in But the term vexillology was their spiritual connection many different flags. several other Muslin nations. coined by American Dr Whitney to the land, is also Smith in the late 1950s. Some of these are older than The National Flag of Australia, recognised as an pictured above, features the Dr Smith founded the Flag others, and some nations have official `Flag of Research Centre in Boston, adopted elements of other Union Flag (Union Jack) of the Australia’. flags. United Kingdom in the top left USA, in 1962, and many other The top half of this It is National Science Week and corner. flag associations have been The flag of Denmark is the flag is black to UCTV Alive for Kids is established since then. oldest national flag still used, Other former British colonies symbolise collaborating with the Department Vexillology comes from the and the cross design was have also included the design Aboriginal people. of Education to present a series of adopted by several other on their flags. Latin word vexillum, which was The red in the lower live shows on food, insects and Nordic countries - Norway, a square flag carried by Roman Australia’s version also has a half stands for the energy. Finland, Sweden and Iceland. soldiers. large white seven-pointed star earth and the Find out more on page 2 of today’s A person who studies flags is The flag of the Netherlands is (the Commonwealth star) and colour of ochre, edition of The Wonder Weekly. “Education perhaps more than anything else is a passport to a better life.” - Peter Underwood AC August 16, 2021 The Wonder Weekly P2 1. 2. 3. 4. 0. Switzerland. ; 2 5. Australia 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 1. United Kingdom; USA; 3. 2. Russia; 4. 5.China; Australia; Canada;6. 7. European Union; 8. France;9. Spain; 10.Germany; ANSWERS: Italy;11. 12. Brazil; 13.Argentina; 14. United Arab Emirates; 15. Greece; Israel;16. 17.India; 18. South Korea;19. Japan Match the flags above to the locations below Argentina China Greece Japan Switzerland Australia European Union India Russia United Kingdom Brazil France Israel South Korea United Arab Emirates Canada Germany Italy Spain USA Image: iStock/ tkacchuk Have some fun with your own design From Page 1 with its five rings to represent These principles are: five continents. The Peter Underwood Centre and the Department of Education 1. Keep it simple. You are no doubt also familiar Tasmania will be broadcasting the following interactive Zoom 2. Use meaningful with the flag, pictured left. webinars as part of National Science Week: symbols. The `Jolly Roger’ - a skull and Monday, August 16, 9-10am - A Whole World of Energy (Years 3. Use two or three basic crossbones image on a black 5-6), presented by Evan Franklin. Register: https:// colours. background - is the flag bit.ly/3jDPxZU 4. No lettering or seals. associated with pirate ships, but Tuesday, August 17, 9-10am - Can we eat insects? (Prep–Year in reality the designs used by a 5. Be distinctive or be school and other flags (e.g. you 2), presented by Shasta Henry. Register: https://bit.ly/3CuwRo8 related. number of infamous pirate might like to include elements Wednesday, August 18, 9-10am - Can we eat insects (Years 3- In other words: don’t make your captains during the 1600s and from the National Flag). 6), presented by Shasta Henry. Register: https://bit.ly/3Cxqq3s design too complicated; think 1700s varied greatly and Of course flags have long been about what symbols and colours included other symbols. Thursday, August 19, 9-10am - Can we eat insects (Years 7- used to represent things other best represent your school; don’t They were all quite scary though, 10), presented by Shasta Henry. Register: https:// than countries. use writing on your flag; avoid and were raised when the pirates bit.ly/2WZRloo copying other flags, but you A white flag is associated with had a target ship within firing Friday, August 20, 9-10am - Energy sleuths (Years 5-6), could use a similar design to truce, peace or surrender. range to give its captain the presented by Evan Franklin. Register: https://bit.ly/2VtJFKZ show a connection between your There’s also the Olympic flag opportunity to surrender. .