Royal Adelaide Show teacher resources

Our Royal Adelaide Show teacher resources include creative projects, assignment questions and online activities, all linked to the Australian Curriculum.

They were developed for use with our Kids learning space, where videos, photographs and background help provide answers and inspiration for students.

Kspace took visitors back to the Royal Adelaide Show of 1968. Agricultural shows are major events, offering entertainment and fun and reminding us of the significant role agriculture plays in Australia.

A visit to the show for many children means showbags, rides and fairy floss, but many elements of the earliest agricultural shows can still be found today.

Questions children can keep in mind:

• What elements of the scene relate to agriculture?
• What similarities are there to today’s shows, and what is different?
• What era do you think the scene is set in, and why?

A prize-winning wildflowers quilt entered in the 1933 Royal Adelaide Show helps demonstrate how agricultural shows connected people from isolated communities.

Explore the wildflowers quilt

Ten multiple choice quiz questions for students to demonstrate their knowledge about agricultural shows. Suitable for years 3 to 6. Quiz questions and answers are also available in a printable version PDF, 100.08 KB.

Start the Royal Adelaide Show online quiz

Exercise 1

An online comparison exercise for children to compare six pairs of agricultural show photographs and identify the oldest photo. Suitable for years 3 to 6.

Start the Royal Adelaide Show online exercise

Suggested projects for children to make and do.

1. Create a diorama or draw a picture showing an aspect of an agricultural show.
2. Write a story or comic book from an animal’s perspective, describing its journey from farm to show.
3. Design and create a showbag for an imaginary superhero, toy, cartoon character, or pop star.
4. Produce a timeline showing key events in the history of agricultural shows in Australia.
5. Draw two pictures depicting the same aspect of an agricultural show, one from the present day and one from the past. Include and identify elements that have and have not changed.
6. Create a PowerPoint presentation showing some of the ways agriculture influences your daily life.
7. Draw a diagram showing the life cycle of an agricultural product, from beginning to end (for example, a bottle of milk, loaf of bread, or woollen jumper).

Suggested assignment questions encouraging children to think and write.

1. What were the main aims of the earliest agricultural shows, and how were these met?
2. Compare and contrast today’s sideshow alley activities with those of the past. Discuss some of the reasons for the differences and similarities.
3. Which events held at today’s royal shows would you expect to have found at early agricultural shows? Which events would you only see at a modern show?
4. Will agriculture be needed in the future?
5. Investigate and write a short history about an agricultural show in your region.

Note: inspiration and answers for online activities, projects and assignments can be found in the Kids learning space