New education resource brings Australian storytelling into classrooms
The Australian Children’s Television Foundation has launched a major new online education resource based on the animated television series Tales from Outer Suburbia, providing Australian teachers and students with a rich, creative learning experience grounded in local storytelling.
Designed for Years 5–8 classrooms, the resource offers an extensive suite of curriculum-aligned activities that explore storytelling, media literacy and creativity through the imaginative world of Tales from Outer Suburbia. The series, produced by Highly Spirited and Flying Bark Productions, is based on the acclaimed book by internationally celebrated Australian artist and storyteller Shaun Tan.
Developed in collaboration with moving image education specialist Dr Susan Bye and Bridget Hanna, Education Manager at the ACTF, the resource draws on deep expertise in both screen storytelling and classroom learning. Together, they have created an engaging and accessible learning experience that supports teaching across English, Media Arts and the General Capabilities of the Australian Curriculum.
At the heart of the resource is an exploration of how stories move from page to screen. Students are given rare behind-the-scenes insights into the making of the animated series, including video interviews with crew, production materials and original concept artwork. The resource also features excerpts from Shaun Tan’s book alongside exclusive artwork, inviting students into the quiet wonder and imaginative world that defines Tales from Outer Suburbia.
The education resource mirrors the show’s spirit of curiosity and creativity through a flexible “choose your own learning adventure” structure. Each episode contains a suite of classroom-ready activities that encourage both creative and analytical thinking while supporting meaningful classroom discussion. Activities can be used as weekly creative provocations, deep dives into adaptation and storytelling, or as part of broader media literacy studies.
Learning opportunities include:
• Page-to-screen comparisons that explore how stories evolve during adaptation from book to animation
• Production insights into animation, sound design and visual storytelling
• Theme explorations encouraging reflection on ideas such as imagination, fear, joy, family and belonging
• Creative tasks that invite students to experiment with storytelling techniques and visual ideasReflecting on what he hopes audiences will take away from the series, Shaun Tan said:
“I hope that some young viewers will be inspired to write, illustrate and even animate their own stories about personal experiences, with a few little oddities thrown in, following the Tales from Outer Suburbia recipe, of how things that don’t make sense can still make sense. This seems to be the journey taken by the principal characters in the story, and it’s the journey, arguably, that we are all on out here in the ‘real’ world.”
The Tales from Outer Suburbia education resource celebrates the strength of Australian storytelling and the creative voices behind it, offering students a uniquely local entry point into the art of screen storytelling.
The full Tales from Outer Suburbia television series is available to stream on ABC iview.
Teachers and educators can access the free education resource here.
The ACTF is also hosting a range of free virtual and in-person events for teachers and students to engage in the series:
- Monday, 23 March | Animating Tales from Outer Suburbia
- Monday, 18 May | Talking Tales with Shaun Tan
- Tuesday, 26 May | Tales from Outer Suburbia Professional Learning
Tales from Outer Suburbia is a Highly Spirited and Flying Bark Productions production for the ABC and BYUtv. Major production investment from Screen Australia and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation in association with the ABC. Produced in New South Wales and Western Australia with Siamese and financed with support from Screenwest. Adapted from Shaun Tan’s multi-award-winning book Tales from Outer Suburbia. Directed by Noel Cleary. Creative Director: Shaun Tan. Producers: Sophie Byrne and Alexia Gates-Foale. Co-producer: Francesca Hope. Executive Producers: Barbara Stephen, Bernadette O’Mahony, Andra Johnson Duke, Francesca Hope, Jeff Simpson, Julia Adams, Karen Vermeulen, Libbie Doherty. Acting Head of ABC’s Children & Family: Mary-Ellen Mullane. International sales by the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.
