During this lesson students explore the patterns of natural objects found in the school yard. Students take photos and collect a range of these objects, and in particular a range of leaves with different patterns. Students discuss the importance of trees to our environment and to ourselves, and create a clay leaf bowl from their collected leaves with the intentions of communicating messages about conserving and protecting trees to a wider audience.
This lesson is designed to be taught outside. By spending time outdoors and connecting to nature, students are more likely to care for and conserve nature as adults.
Children investigate a range of natural features of the yard by thinking about, talking about and describing how these things grow. They will look at parts of plants and explore where they come from and how they grow, engaging in role play and creating and making activities to develop and represent their knowledge.
This activity is designed to help connect children to the wonders of the natural world through sensory and play-based learning. It is designed to be taught outside. By spending time outdoors and connecting to nature, children are more likely to care for and conserve nature as adults.
During this lesson students investigate the structure of ecosystems, including trophic levels and biotic and abiotic elements. Students begin by refreshing their understanding of key ecosystem terms, and then observe and record the biotic and abiotic features of their school yard ecosystem. They then participate in a group activity around a wetland ecosystem, looking at how this ecosystem responds to various scenarios.
This lesson is designed to be taught outside. By spending time outdoors and connecting to nature, students are more likely to care for and conserve nature as adults.
During this lesson students explore dichotomous keys as a means for identifying and classifying living things. They begin by observing living things in the school yard. Following an introduction to dichotomous keys, students will create a key for living things found in the school yard. Finally, students will use an invertebrates key to identify invertebrates in the school yard and then create a poster/booklet about school mini-beasts.
This lesson is designed to be taught outside. By spending time outdoors and connecting to nature, students are more likely to care for and conserve nature as adults.
During this lesson, students investigate the role of knowledge of our environment in jobs both now and in the future. Students begin by exploring the need for green jobs (why we need people to have green jobs) and what some current green jobs might be. Students are then asked to imagine some green jobs of the future, what the job descriptions of these jobs would be and how these jobs would help to protect, conserve and care for our environment.
This lesson is designed to be taught outside. By spending time outdoors and connecting to nature, students are more likely to care for and conserve nature as adults.
During this lesson students investigate how biodiversity in their school yard will be affected by climate change. They begin by identifying aspects of biodiversity in their school yard, and undertake research to identify the causes and impacts of climate change on biodiversity. Finally, students create an interactive walk through their school yard.
This lesson is designed to be taught outside. By spending time outdoors and connecting to nature, students are more likely to care for and conserve nature as adults.
Students tour the school grounds investigating how living things are classified based on similarities and differences in observable features. They learn how scientists use a hierarchical system of classification, and how living things can be classified into Kingdoms based on their features. Students use creative thinking to invent an organism and give it a scientific name. They then classify their organism based on its physical features. Finally, students are asked to speculate on the conservation status of their organism and to make recommendations about how this organism can be conserved and protected.
This lesson is designed to be taught outside. By spending time outdoors and connecting to nature, students are more likely to care for and conserve nature as adults.
During this lesson students collect data about the biodiversity of their schoolyard. Using this data they calculate the biodiversity index of the area of the schoolyard they personally analysed and compare this with other areas around the school to calculate a total average for the schoolyard. They reflect on their results to suggest options for increasing the biodiversity of their school.
This lesson is designed to be taught outside. By spending time outdoors and connecting to nature, students are more likely to care for and conserve nature as adults.
Students design their own model of a biosphere that is self-sustaining and demonstrates the interactions that occur naturally. Students will keep a scientific journal about their research project to record their planning, their background research, how their ideas develop, strategies and possible solutions to identified problems, resources accessed, and findings and evaluations from their investigation.
This lesson is designed to be taught outside. By spending time outdoors and connecting to nature, students are more likely to care for and conserve nature as adults.
Children use a map to explore the features and layout of their outdoor learning area. They note personal connections to their outdoor environment and represent their thoughts, feelings and/or observations using their choice of medium.
This activity is designed to help connect children to the wonders of the natural world through sensory and play-based learning. This activity is designed to be taught outside. By spending time outdoors and connecting to nature, children are more likely to care for and conserve nature as adults.
During this lesson students investigate, estimate, identify and classify angles in the outdoors in preparation for furthering their understanding of geometry. They apply their understanding of angles to the real world by identifying a range of angles in their local environment. Students will develop communication skills as they write instructions and provide feedback.
This lesson is designed to be taught outside. By spending time outdoors and connecting to nature, students are more likely to care for and conserve nature as adults.
This activity is designed to encourage children to grow their own vegetables and enjoy the fruits of their labour. Children will discover that the food you grow yourself can look very different to that which you buy at the supermarket and can also have a different flavour.
In this activity students work as a class to make a nature map of their school. Students take a walk around the school looking for signs of nature, drawing and taking notes about what they see and reporting back their findings to the class. They then create a new map that shows all the features of biodiversity they found in their school yard.
This activity is designed to get children connecting with nature; experiencing the health and developmental benefits of connecting with the earth and messy play. They will experience sand, soil and mud through their senses, manipulating it in a range of ways.
Students use a map to show locations where their school is connected to the storm water at ground level. They collect data about what polluting substances might be carried along with rain into the storm water system.
In this activity, students are asked to research an animal species that lives in their area. They are to construct a mini Muir web that explains the integration between their chosen animal and other aspects of the natural and human influenced environment. Their diagram will show how this animal fits into its ecosystem, the impacts on the ecosystem, and what might cause it to become extinct.
In this lesson, students first explore a range of renewable energy sources and their value. They then engage in an outdoor game in which they revise terms relating to key sources of renewable energy. Finally, they reflect upon sources of renewable energy that could be useful in their own community.
In this lesson students think about and discuss features of animals and the relevance of these features to ensuring the survival of the animal. They then create their own animals, describing and illustrating their features and developing a written description of their traits. This lesson draws on skills from Science, Visual Arts and English as students develop knowledge of living things, drawing skills and engage in descriptive writing.
In this lesson, students learn the difference between native and introduced species of plants and animals. They explore different ways they can protect native plants and animals as well as their pets and gardens.