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Willoughby City Council provides a School Bushland Interpretation and Environmental Awareness Program to public and private schools in the area.
Introduction to Willoughby’s Bushland
Willoughby Council is fortunate to have nearly 300 hectares of wonderful bushland in a number of reserves, ranging from eucalypt woodland and rainforest gullies to sandstone heath and mangroves, from rivers and creeks to harbour foreshores.
There is also a diversity of flora and fauna - but none of these can be taken for granted. Many of our vegetation communities and fragile ecosystems are threatened by urban impacts and need to be protected.
The local bushland is a fantastic outdoor classroom.
The aims of the program are to:
- Facilitate children discovering nature in an enjoyable hands on way and gain an understanding of the connectedness of all living things.
- Let them discover how the natural environment sustains life on earth and what actions they can take in their day-to-day lives to sustain this.
- Foster links between the schools and local bushland reserves and waterways so they can understand the issues affecting these areas and be part of solutions in their local community.
Activities
Field trips in the form of bushwalks to local reserves have been the most requested activity, most being approximately 2 hours long. Full day excursions can be conducted. Walk themes may be linked to specific curriculum topics or lend themselves to a cross-curriculum application. Interpretive Officers provide a work sheet after the activity suggesting follow up activities to consolidate learning.
These general bushland issues are usually covered on a walk:
- Aboriginal culture
- plant growth
- native flora and fauna
- biodiversity
- water catchments
- human impacts
- ways children can help protect the natural world and act more sustainable way.
Bushwalks and activities complement the following primary units of work:
Year K - 2
-
* Bush Christmas (Kindy)
- * Living Things
- Places We Know
- * Wet and Dry Environments
- * The Need for Shelter
- Look Around You
- Growing Up
- What’s Alive
- Kids Care
Years 2 - 4
-
* Australia You’re Standing in It
- British Colonisation of Australia
- * Places: Then, Now and Tomorrow
- * State and National Parks
- Mini Worlds
- * Cycles in Our World
- Our Australia
Years 5 - 6
- Global Environments
- * Rainforests
- Global Connections/Patterns of Place and Location
- An Ancient Land
- Environment Matters
- A Change for the Better
*Most popular topics.
Examples of some of the diverse activities undertaken with primary schools:
High Schools
Willoughby City Council offers in-class talks or walks within the local area to help explore geography, Aboriginal studies and science topics for year 7 – 10 students. For example:
Geography topics: Investigating Australia's identity, Changing Australia’s environments, Issues in Australian environments, Environments at risk.
Science studies: Adaptations of living things, and Interactions between the natural and built environments. Local flora and fauna and environmental management techniques illustrate the biodiversity and ecology of living things, problems about, and solutions to, issues associated with the interaction between people and the environment.
Visual arts: Teachers may want to allow students to have a direct experience with the natural world whilst exploring the topic other living things.
Examples of some of the diverse activities undertaken with high schools:
- Environmental Video Project (
Environment Education Videos, DVDs and Books - 39 KB - Exploring ‘issues in Australian environments’ – whilst exploring the Artarmon to Middle Harbour walk.
- Council Landscape Officer discussing outdoor design with design and technology students.
- Propagation and planting activities in school grounds with indigenous species.
To book an activity contact:
The Bushland Interpretive Officer at Willoughby City Council
Phone: 9777 7755
Or email: bushland@willoughby.nsw.gov.au