Primary
Get up close and personal with the Nangak Tamboree Wildlife Sanctuary’s exciting activities.
We focus on awareness of self and the local world in our range of engaging activities. You’ll also explore interesting questions that can be investigated scientifically. These are expanded to how to undertake investigations in older students.
We have designed these experiences in mind to link with specific learning outcomes within the Australian Curriculum.
Bring your lunch to have in one of our peaceful outdoor spaces.
What we offer
30 min
What calls a wetland home? Students cooperate to catch aquatic minibeasts from pre-collected samples held in tubs. They will then work together to identify what they have caught.
VCSSU041 - Why it's important to know what lives in a wetland
VCSSU042 - Identifying minibeasts by their external features
VCSIS050 - Minibeasts spark excitement and fascination among students leading to questions about what they find
VCSIS051 - Experimenting as a team to work out how to catch the speedy aquatic minibeasts
VCSIS055 - Discussing what was found as a class and in small groups.
30 min
Get hands on with plant reproduction! Your students will learn how some plants reproduce by ripping apart a native grass tussock to create ‘juvenile’ forms of the original plant. Why do this? To check out who lives inside and find out why grasses are important habitat for minibeasts!
VCSSU041 - Humans protecting resources by creating habitat
VCSSU042 - Identifying features of plants in order to successfully propagate an indigenous Poa.
VCSSU043 - How Poa plants reproduce
VCSIS051 - Investigate who calls a native grass home
VCSIS054 - Working in small groups encouraging teamwork and discussion about their minibeast discoveries
30 min
Who eats who? Your students will work in small groups to discover how all living organisms in a wetland habitat are connected.
VCSSU042 - Purposes of animal body parts.
VCSSU043 - How a minibeasts needs can change as it grows
VCSIS050 - What happens if an animal is lost/added to the food web?
VCSIS051 - Adding and removing animals from the food web to see what happens
VCSIS054 - Predicting what how small changes to the food web can affect it as a whole. Discussing why this is the case.
VCSIS055 - Students share ideas on what how they think a wetland food web is connected and how changes will affect it.
30 min
Why are holes in trees important? Your students will put together and nestbox and use it to discuss how plants and animals interact with one another.
F-2
VCSSU042 - Different living things live in different places
VCSSU043 - Growth and change of Eucalyptus trees to form hollows
VCSIS050 - What happens if there are no old trees? What can we do?
VCSIS051 - Putting together nestboxes in small groups
VCSIS052 - Using informal measurements to compare nestbox sizes and shapes
VCSIS054 - Discussing what might call their nestbox home
3-4
VCSSU056 - The effects of past clearing on the availability of hollows
VCSSU057 - Eucalyptus tress are special in that they form hollows
VCSSU058 - The many roles of eucalyptus in a habitat and the effect of their removal
30 min
This mini-tour of the sanctuary is reccommended for all visiting groups. The Wilderness Wander allows students to put what they have learned into perspective by seeing the sanctuary as a whole.
F-2:
VCSSU041 - What we do at the sanctuary
VCSSU042 - 3 main habitat types of the sanctuary
VCSSU043 - Observing different life stages in person
VCSIS050 - Students are encouraged to ask questions throughout the Wilderness Wander
VCSIS051 - Students Inverstigate the environment through touch, sound, and smell.
3-4:
VCSSU056 - Projects in the sanctuary
VCSSU057 - Observation and discussion of the sanctuarys inhabitants
VCSSU058 - Interactions between plants and animals within the sanctuary
VCSIS065 - Prompting questions to compare similar landscapes
5-6
VCSSU073 - The sanctuary wetland system and how it helps the wider community
VCSSU074 - Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment
VCSSU075 - Interactions between plants, animals and systems within the sanctuary
VCSIS082 - Open ended questions to encourage critical thinking
VCSIS088 - Asking students to explain any short answers to questions.
Students will learn a variety of methods plants use to reproduce through demonstration and hands on activities.
3-4
VCSSU056 - What methods of propagation work
VCSSU057 - Deciding on a propagation method based on the plants appearance and family
VCSSU058 - Demonstationg of a variety of reproduction methods
VCSIS067 - Students get hands on to propagate plants via division and cuttings using the supplied equipment.
5-6
VCSSU074 - Features of different plants which lead to survival in their habitat
VCSSU075 - How various methods of propagation would occur naturally in the wild
30 Min
Using dipnets, your students will work together to collect samples directly from one of our sanctuary wetlands.
3-4
VCSSU056 - Why its important to sample wetlands
VCSSU057 - Distinguishing living from non-living things
VCSSU058 - Why different minibeasts are found in different areas
VCSIS067 - Use of macroinvertebrate sampling equipment and methods
VCSIS072 - Students sort and compare what they collect
5-6
VCSSU074 - Questioning what external features might be for
VCSSU079 - What might affect the variety of invertebrates found
VCSIS082 - Troubleshooting common issues with sampling methods used
VCSIS088 - Comparing what is found to the conditions on the day
30 min
In this activity your students will get up close and personal with aquatic minibeasts taking an in depth look at their features and how this affects their relationship with their environment. It is recommended that this activity is booked with Dip Netting so that students can identify samples that they have collected themselves.
3-4:
VCSSU056 - Why its important to know what species
VCSSU057 - Identifying minibeasts by their observable features
VCSIS067 - Use of microscopes and reference materials
VCSIS072 - Sharing what they have observed with their group
5-6:
VCSSU074 - Comparing features of the minibeasts found to the environment they are found in.
VCSSU079 - What would happen the these creatures in the event of a drought?
VCSSU075 - Observing camouflage of minibeasts. Considering what they may eat etc.
VCSSU073 - presence of specific species as an indicator of water quality.
Suggested experience combinations
| Habitat | Connections | Minibeasts |
|---|---|---|
| What's in the Water? | Linking Lifecycles | What's in the Water? |
| Nesting Box Game | What's in the Water | Linking Lifecycles |
| Traverse a Tussock | Nesting Box Game | Traverse a tussock |
| Wilderness Wander | Wilderness Wander | Wilderness Wander |
| Minibeasts | Plants | Connections |
|---|---|---|
| Traverse a Tussock | Plants Up Close | Dip Netting |
| Who Eats Who | Propagation | Close Encounters |
| Dip Netting | Nesting Box Game | Who Eats Who |
| Wilderness Wander | Wilderness Wander | Wilderness Wander |
| Human Impacts |
|---|
| Dip Netting |
| Close Encounters |
| Nesting Box Game |
| Wilderness Wander |
Minimum experience time is 2hours (4 standard activities). Most activities can be mixed and matched to to suit your class and curriculum. Contact us for more information or to book.