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Learning
in a living environment at Kooragang Wetlands and City Farm!
Kooragang
Wetlands and Kooragang City Farm are
excellent resources for teachers of geography, biology and senior
environmental and agricultural sciences. They also suit sections of
the middle high school curriculum, while younger students can
explore the differences between wet and dry environments, as well as
simply getting out of the classroom for `something completely
different.’
| We offer a range of learning experiences that are fun, informative, hands-on
school excursions designed to give students a better understanding
of the natural environment, farming in harmony with wetlands, and
particularly intertidal wetlands.
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| The
community gardens at City Farm are particularly well suited to
equip special needs students with worthwhile life skills for
their times beyond the classroom. An increasing number
of schools have found much of value for these students in the
nurturing environment of our community gardens. |
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Facilities
and attractions:
Excursions
take place on our 750 hectares Ash Island site which includes
150 hectares of Kooragang City Farm. Our
indoor facilities are limited, although audiovisual materials
can be shown in our large work shed if required. Restored
World War II radar buildings
house our estuarine interpretive display. Toilets
and water are available but students need to bring their own
food for longer excursions. Other on-site facilities include: walking
tracks/cycleways, mangrove boardwalk, informative interpretive
signage, picnic tables, shelters and benches.
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Services:
Guided
tours with qualified personnel, opportunities for field work for
smaller groups, site specific worksheets for most topics (others can
be prepared in consultation with the teacher). Our excursions cover a range of key learning
areas including: Science & Technology, Geography, Science,
Biology, Environmental Education and Agriculture (Animal and Plant
Production, Sustainable Land and Resource Management). Our site is particularly suited to excursions for
Years 11 -12 topics.
We
offer 1.5 to 2 hour excursions without fieldwork, or 3-5 hour
excursions with fieldwork.
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Information
and Bookings:
Phone: (02) 4964 9308 Fax: (02) 4964 9307 email: peggy.svoboda@cma.nsw.gov.au
Find
out more about our school excursion programs at Kooragang Wetlands:
Excursions
for Primary Schools
Years K-2
Years 3-4
Years 5-6
Excursions
for Secondary Schools
Years 7-10
Years 11-12
Wet and Dry Environments
KLA: HSIE
Yrs K-2
Location: Kooragang Wetlands, Ash Island site.
Description: Wet and Dry Environments provides students the opportunity to
experience a combination of wet and dry environments at Kooragang Wetlands. This is a
hands-on experience involves students using looking
tubes, identification charts and more. Using
their senses, students will touch bark, leaves and mangrove
breathing roots, smell different scented leaves and flowers,
observe the creatures that exist on and under the mud and seek out
those that are camouflaged amongst the branches. Students visit a
mangrove forest and a dry forest as part of their visit.
Duration: 1.5 to 2 hours.
Cost: $7.70 per student. Minimum excursion fees may apply for small groups.
Cycles in Our World
KLA: Science & Technology
Yrs 3-4
Location: Ash Island site, Kooragang Wetlands.
Description: Cycles in Our World provides students with a first hand opportunity to
experience a range of living and non-living cycles as they occur in
their natural setting. Investigations in the mangrove forest focus
on the life cycle of a mangrove tree from seed to seedling and then
the process necessary for it to become a mature tree. Dip netting at
the pond enables students to see creatures they never knew existed
in our waterways and learn how they are part of the cycle of life in
an aquatic environment. These discoveries result in the students
developing a wetland food web. Students will also get to observe the
life cycle of insects that rely on water for part of their life
cycle, including the dragonfly and the mosquito.
Duration: 1.5 to 2 hours.
Cost: $7.70 per student. Minimum excursion fees may apply for small groups.
Mini-Worlds
KLA: Science & Technology
Yrs 3-4
Location: Ash Island site, Kooragang Wetlands.
Description: Mini-Worlds introduces students to different animals in unique built and
natural environments. Students visiting the Kooragang Wetlands and
surrounding environments leave with an appreciation for the natural
environment. Students will be challenged and inspired by the
mangrove forest and associated hands-on exploratory activities.
Duration: 1.5 to 2 hours.
Cost: $7.70 per student. Minimum excursion fees may apply for small groups.
Environment Matters
KLA: Science & Technology
Yr 5-6
Location: Ash Island site, Kooragang Wetlands.
Description: Environment Matters introduces students to a
mangrove/saltmarsh environment
and the past and present uses of the Kooragang Wetlands area.
Students will compare a healthy and unhealthy mangrove forest. The
care of this wetland is explored and students will have the
opportunity to investigate the wetland and its organisms.
Duration: 1.5 to 2 hours.
Cost: $7.70 per student. Minimum excursion fees may apply for small groups.
Global Environments, Wetlands
KLA: Geography
, Yr 7-10
Location: Ash Island site, Kooragang Wetlands.
Description: Global Environments, Wetlands is a hands-on excursion where
students investigate the unique wetland environments of Kooragang
Wetlands. Using a range of fieldwork techniques, with all the
relevant field aids and equipment, the students will gather
information within the mangrove environment of Kooragang Wetlands.
The information they collect will assist their understanding of how
wetlands function, how humans interact with the wetlands and how to
care for and manage them. Site specific mapping exercises will also
assist students to consolidate mapping skill concepts delivered in
class.
Duration: 2
hours.
Cost: $7.70 per student. Minimum excursion fees may apply for small groups.
A Local Ecosystem
KLA: Biology
Yr 11-12
Location: Ash Island site, Kooragang Wetlands.
Description: A Local Ecosystem involves a
large amount of student experimentation and student data analysis.
During the excursion students measure at least 12 abiotic variables
in two different locations. Abiotics include pH, temperature,
salinity, and wind speed meters are provided for group work and
students will estimate the size of a plant and an animal population
using both transects and quadrats. Distribution of both populations
is also plotted. Students will also study trophic interactions;
calculate means and averages; assess data reliability and assess
experimental methods; and construct food chains and food webs.
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $11 per student. Minimum excursion fees may
apply for small groups.
Biophysical
Interactions - Intertidal Wetlands
KLA: Geography
Yr 11-12
Location: Ash Island site, Kooragang Wetlands.
Description: Biophysical Interactions -
Intertidal Wetlands is a fieldtrip that focuses on interactions
between biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and atmosphere. It
includes the human impacts and management on the spheres and the
inter-tidal wetland environment as a functioning system. Students
conduct fieldwork tasks/techniques to gain a better understanding of
the biophysical interactions that occur within inter-tidal wetlands.
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $11 per student. Minimum excursion fees may
apply for small groups.
Ecosystems at Risk
- Intertidal Wetlands
KLA: Geography
Yr 11-12
Location: Ash Island site, Kooragang Wetlands.
Description: Ecosystems at Risk -
Intertidal Wetlands involves students conducting fieldwork tasks and
techniques including vegetation transects, quadrant sampling, sketch
land use maps, interpreting current and historic photographs and use
of scientific equipment to monitor the environment to gain a better
understanding of how inter-tidal wetlands function. They will study
the natural and human stresses placed upon wetlands and the
management strategies employed to sustain them.
Duration: 4
hours
Cost: $11 per student. Minimum excursion fees may
apply for small groups.
Local
Environment
KLA: Science
Yr 11-12
Location: Ash Island site, Kooragang Wetlands.
Description: A Local Environment involves a
large amount of student experimentation and student data analysis.
During the excursion students measure at least 12 abiotic variables
in two different locations. Abiotics include pH, temperature,
salinity, and wind speed and students will estimate the size of a
plant and an animal population using both transects and quadrats.
Distribution of both populations is also plotted. Students will also
study trophic interactions; calculate means and averages; assess
data reliability and assess experimental methods; and construct food
chains and food webs.
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: $11 per student. Minimum excursion fees may
apply for small groups.
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