2013 – 2015
Funded by the NSW Environmental Trust and Westpac, through Landcare Australia
This project was aimed at increasing opportunities for schools to undertake Landcare and environmental education activities. MLi worked directly with two local schools, in Wagga Wagga and Coolamon, to link them to schools, teachers and parents who have already successfully implemented similar projects. We then assisted the schools with the development of a project, including accessing Junior Landcare funding.
Schools Round Robin
In October 2014, nearly 200 Stage 3 Primary School students from Wagga Wagga and Coolamon participated in a farm excursion to ‘Coombiana’, a working farm at Downside near Wagga Wagga. The excursion was offered at no cost to the schools.
The focus of the excursion was the sustainability challenges behind the production of the food and fibre we all use everyday. The excursion included eight different activities at the farm, each addressing a key aspect of the work and issues involved in maintaining sustainable farms. The excursion directly addressed the sustainability action processes outlined in the Education Sustainability Curriculum Framework.
Coolamon Central School Snippets
Below is an article from the Coolamon Central School Snippets, following the excursion, written by Mrs White, 4/5 Diamond:
Last Wednesday, 15 October, selected Stage 3 students travelled to ‘Coombiana’, a working farm at Downside. The excursion was courtesy of Murrumbidgee Landcare who provided transport on the day. The focus of the excursion was the sustainability challenges behind the production of the food and fibre we all use every day. The excursion included a range of activities at a single site on the farm. The event directly addressed the sustainability action processes outlined in the NSW Department of Education Sustainability Curriculum Framework.
Toni McLeish, the School Project Coordinator of Murrumbidgee Landcare, was kind enough to send us a letter congratulating our students on their attentive and positive behaviour. The presenters reported how exciting it was to share information with students who really seemed to enjoy what they were doing and hearing.
Many thanks to Mrs Weatherald and Miss Looby who accompanied the students on the excursion.
Some comments from students follow:
The day was cool seeing how you checked cows’ teeth – Will Tokley
We tested soil to see which was the best for growing crops – Caitlyne Lewis
They showed us how to protect the environment – Lewis Thain
It’s cool how they train a dog to get sheep – Rylan O’Sullivan
It was cool hearing water inside gum trees – Peter McCallum
We checked leaves for caterpillar damage – it was cool – Grace Altoft
I like trying to identify bugs – Braidan Henman
The Dog Whisperer asked us to name his new puppy – Lucy Dalgarno Fixter
