Primary School Education - Kindergarten, Years 1 and 2

These programs are designed to stimulate the minds of kids aged five to eight. Kids explore and learn ways they can help maintain the environment through various activates and games. Example of these programs can be seen below, and may be combined to create longer sessions to suit your needs.

Senses working overtime - Sensory walk - Look around you and let's communicate The walk though the Botanic Garden focuses on using all five senses.

Green Thumbs- How plants grow - Living things, their needs and cycles in our world  A lesson and activity on how seeds work, and how to sow a seed. Each child takes home their own plant.

Water Bugs - Mini beasts in the pond – Living things, their needs and cycles in our world Kids explore the pond and middle creek using dip nets and water mini beast charts. 

Captain Compost - Composting demonstration Living things, their needs and cycles in our world The captain will entertain and teach kids about the magic of composting.

Big Garden Adventure Tour - Join the gardeners on an adventure walk in the Garden Kids will discover some bizarre and curious plants from all over the world.

Life in the Aquatic Environment- Discover all about living things, their needs and cycles in our world by exploring the pond and creek. Children will use dip nets and water mini beast charts to learn about the observable stages of lifecycles. Discover components of the aquatic environment such as food, shelter, temperature and look for indications of pollution.

Wet and Dry Environments- Discover the diversity of living things in our environment in two very distinct landscapes, the wet, rainforest, and the dry, water-deprived landscape of the desert and typical Australian woodlands. Students will learn the difference between these very unique and equally important environments, the plant and animals species that are contained within and features of both. 

Wriggly Worms and Compost Creatures- Get up close with some of the world's small and valuable creatures that often don't get the credit they deserve. We're talking about worms and all the critters that live in the compost bin and help us to replace precious nutrients from our food scraps back into the soil.

Primary School - Years 3 and 4

These programs are to stimulate the minds and senses of kids aged between 8 and 10 years. They include games and songs in which children learn about the environment they live in. Examples of these programs are below, and can be combined to create longer sessions to suit your needs.

Mini beasts of the Water and the land – Mini worlds, Living things and their needs and cycles in our world. Children are taught techniques for finding and examining mini fauna on land and in the water. They examine food chains and plant habitats.

Bees and Flowers – Cycles in our world and mini worlds. Children learn about pollination and the techniques used to undertake their very own cross pollination activity. 

Aboriginal plant use, Bush Tucker Walk – Our Australia and an Ancient Land. Children learn about traditional Aboriginal bush tucker, medicines and their purposes for native plants.

Traditional Shelter Building – Our Australia and Ancient Land. Children work in teams to build traditional shelters, described within an Aboriginal legend.

Growing plants from plants – Living things and their needs. A hands-on lesson showing how to correctly propagate plants from cuttings.

Maths in the Garden – Measuring up. Children solve a number of “real” mathematical problems with an environmental touch. 

Captain compost – Cycles in our world and Living things and their needs. Kids are taught the benefits of, and how to build, a compost heap. They also work in teams to build a no-dig garden.

State and National Parks – Our Australia, an ancient land, Environmental matters. Children work in teams to build their own mini state or national park.

No-Dig Gardening- This lesson addresses what we can do to actively recover much of our organic waste. We could compost up to 80 per cent of what we currently throw away. This is a hands-on skills-based activity for geography, history and science.

Growing Native Plants- Learn about the diversity of native plants and experience different methods of growing them from seed to cuttings.

Discovering Natural Habitats- This lesson takes you on a journey through the senses while uncovering the secret and unique habitats in the gardens.

Sunlight in Schools Program

As an extension to the activities offered throughout the year, the team at the Discovery Centre is offering a new structure to activities for kindergarten to years 4 in 2012 called Sunlight in Schools. Teachers will have the chance to participate in one of the days of our one-week intensive programs, which are offered four times a year, during each teaching term. For the structure of the day, please see Lesson Duration.

Dates	Program and Theme	Activities (two completed in rotation).	Activity Description	Play
Term One Monday 5 March to Friday 9 March	Water: Every Drop Counts	Life in the aquatic environment	Discover all about living things, their needs and cycles in our world by exploring the pond and creek. Children will use dip nets and water mini beast charts to learn about the observable stages of lifecycles. Discover components of the aquatic environment such as food, shelter, temperature and look for indications of pollution.	Clean Up Your Act with the Giant Water Bugs
		Wet and Dry Environments	Discover the diversity of living things in our environment in two very distinct landscapes, the wet, rainforest, and the dry, water-deprived landscape of the desert and typical Australian woodlands. Students will learn the difference between these very unique and equally important environments, the plant and animals species that are contained within and features of both.
		Dr H2 0	Meet these intriguing characters who will open your eyes to the blue planet. Learn about how much water we have on earth, what proportions are fresh, salt and trapped in glaciers and groundwater. The Dr will amaze students with practical demonstrations and experiments of pollution, and give you an appreciation of just how little water we actually have and why we need to conserve it.
		The Journey of the Water Drop through the Garden.	Take a journey through the garden by following Wilfred the water drop and all his friends as they take a wild and exciting ride through the amazing water cycle.
Term Two Monday 7 May - Friday 11 May	Waste and Food The World's Biggest Compost	Captain Compost	The captain will entertain and inform the children about the magic of composting and how this is a sustainable method of enriching and replacing valuable nutrients back into our soils.	Ziggy and the Incredible Time Machine
		Wriggly worms and compost creatures	Get up close with some of the world's small and valuable creatures that often don't get the credit they deserve. We're talking about worms and all the critters that live in the compost bin and help us to replace precious nutrients from our food scraps back into the soil.
		No dig gardening/growing herbs to take home	This lesson addresses what we can do to actively recover much of our organic waste. We could compost up to 80 per cent of what we currently throw away. This is a hands-on skills-based activity for geography, history and science.
		History of Waste	An activity dealing with Aboriginal and settlers' approach to waste management. The activity also includes descriptions of real people that lived in the Dapto area in 1941 by developing characters and role playing.
Term 3 Monday 23 July to Friday 27 July	Biodiversity & Aboriginal Culture The Spice of Life	Growing Native Plants	Learn about the diversity of native plants and experience different methods of growing them from seed to cuttings.	Big Foot Detectives
		Bush Tucker Walk	Come and experience the new bush tucker garden and learn all about the many different food and medicinal native plants from the Illawarra.
		Flowers and Bees	Children will learn about the interesting relationships between flowers and insects, and why they are so important to each other by undertaking a cross pollination activity.
		Art in the Environment	Get creative with natural materials you find around the garden and create some ephemeral sculptures for other visitors to the garden to enjoy.
Term 4 Monday 15 October - Friday 19 October	Human & Nature Interactions Footprints	Animal Footprints	Who does that footprint belong to? Learn about the different traces that animals leave behind. We may not see them, but we can still tell where they've been.	Fun Loving Feral
		Traditional Shelter Building	Children work in teams to build traditional shelters, described in an Aboriginal legend.
		Discovering Natural Habitats, Earth Walks	This lesson takes you on a journey through the senses while uncovering the secret and unique habitats in the gardens.