06 Mar 2019
Year 1 have been learning all about insects this term in their Schoolyard Safari unit for Science. On their bush safari to Gibbergong Environmental Education Centre in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, students had the opportunity to go on a bush walk and learn more about these fascinating creatures.
The bush walk began with some crab spotting in the mangrove swamp and tasting the salt on the leaves of the mangrove trees. Students used their clipboards to sketch the crabs and were also encouraged to sketch as many insects and animals as they could find along the walk. Next, they moved through the dry forest and trekked deeper down into the cool, dark rainforest. Here students listened to a story and were silent for a few minutes so they could listen to all the noisy and wonderful insect sounds. After this, students continued their walk into an area where they hunted for their own insects! The captured insects were placed in a container, where the students could examine them more closely and draw them in as much detail as possible before being released.
A few curious goannas came to visit during the lunch break. Our final activity was creating our own mini beasts out of clay!
On such a sunny day, nature was on full display with so many insects to see. What a successful trip!