National Threatened Species Day on 7 September represents the perfect springboard for generating student interest in the natural world around us – and they’re never too young to start, writes Caroline Reidy.
Parkwood Green Primary School in Melbourne’s northwest recently treated its 200-strong Prep year level to an insect and mini-beasts program at the school to coincide with its lesson focus on mini-beasts as part of its Term 3 integrated topic on animals. “We had centipedes, frogs, crabs and sea stars, a lizard and a variety of insects at the school … all ‘mini-beasts’,” says Prep
teacher Renee Cowden. “Some of the kids were a bit anxious, but all were very curious and excited at the chance to touch the animals.
“Rather than me just talking about these animals or showing the class a photo, the students actually got to see and hold them. To have the students learn from practical experience as well as theory is what all teachers aim to do, and this provided the perfect opportunity to do that,” she says.
As part of its continued animal education, the school will now pay special focus on 7 September to National Threatened Species Day, which aims to encourage the community to prevent further extinctions of Australia’s fauna and flora, and to restore healthy numbers of endangered species and ecological communities in the wild.
School subjects provide a springboard for schools to explore this important topic, as well as the wider natural world. The science unit ‘Exploring Places for Living’, for example, provides Prep to Year 6 students with opportunities to learn about factors that affect the survival of various creatures, including the risk of animals becoming endangered or extinct when extreme change happens to their environment.
In addition to its mini-beast and insects program, Macedon’s Wild Action zoo brings to schools a variety of animal programs covering everything from marine life to birds, reptiles and marsupials. A special treat as part of its endangered species program is the chance for students to meet the native tiger quoll, which the zoo has successfully bred.
“Endangered tiger quolls are native cat-type creatures similar to the Tasmanian devil,” says zoologist and Wild Action owner Chris Humfrey. “The endangered species sessions also include squirrel gliders, among other amazing creatures, many of which students and teachers alike have never heard of. Through learning about them they also learn how to save them, and a lot of the animals do
have a positive story, they are bouncing back in numbers because of positive intervention and conservation practices.
“I think endangered species also highlight the plight of where all our biodiversity is heading. It’s vital to protect, not just endangered species, but all animal species, and to understand the impact we have. We have a custodianship to look after them and learn their hidden stories. We need to be aware that there’s an ark
of information out there that we’re blind to.”
The core aim of the Macedon-based zoo is to ignite a love of wildlife in children of all ages, something which Mr Humfrey believes is being eroded by an increasingly tech-savvy society.
“When I was a kid I often went camping or spent hours just exploring my own backyard. Many children these days are so wrapped up in technology that they’ve lost that sense of exploration,” he says.
“I want to encourage kids to get outside and actually flip over a rock and see some invertebrates, to shine a torch into a tree and look for a possum, to go down to a lake and look for tadpoles. It’s amazing what inhabits your local environment, your own backyard! The zoo was created to get kids back in touch with nature and in touch with their inner animal and wild side.”
Josh Cox, owner of Reptile Encounters, agrees that in the modern world, it is more critical than ever to educate kids about wildlife.
“So many children don’t spend time outdoors anymore, they’re more likely to be sitting in front of a computer and that means there’s less exposure to our native animals. If we can give them an
understanding of wildlife then they are more likely to respect it.
“With the really young ones, it’s just about looking at and touching the animals but from as young as three we start giving the children real information,” he says.
Founded on all things reptilian the Melbourne-based zoo also comes to schools, with a selection of furry friends, birds and insects in tow.
“It’s important to raise awareness about endangered species, so children can understand how they can help,” Mr Cox says. “In burning red river gums, for example, people are burning the habitat of the Victorian carpet python. If we can raise those issues in the classroom, we can help animals in the long term.
“Our zoo’s endangered species include yellow spotted monitors, a large stocky goanna native to Darwin that’s being wiped out because of cane toads. Interestingly, yellow spotted monitors can survive our native venomous snakes, but can’t survive the introduced cane toads, as they’ve been unable to adapt.”
Sammy the red-tailed black cockatoo joins woma pythons, Pilbara olive pythons and growling grass frogs as part of the zoo’s other endangered species offering.
“I think it will be interesting to see how the next generation’s attitude to wildlife changes, hopefully for the better, through education programs,” says Mr Cox, who has a background in medical science and zoology.
For schools keen to get out and about, Zoos Victoria has in-zoo excursion programs at its three locations, Melbourne Zoo, the African-inspired Werribee Open Range Zoo, and Healesville Sanctuary, offering an up-close look at our native species.
School groups can be part of the ‘Visit with a Discovery Session’, a close-up interactive session with animals led by qualified zoo educators and tailored for various ages and education focuses. These include ‘habitat heroes’ and ‘the endangered challenge’, focusing on habitat destruction and endangered species across the globe and how simple actions can make a difference.
Teachers can also independently lead their students through the zoos, using provided trail and teacher notes.
