Hi Landcarer’s

This week it has been so lovely to have Parkes East and Holy Family kindies at Kelly Reserve learning about water, water bugs, wetlands and plants.

A big thank you to garden designer, Elizabeth Briton, Parkes Shire Council Environmental and Sustainability Officer Michael Chambers, and Project Communications Officer Raen Fraser for working together to teach our children about the importance of water and how we need to look after our environment.

Kindergarten students were treated to a morning of environmental education at Bushman’s Dam and Kelly Reserve where they learnt all about water and habitat within our environment.

Throughout the year kindergarten have been exploring ‘Living Things’ in the classroom so this is a great chance to take this learning a step further with a practical and fun excursion.

Once there, students were split into four groups, with each group taking part in a range of concurrent activities.

Students had the opportunity to interact with a model replica of a typical urban wetland and learnt the importance of water within our towns and environment and how important it is not to pollute our waterways.

They loved getting their hands wet while using to show how chemicals and rubbish can easily get into our creeks and dams and learning about the constructed wetland area at PAC Park.

Students also learnt all about waterbugs, learning that they are a great indicator of the health of waterways.

This was a very hands-on and fun activity, as magnifying glasses, spoons and trays were used by students who identified some of the many tiny, fascinating creatures that live in our waterways like PAC Park and Bushman’s Dam.

Elizabeth’s activity allowed students to get their hands dirty potting native seeds which they then got to take home and look after.

Raen spoke with students about water recycling and gave them a deeper understanding of the importance of using this precious resource carefully.

Raen’s mate, Banjo the frog made a special appearance and enjoyed having a photo taken with students.

It is wonderful to partner with Council to deliver exceptional environmental education initiatives for our local school children that are practical, interactive and fun.

The students will now have a greater knowledge of the environment and living things and be taking these messages home to the rest of their families.

For further information on this article, please go to www.centralwestlachlanlandcare.org, twitter, facebook or Instagram @cwllandcare