Primary

Focus is on water conservation and quality, the water cycle, catchments and how to protect this precious resource.

• Down the drain (Diamond Creek walk, water quality focus)
• What waterbug is that? (aquatic macro-invertebrates ID - seasonal)
• Tale of a creek (story and role play, water quality focus)
• Water heroes (water saving actions at home, water conservation focus, Year 3+)
• Edendale Farm tour (water conservation focus)
• Water quality testing (Year 5+)

Curriculum links: Science Understanding: Biological Sciences

Focus is on what goes in each bin, making smarter choices when shopping, the environmental impact of waste, minimising waste going to landfill and recycling organic waste. It introduces students to the ‘Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ waste-reduction hierarchy

• What a load of rubbish (bin sort/recycle relay)
• Soil matters (organic waste recycling, worm farming and composting)
• Consumption down (smarter shopping) (Year 4+)
• Edendale Farm tour (waste focus)
• Sculptural junk (art with waste)
• Down the drain (Diamond Creek walk, litter focus)

Curriculum links: Science Understanding, Geographical Knowledge, Visual Arts Practices, The Humanities: Civics and Citizenship

These activities emphasise the importance of plants and animals in the environment. Students gain an understanding of Biodiversity and its related issues, as well as actions that can be taken to help support and enhance biodiversity (including Citizen Science opportunities).

• Plant local (indigenous plants – importance, lifecycles, propagation, planting)
• It’s a bug’s life (minibeast discovery) 
• What waterbug is that? (aquatic macro-invertebrates ID - seasonal) 
• Who am I? Eltham Copper Butterfly (a story and role play about this local endangered species) 
• Who lives along the creek? (Diamond Creek walk, habitat/biodiversity focus) 
• Fun with frogs (exploring the fantastic world of frogs) 
• Buzzing around (the amazing life of bees)

Curriculum links: Science Understanding – Science as a Human Endeavour, Biological Sciences

Students investigate a range of issues related to climate change, renewable energy sources and practical ways in which we can reduce our energy footprint. 

• Cut your carbon (students learn about energy and power, as well as ways to reduce our carbon footprint. The activity includes pedalling on our human-powered bikes to generate electricity to cook popcorn in the microwave) 
• Home green home (eco building design to reduce energy use) 
• Re-Generate (renewable energy sources) 
• Food footprint (environmental impact of what we eat, with an energy focus).

Curriculum links: Science Understanding – Earth and Space Sciences, Physical Sciences, Science as a Human Endeavour

Activities enhance student understanding of the value in maintaining and developing arable land, explore the environmental impacts of their ‘food footprint’ and the benefits of growing our own food or buying locally. 

• Edendale Farm tour (what farms produce for humans) 
• Growing your own (may include veggie seedling propagation) 
• Soil matters (composting and worm farming) 
• Food footprint (environmental impact of what we eat) - Year 4+

Curriculum links: Science Understanding – Biological Sciences, Design & Technologies – Food & fibre production

One of our most popular programs, particularly among upper primary and secondary schools, the Sustainable Living program incorporates activities from water, waste, food, biodiversity and energy. It draws together some of the key issues that help us to live more sustainably and reduce our ecological footprint.

• Consumption Down! (smarter shopping)
• Water heroes (water saving actions) 
• Cut your carbon! (Year 5+) (actions to reduce our carbon footprint) 
• Plant local (indigenous plants – importance, lifecycles, propagation, planting) 
• Food footprint (environmental impact of what we eat) 
• Tale of a creek (story and role play, water quality focus) 
• Soil matters (composting and worm farming) 
• Sustainable Edendale farm tour (how we manage Edendale sustainably) .

Curriculum links: Geographical knowledge, Science Understanding, Personal and Social Capability, The Humanities

“Making” activities for younger students using recycled or repurposed materials and objects from the natural world, including: 

• Calico bag art – create a colourful print to take home using fresh flowers and foliage on a calico drawstring bag 
• Build a Bushkin (natural fibre sculpture) – make individual animal sculptures using tactile materials from nature including gumnuts, pine cones, feathers, hay, sticks and hessian 
• Sculptural junk - use recycled and repurposed materials to make arty creatures (can be linked to a specific topic, such as minibeasts) .

Curriculum links: Visual Arts

• Prices are per student with a minimum class size of 20 students.
• Our programs are aligned to the new Victorian Curriculum F-10 where sustainability is a cross-curriculum priority.

Our activities for incursion include:

• Tale of the Creek (Story and role play with a water quality focus)
• Growing Your Own Food / Food Miles
• Soil Matters (organic waste recycling, worm farming and composting)
• Food Footprint (Environmental impact of what we eat) - Year 4+
• Hands-on Veggie Gardening (in your patch)
• Indigenous Plant Propagation and Planting (seasonal)
• Eltham Copper Butterfly (Story and role play about this special endangered species)
• Consumption Down! (Waste reduction hierarchy, smarter shopping)
• What a Load of Rubbish (What goes in what bin and a fun recycle relay)
• Buzzing Around (The amazing life of bees)
• A variety of environmental art activities.

• These prices are per student and based on a minimum 20 children per class

• These prices are for Nillumbik schools, and for those based within a 10 kilometre radius of Edendale. Please contact us for incursion prices if you would like a quote on an incursion and you are further from us than that. 

Complete this form to check for availability or prices for the program you are interested in.

We will be in touch as soon as possible to discuss further details.

Book early as our programs are very popular.

Extras

Other things you may like to incorporate into your excursion:

• A walk along the Diamond Creek trail to Murray’s Wetlands, approximately 15 minutes. This area is a habitat for local flora and fauna.
• Time to wander around Edendale and see the animals, if this is not part of your booked program.
• Lunch and a play at the Eltham North adventure playground, which is a short walk from the farm and is also the drop off and pick up point for buses.