Creating Frog Habitats with Junior Landcare
Children aged 2-8 years learning about and creating habitat hotels for frogs
Capacity building
The issue
In recent years, Manning Landcare’s Junior Landcare group experienced a decline in organisational momentum and volunteer uptake. This quiet period led to a disconnect in succession planning and the subsiding of strategic ties with partner organisations, specifically Manning Valley Community Services (MVNS), which were previously vital for the delivery of various junior events. Additionally, current dry conditions in the Manning Valley have created significant survival challenges for local wildlife. Manning Landcare also has a lack of a dedicated, child-safe facility for environmental education. These combined factors of inactivity of the group, weakened partnerships from the inactivity, and current environmental pressures made way for a formal reboot of the group to re-engage the community and continue Landcare’s environmental education initiatives for children in the region.
The solution
We coordinated a "Frog Friendly Habitats" event to revitalise the Junior Landcare program, utilising the Manning Valley Neighbourhood Services (MVNS) community garden in Wingham as a secure, child-friendly venue. Held during Youth Week and the April school holidays, this free initiative was designed to draw in families through nature-based learning. The program featured a habitat scavenger hunt where children identified essential survival elements before constructing "frog hotels" from PVC pipes and native grasses. By providing hands-on planting activities, the event focused on creating water refuges to mitigate the region's current dry conditions, supported by MVNS logistical help and catering.
The impact
The event successfully engaged 20 children and 8 parents, primarily from suburban families seeking nature-based learning. Beyond the immediate education on drought refuge, the initiative established a new foundation for Manning Junior Landcare. A key outcome was the formal donation of the frog hotel to the MVNS community garden; garden volunteers have since embraced the project, actively expanding the surrounding habitat.
This reboot introduced numerous families to Landcare for the first time, building a dedicated participant base for future activities. Crucially, the event secured a new parent volunteer to assist with group succession, ensuring the program’s long-term sustainability. The partnership with MVNS remains strong, with collaborative plans already underway to further enhance native habitat within their community space.
Key facts
- Leveraging partnerships with community services presents helpful opportunities to fill funding and support gaps for events/groups
- LLC organised and supported events can help reboot groups when they are struggling with succession & inspiration
- 20 children aged 2-8 years participated and 8 parents were present and engaged in the learnings