Junior Landcare - Providing Opportunities for Learning Through Play
Muddy Fun Day - Exploring Natural Systems.
Capacity building
The issue
Manning Landcare identified a need to provide Landcare activities for children. We are very fortunate to have a dedicated, primary school teacher, Jennifer Longstaff, on our Landcare Committee. Jennifer has a broad experience in environmental education. A program of Saturday morning activities was developed around local environment with a focus on learning through play, teamwork and fun.
The solution
Children and their parents were invited to take part in a hands-on, play-based learning experience exploring how waterways shape the landscape.
Throughout the session, children were guided through a series of engaging challenges that helped them investigate how water moves, alters its course, and reshapes the land around it. Concepts such as leaky weirs, erosion banks, floodplains, and tributaries were introduced through meaningful, inquiry-based exploration.
The impact
Working collaboratively, the children dug out a river system model and constructed imaginative fairy villages along the riverbanks. Their challenge was to design the villages so they remained safe during flood events, yet still had access to water during times of drought. As part of this process, they investigated different soil types and structures, exploring how these influenced the flow and retention of water.
The experience was informed by the NSW HSIE curriculum and supported children in developing environmentally sustainable solutions to real-world issues.
Rich discussions emerged, particularly around the unique double-delta system of the Manning region, and how this geography influences housing and infrastructure planning.
In a dramatic conclusion, the children’s model was hit by a ‘great storm,’ flooding the river system and vividly demonstrating the unpredictable and powerful impact of large volumes of water on the landscape — and on human planning.