Nature Spotters: Getting kids off screens and reconnecting with the natural world.
Nature Spotters is an after school program for 8-14 year olds designed to reignite children's sense of wonder with the natural world. Nature Spotters kids build their confidence outdoors with opportunities to kayak, bushwalk, get up close and personal with native animals, see the world through microscopes, propagate trees, plant trees and go spotlighting.
Capacity building - LEP23-005_MMLLC
The issue
Children crave connection with the natural world. Opportunities to connect with nature are, however not always readily available and the pervasiveness of screens has diminished the time children spend outside. In 2025, Education Daily reported that 90 per cent of Australian children spend 20 hours per week on screens. The value of spending time in nature is twofold; it has a calming and balancing effect on children, and children who have exposure to nature are more likely to champion environmental causes.
The solution
Since July 2025, Mid Macquarie Landcare has run Nature Spotters; an after-school program for 8–14-year-olds, which provides opportunities for children to experience the natural world in their own backyards. The program runs one afternoon a week for six weeks during term time. So far, it has been delivered in three locations; Dubbo, Wellington and Yeoval. In Term 2, 2026 it will be extended to Mogriguy. The activities Nature Spotters have engaged in include; Water Bugs, Kayaking, MicroWorld, Spotlighting, Tree planting, Caves Fossil Lab, Flying Fox Colony visits, Litter Challenge, Smoothie Bike, Native Plant Propagation, Traditional Plant Use, Reptile Show, Turtle Show, Syntropic Garden Tour and Bushwalking.
The impact
The activities were highly engaging for this age group and inspired a sense of wonder about the natural world. The children had fun, gained confidence and developed their outdoor skills. Several parents signed their children up for consecutive programs having observed the growth and change in their children over the term. Examples of participant feedback were, “I love doing this, when can we do this again? (Tree planting) and “I just feel so calm out here” (Kayaking). Feedback from one parent was: “Michael loves every minute of Nature Spotters and he looks forward to it each week. He can’t wait for next term”.