Edendale’s Environmental Education Program offers a range of fun, hands-on and experiential activities for pre-school, primary and secondary students focusing on different environmental themes. 

Our programs aim to provide a positive learning experience where the main take-home message is always "what can I do?". Students leave us feeling equipped with knowledge and ideas about what they can do to make a difference.

Programs

Water

Activities focus on issues of water conservation and quality, the water cycle, catchments and how to protect this precious resource.

Primary and Secondary

• Down the Drain (Diamond Creek Walk)
• Aquatic macro-invertebrates (waterbugs)
• Tale of a Creek (whole class role play)
• Water Heroes (Year 3+)
• Edendale Tour (water quality focus)
• Water quality testing (Year 5+)

Waste

Activities focus on what rubbish goes in which bin, smart shopping, the environmental impact of waste, minimising waste going to landfill and recycling organic waste. Introduces students to the “Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” hierarchy.

Primary and Secondary

• What a Load of Rubbish (bin sort/ recycle relay)
• Worms and Composting
• Nature’s Recyclers (minibeasts and chickens)
• Diamond Creek Walk (litter focus)
• Consumption Down! (smart shopping - Year 4+)
•  “Waste Not” - short film and discussion

Biodiversity

Emphasises the importance of plants and animals in the environment. Students gain a broad understanding of biodiversity and its related issues, as well as actions that can be taken to help support and enhance biodiversity.

Primary and Secondary

• Indigenous Plant Life Cycles

• Travelling Seeds (what seed is that?)
• It’s a Bug’s Life (worms and minibeasts)
• Aquatic Macro-invertebrates (waterbugs)
• Who Am I? (Eltham Copper Butterfly)
• Indigenous Plant Propagation/ Planting
• Diamond Creek Walk (biodiversity focus)

Food

These activities enhance student understanding of how precious our arable land is and the benefits of growing our own food or buying locally, as well as exploring the impact of their “food footprint”.

Primary and Secondary

• Meet What You Eat (Edendale tour, food focus)
• Growing Your Own (fruit & vegies)
• Improving Soil Naturally (composting and worm farming)
• Food Footprint (the environmental impact of what you eat)
• From Seed To Feed (the food cycle)

Sustainable Living

One of our most popular programs, incorporating 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.

Primary and Secondary, Year 4+

• Consumption Down! (smart shopping)
• Water Heroes (being waterwise)
• Cut Your Carbon! (energy savers)
• Indigenous Plant Propagation/ Planting
• Growing Your Own (fruit & vegies)
• Tale of a Creek
• Sustainable Edendale (site tour)

Energy

2012 is the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All - a perfect time for students to experience our “Watts on at Edendale” program. Students look at a range of issues related to global warming and how our future energy footprint can be reduced.

Primary and Secondary, Year 4+

• What’s up with the Atmosphere?
• Home Green Home (eco building design)
• Cut Your Carbon! (energy saving actions)
• Re-Generate (renewable energy)

Environmental Art

Art activities for children of all ages that demonstrate the use of recycled materials and objects from the natural world.

• Create a colourful print to take home, using fresh flowers and foliage on a calico bag.
• Explore how a scientist observes nature through drawing - handling natural objects, children record their own observations in charcoal working on a colourful background.
• Sculptural junk - use recycled objects to make arty forms and figures.

NEW

In 2012 Edendale will have two human-powered bikes – kids will have great fun pedalling, generating electricity which will be used to pop popcorn in a microwave or power an iPod!

Teachers’ Environment Network

Nillumbik Shire and Banyule City Councils have been successfully running a Teachers Environment Network (TEN) across the two municipalities for the past five years.

The aim of the TEN is to:

• Support teachers in delivering an integrated locally relevant sustainability curriculum
• Provide an opportunity for teachers to share knowledge, experiences and skill with regard to environmental education and project around the school
• Support and encourage schools involved in the ResourceSmart-AuSSI Vic schools program
• Connect Councils’ goals with teachers’ goals

The TEN holds eight meetings a year, two in each term. We aim for a balance between guest speakers on relevant Education for Sustainability topics, and the opportunity for discussion and sharing amongst teachers in the network. Attending the TEN meetings can be counted towards teachers' Professional Development requirements for their VIT registration. To get involved please call 9433 3706 or email edendale.education@nillumbik.vic.gov.au.