Biodiversity education programs

Council subsidises a range of sustainability and biodiversity themed incursions for schools, kindergartens and early learning centres to engage students on topics such as local habitat and fauna, waterway health, food webs and the environmental impacts of transport and food.

Incursions are delivered by CERES and Merri Creek Management Committee and bookings can be made directly with the provider. 

A limited number of free sessions are available per school per year. 

Sustainability sessions

CERES offers a wide range of sustainability sessions for primary and secondary school students. 

Topics available include:

• Exploring Ecosystems (Years F - 10)
• Towards Zero Waste (Years F - 10)
• Farming for our Future (Years F - 10)
• Indigenous Perspectives (Years F - 10)
• Global Perspectives (Years F - 10)
• Water Cycles and Solutions (Years 3 - 10)
• Caring for Climate and Change (Years 3 - 10)

Incursions are designed to:

• help develop skills and knowledge about sustainability and the environment
• include hands‐on and real-world activities
• engage and motivate participants
• compliment the Victorian Curriculum and ResourceSmart Schools

For more information about the program overview, learning outcomes, teaching guide, curriculum links and timetable, please visit the CERES Incursions program web page.

Sessions run for 45 minutes and are available for a maximum of 30 students per session. A minimum booking of 3 x 45 minute sessions is required with a maximum booking of 4 x 45 minute sessions.

Please email excursions@ceres.org.au to book in a session directly with CERES.

Waterways and biodiversity sessions

The following 20 incursions and excursions are available to Merri-bek schools, kindergartens and early learning centres. Sessions are delivered by Merri Creek Management Committee and run for an average of 45 minutes but can be tailored to suit, for a maximum of 30 students. A limited number of free sessions are available per school per year. 

To book one of the following 20 sessions please contact Merri Creek Management Committee by email JuliaCirillo@mcmc.org.au or by calling 9380 8199.

Early Years

The following sessions are tailored for delivery to pre school students. 

1. Waterbug Discovery

In this activity students will explore: 

• who is living in the creek;
• adaptations that help waterbugs live in, on and around water;
• how different types of waterbugs move;
• waterbugs can tell us how healthy the creek is.

2. Learning Grounds – creating an indigenous garden

In this activity students will: 

• learn about local biodiversity and establish Kinder gardens using local indigenous plants of the Merri Creek catchment;
• be involved in developing master plans and garden concepts. 

3. Fascinating Frogs

In this sessions students will:

• learn the calls of local frogs and play a game to try and remember them;
• creating life cycles and talking frogs;
• visit wetlands to see where real frogs hang out or we can bring live frogs to your school.

4. Five Senses in the Field

In this session students will:

• use the five senses to thoughtfully observe and explore habitat values in outdoor settings;
• see tiny animals magnified;
• regard the tree canopy from below using mirrors and consider the sound, smell and sensation of natural areas in a focussed way to stimulate appreciation and inquiry.

5. Crafty Creatures

In this session students will:

• learn about creek life, consider the special adaptations of frogs and waterbugs and focus on features such as body shape;
• use their observations to create similar creatures using a variety of natural and craft materials.
• This activity works well with Waterbug discovery and Five senses in the field.

6. Indigenous cultural heritage 

In this session students will:

• learn about the values of local plants for medicines that have long been recognised by indigenous people;
• handle local grasses;
• consider the traditions and heritage of the Wurundjeri-willam people such as making eel traps and baskets. 

7. Stormwater Story

Children take the roles of characters that live along Merri Creek in various parts of the landscape such as grasslands, farmed land and urban areas. Each character adds a different type of pollution (from grass clippings to oil) into a bowl of water representing the creek to see how human activity impacts water quality.

8. Kingfishers on Kids

In this session students will:

• learn about the community’s role to restore indigenous habitat through environmental restoration;
• consider the impact on animals such as Sacred Kingfishers who visit Merri Creek in spring after a long journey from Indonesia;
• create a clip-on Kingfisher to take home.

9. Who’s still hiding? Story time with finger puppets.

Meet Duck, Rakali, Turtle and another special guest at the creek side in this engaging story aimed at Grade Prep and younger. Children will discuss which native animals live along Melbourne’s rivers, creeks and wetlands and how to identify them.

10. Catchment map

In the field or in the classroom our huge map of the Merri Creek catchment brings home many messages about the nature of a catchment and provides an instructive tool for discussions with children about the environment,  and animals that live on the Merri creek.

Primary to tertiary 

The following sessions have been developed for delivery to primary to tertiary aged students.

1. Waterwatch

Learn about and check the health of local waterways. 
Available for: Pre-school to tertiary level

In this session students will:

• collect, group and identify pollution sensitive aquatic invertebrates (waterbugs);
• use scientific equipment to investigate water quality - not all pollution can be seen.
• This activity can be extended to data interpretation and long term monitoring.

2. Fascinating Frogs

Learn the calls of local frogs and play a game to try and remember them. 
Available for: Prep to tertiary level.

In this sessions students will:

• creating life cycles and talking frogs;
• visit wetlands to see where real frogs hang out or we can bring live frogs to your school.

3. Litter clean ups and surveys

A great activity for Clean Up Australia Day, National Water Week or an addition to any waste or litter related program. 
Available for: prep to Year 9

In this session students will:

• survey the types and amount of litter in your local waterway before removing it.
• analyse the data collected from the litter survey which can be used in maths, science and a variety of other content.
• This activity works well with other awareness raising activities such as drain stencilling and water testing.
• All equipment, safety advice, site assessments and a presentation on water quality health are included. 

4. Drain stencilling and drain wanders

Locate drains that lead to your local creek on this educative walk and talk.
Available for: Prep to Year 9 

In this session students will:

• learn about the impacts of urban stormwater pollution and how we can reduce its impact on our local biodiversity;
• learn about microplastics, nutrients, turbidity, animal distribution and solutions to stormwater pollution.
• conduct drain stencilling which involves students helping paint educative messages on stormwater pits to remind the local community "this drain leads to the waterway."
• This activity can be the conclusion to an arts class where students can make their own stencils with local creek creatures.

5. Habitat and Fauna Surveys

Explore elements of a natural area, including waterways, and then score its health. 
Available for: Grade 3 to tertiary

In this session students will:

• use a template to record observations about plants and animals (especially birds), weeds, litter, soil and water;
• discuss their views on habitat health and propose ways to improve it.

6. Food Webs

During this interactive game participants take on the role of a plant or animal in the food web. 
Available for: Prep to Year 8

In this session students will:

• discover what lives where and who eats what in the ecosystem;
• find out what happens if something interrupts or is lost from the food web.  
• learn about the impact of pollution and habitat relationships.

7. Stormwater Story

Available for: Prep to Year 8

Participants take the roles of characters that live along Merri Creek in various parts of the landscape such as grasslands, farmed land and urban areas. Each character adds a different type of pollution (from grass clippings to oil) into a bowl of water representing the creek to see how human activity impacts water quality.

8. The phosphate game

The focus in this interactive game is waterway eutrophication and how nutrients such as phosphate and ammonium get into our waterways and the impacts on local ecosystems.  

Available for: Grade 6 to Year 10

In this session students will:

• consider the impact of nutrients on animals such as platypus, fish, frogs and aquatic birdlife.
• conclude with conducting nutrient testing on a local waterway sample;
• discuss the impacts on waterway health. 

9. Measuring maths in nature

Maths lessons extension in the field.

Available for: Grade 2 to Year 8 

In this session students will:

• measure the velocity and volume of water flowing in your local creek;
• count the amount of population and diversity of waterbugs to assess the health of your local creek;
• survey the types and amount of litter or measure the height of a tree or how many leaves are on a tree.
• There are many ways to incorporate maths in a fun, practical and engaging way within the local environment. All worksheets are provided.

 10. Catchment map

In the field or in the classroom our huge map of the Merri Creek catchment brings home many messages about the nature of a catchment and provides an instructive tool for discussions with students about the environment.

Other programs and classroom resources

There is a wide variety of programs and resources available to support educators teaching units of work related to environmental sustainability. Many are ready-linked to Victorian curriculum content. Go to Resources for Educators for more information about additional classroom resources.