In this activity students get out into an ecosystem and record the sounds that they hear. The sounds can be recorded (e.g. on a tablet), or through drawings or brief explanatory notes.

This activity is designed to encourage children to observe clouds – their shapes, colours and textures. Children will conduct experiments to create their own clouds on the back of a spoon and will be encouraged to think about how this has occurred. This activity is designed to help connect children to the wonders of the natural world through sensory and play-based learning.

This activity is designed to encourage children to explore how shadows are created. Children will discover that different light sources and different materials can create different kinds of shadows. Older children will also discover that the sun can create shadows of different width and length at different times of the day. This activity is designed to help connect children to the wonders of the natural world through sensory and play-based learning.

In this activity students create their own ‘lightning’ by watching a spark that travels between a charged surface and a fork. Through this activity students will understand that a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity.

This activity is designed to encourage children to investigate whether objects sink or float in fresh water and salt water. Children will discover that salt water is more dense than fresh water so objects float more easily in it, and they will observe that salt water sinks when added to fresh water. This activity is designed to help connect children to the wonders of the natural world through sensory and play-based learning.

In this activity students will experiment with the surface tension of water using pepper and dish washing liquid. Through this activity students will understand that surface tension can support light materials under specific conditions.

Students experiment with creating coolers out of a range of materials, testing to see which materials best keep an ice cube from melting. Through this activity students will understand how insulators can reduce the speed at which items heat up or cool down.

Students explore the importance and availability of clean water and the relevance of bottled water to this issue. They work in groups to research the topic using a variety of questions inspired by Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. They then share their findings and ideas with the class as a slide show presentation.

In this lesson students are asked to start expressing their views about nature and place. Students will head outside to an area of their school yard. Working in groups, students respond to questions about nature, recording their ideas on separate pieces of paper that the class will then compile to make a flip chart. They then express their personal views through a drawing or a story.

In this lesson, students develop knowledge and skills that can be applied to conserve water. They progress through a range of short activities, each with a different focus. They then reflect on new learning and skills by considering how they can apply them to assist with water conservation.

In this activity students become more familiar with some of the technical terms (and meanings) associated with solid waste. Students are asked to research terms and create definitions for these terms that will then be used in a class game. Finally, students are asked to think of a question they would like answered about waste, and to either undertake research to answer this question or swap their question with another student, and research and report back to their classmate the answers they found to the question.

Students are asked to research what happens to the waste that is produced from schools and homes in their local area. They then produce a chart showing the pathway of the different types of waste.

Students suggest what kind of actions different groups can take to address the issues concerning water use and storm water pollution. They list the actions they as individuals, their school, a typical home, water company and politicians can do.

In this activity students participate in a test comparing the taste of tap water and bottled water. They then collate and graph data collected and consider the implications of their findings.

In this activity students will explore the processes through which water is made safe for drinking. Students will observe teacher demonstrations around the various processes involved in treating water and will also work in groups to conduct an experiment around one of the stages of water treatment. This activity requires considerable preparation and resources but is simple and effective to run.

Students make a mini worm farm in a bottle and see exactly how worms move when underground. Through this activity students will understand how worms help to improve soil quality.

In this lesson students investigate what happens when people’s activities result in water pollution. Pollution on land is simulated with the addition of easily obtained materials in a clear bowl of water. Students make links with retaining healthy waterways with preventing polluting substances from reaching them.

In this lesson students complete a whole school lighting audit with the aim of de-lamping classrooms. Students use a lux meter to identify over-lit areas of the school and also manually count the types of lights used. Using their real world data, students make key recommendations on how energy use could be reduced at their school.

A rubric is a method for monitoring a student’s learning based on chosen criteria or guidelines. Rubrics are often provided to students before they commence an assessment task so they are able to think about the criteria that will be included in their assessment. The sample rubric for this unit of work is generic and is based on ‘A model of inquiry learning’ in which students will be collecting and using data. The criteria overlaps Science, English, Mathematics and Geography. Teachers are encouraged to modify this rubric to meet their specific assessment needs.

During this lesson students explore the importance of trees in the environment. They observe their own sensory and emotional experiences of trees then, working as a class, they gather insight from an inspirational picture book. Students use creative and descriptive language to write a poem about trees while immersed in, and inspired by, nature in the playground. This lesson is designed to be taught outside. By spending time outdoors and connecting to nature, students are more likely to care for and conserve nature as adults.