GSLN LLC Elisha at the 2016 Youth Eco Summit.
Greater Sydney Landcare Network displayed a stall at Youth Eco Summit (YES) at Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park on Wednesday and Thursday last week. GSLN brought two large maps, one of Greater Sydney and one of NSW, and invited schoolchildren to ‘put a sticker on the map’ on their favourite outdoor places. The students were also asked to write down their ‘nature play’ ideas and to take a look at what kids from other schools had written.
YES attendees’ favourite outdoor places in NSW.
GSLN YES display including a map of Greater Sydney with stickers on schoolchildren’s favourite outdoor places in GS and their nature play ideas written on the butcher’s paper to the sides.
Nature play is a movement to normalize unstructured outdoor play during childhood so children can develop into resilient and healthy adults. The movement in Australia began in Western Australia and has spread to South Australia, Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory. Nature play ideas for NSW produced by the attendees of YES will be shared on the GSLN website and consolidated into a pamphlet with other resources for schools in Greater Sydney that can be used by teachers looking for environmental education activities for their students. See Nature Play Australia’s website (http://www.natureplay.org.au/) to find other organisations who have created nature play lists.
GSLN nature play display including lists and paper and markers. Parramatta River Catchment Group LLC Jacinta Green is in the background teaching kids about ‘Drippy the Raindrop’.
More information for schools and teachers including GSLN’s 10 Ways Schools can become a Landcare School can be found on our Resources for schools page. We also encourage teachers to contact LLC Elisha Duxbury (4724 2147 or elisha.duxbury@greatersydneylandcare.org) to find out about activities our members may already be offering and to sign up for membership to support the network.
