Adelong Falls Gold Mill Ruins
Bush Study
DEC NSW
December 1, 2012
Riverina Environmental Education Centre
Sound Map- what’s in the bush?
Science &Technology
ES ES1.6 - Explores and identifies ways the environment
influences their daily lives.
S1 INVS1.7 – Conducts guided investigations by observing,
questioning, predicting, collecting and recording data, and
suggesting possible explanations
Environmental Education Objectives
K1 - Knowledge & understanding about the nature and
function of ecosystems and how they are interrelated.
Resources
Worksheet, pencils, clipboards
Learning Experience
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Check area for bull ants, etc and sit down, hats off
Ears, nose, eyes, mouth, and fingers game:
Touch your ears, nose, eyes, mouth, fingers in quick rotation and kids
have to keep up with you.
Discuss all animals have senses.
Draw a sound map. Give out paper, a clipboard and a pencil to each kid.
Start with a following instruction test as follows:
1. Tell them but don’t show them to draw a circle the size of a fifty cent
piece in the middle of the page.
2. Now draw a triangle in the middle of the circle
3. Draw a rectangle under the triangle, but still inside the circle
4. Write a capital “M” on top of the circle
5. Put your pencil on the circle halfway up the side. Now draw a small circle
on the outside of the big one about as big as a 5 cent piece, start where
your pencil is now. Do the same on the other side of the big circle
6. Draw in the eyes and you have a mirror- look in it!!!!!
Now you show them using symbols how to complete a sound map. Use a symbol to
mark each sound you hear.
Give them up to a minute to do their own in silence.
They can do variations of natural and or unnatural or human made sounds,
whatever.
Warning: Not a good activity on windy days
Riverina Environmental Education Centre
The One Hand Search
(Because they find 5 things)
Science & Technology
ES ES1.6 Explores and identifies ways the environment influences their daily lives.
ES S1.6 Identifies and describes ways in which people and other living things depend upon
the Earth and its environments.
INV ES1.7 Investigates their surroundings by observing, questioning, exploring and
reporting.
INV S1.7 Conducts guided investigations by observing, questioning, predicting, collecting and
recording data, and suggesting possible explanations.
Learning Experience
Set out search area limits
 Collect a small red item, a rough item, something smooth, bent,
smelly, triangle, make up some. You only need about 5 things,
 Sit down and hold up each item
 Questions to build up list of things in the bush environment/variety
Riverina Environmental Education Centre
Leaf Mates
Science & Technology
INV ES1.7
Investigates their surroundings by observing, questioning, exploring and reporting.
Stage 1
INV S1.7
Conducts guided investigations by observing, questioning, predicting, collecting and
recording data, and suggesting possible explanations.
Values and Attitudes
VA2 Exhibits curiosity and responsiveness to scientific and technological ideas and
evidence.
VA5 Works cooperatively with others in groups on scientific and technological tasks and
challenges.
Learning Experience
 Everyone collects a leaf
 Stand in circle and get to know your leaf, colour, shape, chewed
bits, etc
 then everyone put leaf in pile on the ground in the middle of the
circle
 Turn around, don’t look as I mix up the leaves
 When I count to 10, find your leaf. BUT, don’t bang heads or cry if
you can’t
Riverina Environmental Education Centre
Leaf Shapes
Science & Technology
INV ES1.7
Investigates their surroundings by observing, questioning, exploring and reporting.
Stage 1
INV S1.7
Conducts guided investigations by observing, questioning, predicting, collecting and recording data,
and suggesting possible explanations.
Values and Attitudes
VA2 Exhibits curiosity and responsiveness to scientific and technological ideas and evidence.
VA5 Works cooperatively with others in groups on scientific and technological tasks and challenges.
Learning Experience
Explain that leaves come in different sizes, shapes, colours
Use pairs or groups of three kids.
Collect an example of each leaf shape (Different shapes- i.e. pinnate,
bipinnate, oval, lanceolate, symmetrical, slim, broad, chewed, dead,
serrated, blue, grey, multi-coloured)
 Have a quick time limit on this one so it is a challenge, fast and furious.
See below
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Riverina Environmental Education Centre
Leaf Rubbings
Science &Technology
ES ES1.7 – Investigates their surroundings by observing, questioning, exploring and
reporting.
S1 INVS1.7 – Conducts guided investigations by observing, questioning, predicting,
collecting and recording data, and suggesting possible explanations.
Environmental Education Objectives
S1 – Skills in applying technical skills within an environmental context.
Equipment
Paper, crayons and clipboard
Learning Experience
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Pick a couple of leaves and tell the students I will do a magic picture.
They all watch as I do a rubbing, explaining as I go how to hold the crayon
and leaf, etc.
I make a leaf man picture and call it “Larry Leaf”.
They can collect no more than 3 leaves and work in pairs to help hold
their leaves, each student does a rubbing to make a leaf man or better a
bush animal, examples; butterfly, bird, frog, lizard, wombat, koala.
Maybe a rabbit is suitable here.
Riverina Environmental Education Centre
Bush Shapes
Science &Technology
ES ES1.7 – Investigates their surroundings by observing, questioning, exploring and
reporting.
S1 INVS1.7 – Conducts guided investigations by observing, questioning, predicting,
collecting and recording data, and suggesting possible explanations
Environmental Education Objectives
S1 – Skills in applying technical skills within an environmental context
Equipment
Shapes template (attached below)
Learning Experience
In pairs give the students a sheet with different shapes drawn on it
and they collect items from the environment to match each shape.
Riverina Environmental Education Centre
Bush Shapes
Riverina Environmental Education Centre
Lucky Dip
Equipment
Use coloured discs that you can buy or cut up colour samples from a
house paint chart. Even use coloured pencils!
Learning Experience
 Students pick a disc or two from the bag. Then collect
something natural to match the colour of the disc.
 Sit down and check and compare results. Have a discussion
about biodiversity
An alternative to a colour lucky dip is to use terms like- bent,
curved, broken, old, fresh, smelly, etc
Riverina Environmental Education Centre
Leaf Defence
Leaves have unique ways of defending themselves
Learning Experience
 Everyone collects a Eucalyptus leaf
 Sit down and crush up the leaf and smell it
 Explain that the smell is eucalyptus oil and is a defence against
insect attack. The idea is that if it tastes bad, then
caterpillars won’t eat it. Like you and your vegetables!
 Tell the spitfire story: Spitfires store the eucalyptus oil and
use it as their defence when attacked by predators…. Poor gum
tree!!
Riverina Environmental Education Centre
Senses Walk
Equipment
Blindfolds or cut up some lengths of cloth.
Long Rope
Learning Experience
 Run a rope along an area of bush from tree to tree so students
can hold it.
 Check the path for safety.
 Sit at the start.
 Explain the method, always hold rope and feel with hands, go
slowly.
 Send 1 student at a time blindfolded along the rope. Once one
is along the track some way, send off the next one.
 They are to sit at the end and wait for others to finish.
Riverina Environmental Education Centre
LOOP DA HOOP
Equipment
You will need some Hula hoops, one for each group.
Learning Experience
 Circle hoop- 15 in a circle hand-in-hand.
 Place 2 hoops together between 2 people.
 Group sends one hoop each way around the circle back to start
position.
 Ask the question “who won?”- Who did win?
Alternatives:
 Lines of 5 people hand-in-hand.
 Race to pass hoop along line- each person goes through the
hoop.
 Pass the hoop or hoops around the circle as many times as
possible in time frame.
 Start two hoops at opposite sides of the circle and chase each
other.
Riverina Environmental Education Centre
FLIP- A- RUG
Equipment
Small tarp, rug or a sheet big enough for your group to stand on
comfortably.
Learning Experience
 Have the group stand on the rug.
 They must flip the rug over without stepping off it.
 Simple or is it? Try it and see.
Riverina Environmental Education Centre