We have two Earth Kids programs starting soon – the Spring school holidays program, and the Homeschoolers program, being held on six Friday mornings in October and November.
Both programs will include some special guest presenters. At our Spring program, Richard Nielsen will split a native (stingless) beehive with the children, and talk to them about the importance of bees. This activity was a real hit with the Earth Kids last year. Spring is the perfect time for hive-splitting, as the good weather and abundant flowers mean that colonies are strong and likely to swarm if the hives aren’t split. The swarms don’t always survive as the new homes they find for themselves are often in inappropriate locations. When we split the hive, the two halves of the old hive are paired up with empty half boxes, to create two hives.
At the homeschool pro
gram, we will have spider expert Robert Whyte joining us. Robert is the co-author of ‘A Field Guide to Australian Spiders’. Last time he joined a program he had the Earth Kids collecting dozens of spiders, which he helped to identify. The children were very enthused about activity!
On both the Spring holiday program and homeschool program we will have Bill Lowah as a special guest presenter. Bill is a Torres Strait Islander who is on the farm’s First Nations Advisory Group. He is a wonderful story-teller, and we look forward to him sharing some of his culture and stories with the Earth Kids.
Our Earth Kids programs are about supporting kids to become ‘nature smart’ – to have the knowledge, understandings and skills to engage in creating a more sustainable world – in a fun and interactive way. They are experiential programs of outdoor discovery, in which children learn about the animals and plants at the Farm through observation and supported questioning; explore Indigenous knowledge; experiment with Earth Arts and bushcraft skills; and put permaculture into practice.
Each program differs according to the seasons and to include a diversity of activities. Along with the guest presenters we’ll also be doing shelter building, fire making, Earth arts, learning about birds and plants at the farm, and experiencing Earth connection practices and games.
We welcome volunteers on our Earth Kids programs. Non-parent volunteers are required to have a current blue card.
Here’s what some previous participants have said about our Earth kids programs:
“I loved it, I loved all of it.” – Xanthe, aged 7.
“I really liked the games, kids and activities.” – Mabry, aged 8.
“What a fantastic program! School holidays made easy at last! Kids loved it and learned so much! Thanks to the fantastic teachers. We can’t wait until next time!” – Eleanor Chenery, parent.
“We truly had an excellent week. The programme was educational, but also lots of fun with new friends and new skills. The programme was so well organised, delivered and supervised, and the teachers were great. I would recommend this to anyone, and we will attend again. And again. And again! Thanks so much.” – Melanie Davidson, parent.
“Earth Kids is FUN! We love every moment. It’s all about learning on so many levels, with activities that teach us all about the local wildlife and the environment, and making sure that we watch out for each other. The guest presenters are great too and gift us with the most amazing knowledge and moments. Parents and kids make friends at Earth Kids and we get to share so many cool experiences together. Emma and Tali (the staff) are awesome and the kids love them, which is great! We always have the best time!” Donnamarie Flockhart (parent volunteer) and Bodhi Flockhart (Earth Kid)
For more information, please see: https://www.nscf.org.au/home/learn/youth-education/holiday-programs/
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