Home school learning at the Gardens
Exciting learning adventures await your home schoolers.
Don't miss this chance to enrich your child's education with hands-on experiences in nature.
Give your home schoolers a day to remember with our immersive, nature-based learning program at the Botanic Gardens. With a day each term at one of our three beautiful gardens, you can come to one or the whole series.
Your children will dive into engaging morning and afternoon sessions, designed to spark curiosity and align with the Science & Technology and Geography curriculums. Our activities also emphasise the importance of Sustainability and celebrate Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures. With dedicated First Nations content, your kids will gain a deeper understanding of country, connection, and culture.
We are offering three programs each day for students learning at lower primary, upper primary and high school levels.
While there is flexibility to book students into any of the programs, parents/carers are required to provide supervision for all students at all times. The three groups will be working in different parts of the garden across the day. We strongly recommend arranging supervision for your child/children before the day of the program.
See the full programs below.
Term 1
Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Activities on the day include:
Morning: Geography Focus
- Students will go on a discovery walk, to learn about the ways the Garden is used, the features of the place and what creatures call it home.
- They will complete an ephemeral mapping exercise to map the features they have observed.
- Then get their hands dirty in the Yellowwood garden, learning about sustainable gardening practices and planting seeds to take home.
Afternoon: First Nations Focus
- Students will examine a wide variety of local native plants within the Cadi Jam Ora garden which were integral in the life of the First Nations people for food, medicine, tools and weapons.
- They will deepen their understanding of the Gadigal peoples connection to Country, culture and community.
Morning: First Nations Focus
- Students will learn about First Nations ways of interacting with the environment, using sustainable management practices that are thousands of years old.
- They will investigate how natural resources are sourced, selected and used for food, medicine, tools and weapons.
Afternoon: Plants science & sustainability
- Students will explore plant life cycles on a guided walk through the Garden and discover how scientists classify plants.
- They will conduct a hands on scientific investigation into whether specific Australian plants need fire and smoke to complete their lifecycles, including planting seeds to take back to school to complete the investigation.
- Using problem solving skills, and teamwork, students will be challenged to design a simple rainwater harvesting system.
Morning: Purposeful Plants
- Students will observe features of some Australian plants are adaptations for survival in their environment.
- They will research how the knowledge of physical properties of natural materials is used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in everyday life.
Afternoon: Art & wellbeing
- Through visual arts, close observation, mindfulness and art making, students explore ideas about their relationship to the natural world and learn about the benefits of connection to the natural environment.
Term 2
Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan
Activities on the day include:
Morning: First nations focus
- Students will explore the Connections Garden and discover how the Dharawal people use native plants for a range of purposes.
- They will deepen their understanding of the Dharawal peoples connection to Country, culture and community.
Afternoon: Animal homes in the gardens
- Students will participate in nature play and shelter building.
- They will learn about the needs of different animals and create mini habitats for each animal.
- Students will enjoy the beautiful lakeside and dip net for aquatic creatures.
Morning: Ecosystems and science in the gardens
- Students will use field work to research the unique Cumberland Plains Woodland and practice their botanical illustration skills documenting native plants.
- They will conduct a hands on scientific investigation into whether specific Australian plants need fire and smoke to complete their lifecycles, including planting seeds to take back to school to complete the investigation.
Afternoon: First Nations sustainability
- Students will learn about First Nations ways of interacting with the environment, using sustainable management practices that are thousands of years old.
- They will investigate how natural resources are sourced, selected and used for food, medicine, tools and weapons.
Morning: Environmental change and management
- Students will learn about the ecology of protected, remnant environments and how the Garden is effectively managing environmental change to enhance sustainability.
- They will use a variety of field tests and use their data to conduct an ecosystem health assessment.
Afternoon: Food in Australia
- Students will engage with Food in Australia by investigating and tasting bush foods to discover how First Nations’ peoples’ diets began to evolve when first settlers farmed food on this land.
- They will learn how bushfoods are incorporated into contemporary cuisine.
Term 3
Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Australian Museum
Activities on the day include:
- Sydney Science Trail Expo at the Australian Museum
- Interactive STEM Workshop at either the Australian Museum or the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
- Science Show for Primary or Scientist Talks for Secondary students at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
- Self-guided experience of either the Australian Museum or the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Sessions:
- Morning sessions at the Museum: 9.30 – 10.30 and 10.30 – 11.30
- Lunch and walk to the gardens: 11.30 – 12.30 (15 minute walk)
- Afternoon sessions at the Gardens: 12.30 – 1.30 and 1.30 – 2.30