Linking your River Detectives studies with broader environmental events is a win win to diversify and deepen learning about the ways everything in nature is connected.
If you’re planning your Term 4 program, here are the most relevant events and the resources to help you embed them across the curriculum;
World Habitat Day October 4th; What a great time to do a Habitat Survey at your water testing site and upload your results to the River Detectives website
National Bird Week and the Aussie Backyard Bird Count 17-23 October; This is a perfect complimentary citizen science activity to involve your students in. A bird survey only takes 20 minutes and there’s no experience necessary. Check out the video or head here to register and access lesson plans and fun bird quizzes. The Birds In Backyards website also has a great bird finder database if students are doing research projects.
National Water Week 18-24 October; this clashes with Bird Week but can be celebrated any term during the term. This year’s theme is ‘Our Water Stories’. Watch water stories from around Australia and encourage students to write or record their own. Take the water quiz or choose some activities from our very own Waterways activity matrix.
And from our friends at ResourceSmart Schools you can join a free webinar, ‘Water Week: a river of fun activities’ Wednesday 19th October, 3:45-4:30 to learn a raft of practical ideas.
Pollinator Week 12-20 November; There’s plenty of ways to get involved at the event website and the Wild Pollinator Count is a great way to learn about the importance of pollinators. Sit in the sunshine for 10 minutes beside a flowering plant and record the bugs that visit !
As always, if you do participate in any of these activities we’d love to know about it. Send your regional coordinator some photos to show what River Detectives is looking like at your school.
