In 2021, we have been focussing on completing both the biodiversity module, and have been working towards achieving our third star. Prior to completing the biodiversity module, the school’s biodiversity score was at 45. However, through our classroom science lessons, Act, Create, Explore (ACE) rotations and a whole school focus on biodiversity, we have improved this score.

Our students have been learning about living things, plants and animals/insect and what they need to survive. To better understand why we need to a healthy biodiversity we studied what insects such as bees and butterfly, birds and plants and how they help our environment.

We have explored bees and how they pollinate the flowers to create more flower, fruit and more plants.

We have explored birds, how they migrate to different areas, how they drop seeds of plants in their poo and how they aerate the ground looking for worms.

We created bird feeders to feed the birds in winter and entice them to come to our school.

We participated in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count, with different groups spending 20 mins outside counting birds.

We have been looking after our school chickens, feeding and watering them, checking for eggs and cleaning their pen. One class each week looks after the chickens. We love collecting the eggs most and sometime use these eggs in our cooking.

We had a literacy focus on the book ‘Bug Hotel’ by Libby Waldon and learned about the different place where insects find homes. We made our very own bug hotels and placed them in the school yard.

Following this activity, we learnt about ways we could improve the biodiversity in our own backyards, including putting in certain plants to attract bees and insects, hanging up bird feeders during winter and creating bug hotels to provide secure areas for insects to hide.

At the end of this unit, we had decided the best ways we could improve our biodiversity was providing places for insects to hide, including a variety of rocks, leaf little, plants, logs and our very own bug hotels. We also decided to continue to make a place out bird feeders and these were shown to improve bird life around the area and to think about making bird baths to put in our school.

The programs that we have implemented at the school through completing the biodiversity module appear to be making a difference on a whole school scale with an improvement in the school’s biodiversity score since commencing the module.