Douglas Scrub Campsite

SACSA MIDDLE YEARS - CURRICULUM LINKS

Society and Environment

Douglas Scrub is ideally suited to focus on the strand place, space and environment.

• They can locate natural and built features and associate them with particular concepts on maps by using and developing orienteering maps (available from the campsite manager.)
• They can use vegetation maps and statistical data to compile reports on the environment of the campsite. This could also incorporate native and non native vegetation, uses of non native trees, weed control, and creek stabilisation.
• They can identify factors affecting the environment and report on ways to act for sustainable futures. This can involve the campsite itself, or the region around the camp. Students can obtain information about the environmental issues facing the campsite from the on-site manager.
• Students can examine hazards, both natural and those created by people, and develop questions that can be researched to analyse their impact on environmental systems. For example creek flooding, its cause, impact on the scrub, and possible strategies to reduce damage.

Students can identify and describe ways that places and natural environments are valued or threatened, and can discuss strategies related to ecological sustainability.

• They can discuss the effects of change on environments, identifying who and what benefits and loses from change. A boundary walk, looking particularly at land use around the camp area and comparing the rural environment and the heritage scrub area can help explore this topic.
• An extremely good, international, two day program, Earthkeepers, can be conducted by an accredited presenter. This role playing mystery is an involving mixture of theatrics and science, with a very strong Futures educational component. It is suitable for years 5,6,&7
• Information on tree planting, Waterwatch, Frogwatch and Airwatch and how these programs can be used at the campsite are available from the on-site Caretaker.

Science

Douglas scrub has potential to address the 'earth and space' strand as well as the 'life systems' strand.

• Stimulate interest in the stars and planets with the use of a small telescope available, or using binoculars. The campsite also offer good opportunities to describe various components of the solar system and to investigate and analyse astronomical features. Star charts are available to allow identification of the Southern Cross and other celestial bodies which can be seen more readily than in the light-flooded city.

Within the life systems strand students can use the campsite and heritage listed scrub area to examine the interrelationships between living things in ecological systems and threats to the sustainability of ecological systems. Within the 'life systems' strand students can explore relationships between living things by posing questions about features and functions.

• Compare features of plants (eg leaves, stem, roots (of weeds) and/or flowers.) Looking at distribution of plants and environmental factors.
• Describe the functional features of an animal.
  * Look at the adaptations of the tame wombats, kangaroos, and sugar gliders at the camp. (The nocturnal sugar gliders are visible at night by means of special illumination.)
  * Use observation, a hand lens and/or a microscope to identify and describe specific details of "mini beasts" in the many diverse habitats of the campsite.
  * Collect, study and release insects and other invertebrates.

Maths

Mapping and map reading skills feature in many activities suggested for a Douglas scrub camp.

• Map-making opportunities at the campsite will allow students to measure distance, find compass direction, calculate angles as fractions of rotation and degrees. Students will be able to describe locations, pathways and arrangements of objects from different reference points.
• Orienteering maps, plant identification maps and Aboriginal plant use maps are all available for teachers to adapt to their students' needs.

Health and Physical Education

Within the strand personal and social development students will be able to assume different roles when working as part of a cooperative group to maintain their tent or dormitory. Materials for a number of group activities can be provided by the camp manager, including raft making, boomerang making and tree house construction.

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