The Living World of Compost
Take a close up look at the food web in a compost heap. Identify the producers, consumers, and decomposers. Learn firsthand the effects these micro-organisms have on our environment and what happens when humans interrupt this cycle.
What happens?
- Understand and measure temperature and moisture levels in the composting process
- Observe the how and why of decomposition
- Identify and understand the various compost creatures and their role
- Role play and walk through the Botanic Garden rainforest
- Discuss man-made compost vs the natural ecosystem
Curriculum links
Themes: Living World, Sustainability
LW5 Science and technology contribute to finding solutions to conserving and managing sustainable ecosystems.
- (ACSSU112): describe interactions between organisms in food chains and food webs, including producers, consumers and decomposers
- describe examples of beneficial and harmful effects that micro-organisms can have on living things and the environment
- (ACSSU112): predict how human activities can affect interactions in food chains and food webs, including examples from Australian land or marine ecosystems
- (ACSSU176): recall that ecosystems consist of communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic components of the environment
- (ACSSU176): outline using examples how matter is cycled through ecosystems such as nitrogen
- (ACSSU176): describe how energy flows through ecosystems, including input and output through food webs
LW2 Conserving and maintaining the quality and sustainability of the environment requires scientific understanding of interactions within, the cycling of matter and the flow of energy through ecosystems.
Booking information
Minimum students: 15
Maximum group size: no more than two groups of 30 students per day
Please note: no education bookings are available on Fridays.
Class size will be limited for certain activities due to safety considerations and staffing resources.
Please book at least two months before your visit.
Use the button on this page to request an excursion booking, or call us during business hours on (02) 4227 7667.
If your request is accepted, we'll send you a booking confirmation letter, risk assessment, garden map and instructions for your visit (including wet weather plan).
Excursion cost is $14 (incl. GST) per student per day, and includes two activities. Carers and teachers are free.
In line with new Education Department policy, we are requesting the pre-payment of your attendance by credit card. This will be emailed to you as soon as we have confirmed your education date and you have confirmed your numbers. (Please note we cannot amend numbers after an invoice has been generated).
If payment before attendance is not possible you will be required to send us a PO number so we can send the invoice to EDConnect, to be paid prior to attendance.
Once your payment is made we will issue a confirmation, along with Council risk assessments covering safety for garden excursions.
Please meet at the Discovery Centre, located at the north eastern corner of Wollongong Botanic Garden.
Buses can drop students off at either the bus bay located at the University of Wollongong on Northfields Avenue or at our Murphys Avenue car park.
If your activity is being held at one of the Garden Annexes, such as Mount Keira or Puckeys Estate, please meet at the designated located specified on your booking confirmation.
We have a minimal waste policy and ask that packaging of food items brought to the Garden are minimised.
Most activities can still go ahead in light rain. In this case, please make sure students, teachers and accompanying parents wear appropriate wet weather clothes and shoes.
Our activities may need to be cancelled in heavy rain or high winds.
Please call us on the excursion day to confirm whether the program can continue or if your excursion needs to be rescheduled.