Life in the Aquatic Environment
Discover all the weird and wonderful creatures that live in our aquatic environment. Students will investigate the aquatic environments in the Botanic Gardens and discover some of the plants and animals that live there. Students will be actively engaged in observing, inquiring and analysing through using dip nets and charts to learn about the observable stages of life-cycles. Students will discover components of the aquatic environment such as food, shelter, temperature and look for indicators of pollution.
What happens?
- Search for minibeasts in our Botanic Garden pond using dip nets
- Use charts to identify different types of minibeasts that live in aquatic environments.
- Learn about lifecycles of different aquatic minibeasts
Curriculum links
Themes: Minibeasts, environments, living world, sustainability, lifecycles
- Living things have basic needs, including food and water (ACSSU002)
- STe-8NE: identifies the basic needs of living things
- STe-4WS: explores their immediate surroundings by questioning, observing using their senses and communicating to share their observations and ideas
- ST1-9ES: Identifies ways that people use science in their daily lives to care for the environment and the Earth’s resources
- ST1-10LW: describes external features, changes in and growth of living things
- ST1-11LW: describes ways that different places in the environment provide for the needs of living things
- GE1-1: describes features of places and the connections people have with places
- ST2-10LW: describes that living things have life cycles, can be distinguished from non-living things and grouped, based on their observable features
- ST2-11LW: describes ways that science knowledge helps people understand the effect of their actions on the environment and on the survival of living things
- GE2-1: examines features and characteristics of places and environments
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.