Schools

We welcome school visits and the Botanic Garden is a great place to learn about our native plants and animals. Our Spotted Gum Pavilion makes a terrific classroom and is used for a diverse range of educational programs.

Year 4 school program

Our Year 4 Schools Program has been running for over 20 years and has become an important part of the regional school curriculum. Each year almost 600 local students attending the Garden with their class. Through a combination of hands-on activities and guided exploration of the bushland tracks, students and their teachers learn about:

• the importance of plants and their life cycle
• plant science including how and why they are scientifically named
• conservation, ecology and horticulture
• how plants make their food
• animals life dependence on plants for food
• fungi and other recyclers
• types of plants eg trees, shrubs, vines, parasites, etc
• forest types
• response of the bush to fire.

Students can use hand lenses to get close to a flower and its structure, propagate or tube native plants, and take what they've learned back to their schools to grow their own plants on school grounds.