Canning River Eco Education
Doug the darter program (year 3)
Centre (CREEC)
Information on venue:
Located on the banks of the Canning River within
the Canning River Regional Park.
Natural and built environments co-exist to
provide a unique outdoor classroom for K-Y12
students.
WA curriculum links:
• HASS
• STEM
• Literacy, Critical & Creative Thinking, and
Intercultural Understanding
• Sustainability and Aboriginal & Torres
Strait Islander Histories & Cultures
Please see Appendix 1 for parent letter
Contact:
• creec@canning.wa.gov.au
• https://www.canning.wa.gov.au/creec/
Excursion: Self- guided tour (1 hour)
Students explore the site with the teacher giving
a self-guided tour of the flora and fauna present.
Hear about the ‘real life’ rescue of Doug the Darter, a Students complete a flora and fauna grid
water bird who became entangled in rubbish. The checklist of the different things they see during
story explicitly focuses on how waste enters our the tour.
waterways and the impacts it can have on biodiversity,
especially wildlife. Students participate in rubbish Other programs:
collection where they create their own waste net to CREEC offers a wide range of educational
display in their classrooms. programs e.g.
$7 per student 1.5 hours − Creepy crawlies in the Canning
− Pobblebonk swamp
Order of program: − Bush detective
 Doug the Darter story (30 mins) − Weir-d science
 Rubbish collection walk (30 mins) − Take a dip
 Make a waste net − From range to river
− River diaries
 Discussion on how rubbish got to be there,
why? How different materials break down in Cost ranges from $7-9
time – timeline For excursions
Lunch 25 students – 4 adults (may need parent helpers)
Students will each lunch on the grass area and have
time to play in the play ground
Cross-Curriculum Priority- Sustainability:
Links to the curriculum:
• Systems:
o OI.2. All life forms are connected
through ecosystems = dependent on
wellbeing and survival
o OI.3. Sustainable patterns of living
rely on healthy social, economic and
ecological systems
• World views:
o OI.5. Formed by experiences at
personal, local, national and global
levels & are linked to collaborative
actions
• Futures:
o OI.7. Actions reflect values of care,
respect and responsibility & require
us to explore and understand
environments
o OI.9. Results are from actions that
preserve and/or restore the quality
and uniqueness of environments.
How does this link to CREEC’s activities?
• Immersing and engaging students in ‘real
world’ contexts of the consequences of being
wasteful
• Students take responsibility and action by
searching the environment for rubbish to
reuse in their waste nets = reduce, reuse,
recycle incentive
• Being involved in the environment fosters
relationships, respect and care for the
ecosystems.
Curriculum links/ Integration into other learning
areas- Year 3
Science
• Science knowledge helps people to understand
the effect of their actions (ACSHE051)
• Living things can be grouped on the basis of
observable features and can be distinguished
from non-living things (ACSSU044)
• Science involves making predictions and
describing patterns and relationships
(ACSHE050)
• With guidance, identify questions in familiar
contexts that can be investigated
scientifically and make predictions based on
prior knowledge (ACSIS053)
• With guidance, plan and conduct scientific
investigations to find answers to questions,
considering the safe use of appropriate
materials and equipment (ACSIS054)
Design Technologies
• Select, and safely use, appropriate
components with given equipment to make a
solution (WATPPS18)
• Suitability and safe practice when using
materials, tools and equipment for a range of
purposes (ACTDEK013)
• Forces, and the properties of materials,
affect the behaviour of objects (ACTDEK011)
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Program
Strengths:
• Opportunity to get into nature and
experience their local environment.
• Allows for critical and creative thinking
• Looking at sustainability in relation to our
environment.
• Alternative learning spaces- Learning
through experience.
• The CREEC can modify student programs
and tailor teacher professional learning to
suit individual schools.
• CREEC staff can support schools by
developing a whole school approach to
education for sustainability.
• The centre provides enough adults for
each group of students.
• Provides examples of integration into
other learning areas.
Weaknesses:
• The organisation/location do not allow a
PD for teachers, they only provide tours
and activities for the students.
• After students create their own waste
net, if the classroom no longer wants it, it
could just be thrown away.
• Parent helpers may be needed for
assistance in some programs which can be
an issue for some schools.
• Does not provide a large amount of detail
into specific learning experiences and
details of the programs.