Bright spots in sustainability and nature education in the ACT

The ACT Chapter of AAEE is thrilled to announce ACTs 2020 awards for excellence in the area of environmental education.

A big thank you to members and friends who joined us at the AGM to congratulate the 2020 awardees: 

Sue Jones - ACT Environmental Educator of the Year

Samantha Burn - ACT Emerging Environmental Educator of the Year within Schooling

Lis van Papenrecht  - ACT Emerging Environmental Educator of the Year within Community

Cassandra Brown - Highly Commended ACT Emerging Environmental Educator within Schooling

Paula Banks - Highly Commended ACT Emerging Environmental Educator within Community

ACT Chapter AGM 25 November 6 PM Botanic Gardens and ZOOM

ACT Chapter AGM 2020 (AGM papers here)

Wednesday 25 November 2020 

All welcome

Date and time - 25 November 5.30, 5.45 PM gates close, 6 PM sharp AGM start - 6.50 PM AGM close, followed by ACT's 2020 Environmental Education Excellence awardees presentations and a 1-hour custom twilight tour of the gardens Indigenous Plant Use Tour.

Venue - Crosbie Morrison Building patio and Education Lawn, and via ZOOM

Australian National Botanic Gardens. 

🍷 BYO Late Spring Picnic 🍒

RSVP ESSENTIAL please to aaeeact@gmail.com

Nominations to executive are very welcome, please email to receive nomination papers

FREE - Under the Sea Environmental Theatre ZOOM - a conversation with tips and tricks with DanceKids and Take Flight Education director Sue Jones

 

21 September 4PM - Special event for SeaWeek 2020 - FREE - Under the Sea Environmental Theatre ZOOM - a conversation with tips and tricks with DanceKids and Take Flight Education director, 2020 ACT Environmental Educator of the Year, Sue Jones. 

RSVP essential - send an email to aaeeact@gmail.com

 

ENVIRONMENTAL THEATRE COMBINES SCIENCE PLUS DANCE TO BRING THE WONDERS OF THE NATURAL WORLD INTO SCHOOLS, MINDS AND HEARTS

In this excerpt from her ACT 2020 Environmental Educator of the Year nomination, we see how Sue Jones has used both her science background and her dance and choreography instruction skills to deliver environmental education curriculum and teacher professional development that bridges both learning areas.

AAEE 2020 Conference Online Forum 30 September - Registrations Open

AAEE 2020 Conference Online Forum

Wednesday, 30 September 2020 (All day)

Old Ways And New

Host a screening of 'The Story of Plastic' - brought to you by Story of Stuff

July 2020

From the ACT Chapter President 

To all those hardworking colleagues in the ACT who think Environmental Education is important (very important as the Climate Emergency becomes reality), well done you have made it to the end of the term! This has been a crazy exhausting year, some say it feels like an alternate reality ...

At a Glance - Events Coming Up

Plastic Free July; Host a screening of 'The Story of Plastic'; ACT Future Film Festival Competition; Trash Gather Educational Program - in-school workshops; 4th August ACT Green Ed Drinks - Online with the National Portrait Gallery

Plastic Free July

Link to Plastic Free July. Join millions of people reducing their plastic waste.

Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastics?

Earth System Education - Are We There Yet?

Paul Anderson from Bozeman Science - Planetary Boundaries links Earth Science with Sustainability through Earth System Science.
Video 1 in the 'AP Environmental Science' series at Paul Andersen's Bozeman Science.

Link to Earth System Education review post. If you teach senior secondary Earth and Environmental Science or Geography and haven't heard of Planetary Boundaries and Earth System Science as an approach to sustainability then you may be in for a pleasant surprise. 

There's No Such Place as Away, There's No Such Place as Away ...

And where is this place they call 'Away'? 

Link to purchase ‘There is No Such Place as Away’ (credit card or PayPal) 16 pp Colour PDF from AAEE ($12). Or email admin@aaee.org.au Extensive teaching notes and free ongoing updates and support through publication authors FoodWeb Education.  ‘There is No Such Place as Away’ provides an introduction and springboard for further investigation into the scientific concept of ‘matter’ and the ecological patterns and principles of matter cycles on Earth. When it gets down to it, matter is the ‘stuff’ of our lives, the food we eat, the air we breathe, the clothes we wear, the houses we live in ...

Exploring Fungi - Integrating Biodiversity and the Arts in Primary Years 3 and 4

Link to Exploring Fungi downloads. The Exploring Fungi Unit for Year 3 & 4 is a new resource in 2020 to celebrate Biodiversity. This is a free 10-week unit written by classroom teacher and artist Alieta Belle with mycologist Dr Sandra Tuszynska,  funded by your AAEE. Lesson Plans, resource sheets and online presentations are all classroom-ready.

Abstracts - remaining open indefinately

Click here to go to the Call for Abstracts for both the Conference and Research Symposium.

A one day program is being constructed for an online event 30 September 2020, to be followed by a normal length event at the same time and place in 2021.

Autumn-Winter 2020 Update ACT Chapter HERE

Welcome to the Autumn-Winter edition of the ACT Chapter Update, sent every quarter to members, colleagues and friends of Earth, Nature, environmental and sustainability education in the ACT.

SDGs in education - a literature review and work in progress!

Image courtesy of RealLives, at reallivesworld.com and http://educationalsimulations.com/

Call for Abstracts - Open

Click here to go to the Call for Abstracts for both the Conference and Research Symposium

Summer-Autumn Update ACT Chapter HERE

Welcome to the Summer - Autumn edition of the ACT Chapter Update, sent every quarter to members, colleagues and friends of Earth, Nature, environmental and sustainability education in the ACT.

Climate for Change?

 

#SS4C school student Jean Hinchcliffe at the Climate Emergency Summit with the federal member for Warringah NSW, Zali Steggall MP

February 2020 
ACT Chapter President

Welcome to our new members and friends. As environmental educators, we all have a strong connection to nature and our Aussie plants and animals. It has therefore been devastating to witness this summer and the catastrophic events affecting whole communities and precious ecosystems. But what to do? 

NatureArt Play

Link to NatureArt Play NatureArt Play introduces children and carers to a range of collaborative and
solo sensory and process art prompts. From paint and clay - to slimes and bubbles - and everything in between, discovering a range of natural themes and materials. Book online at www.natureartlab.com.au or for enquires email info@natureartlab.com.au

Jerrabomberra Wetlands

Link to Jerrabomberra Wetlands
(Link to Mulligans Flat Education and Link to Woodlands and Wetlands Trust)

At Jerrabomberra Wetlands explore the 150 bird species that call this area home. JW runs experiences for schools, children on school holidays and an adult community education program. 

RSPCA Kids and Kritters Program

Link to RSPCA Kids and Kritters Program. The RSPCA runs small group animal education sessions in school holiday periods for the 7-13 year age group. There is a range of sessions to chose from where children can have a tour and an introduction to RSPCA ACT, or come and meet the dogs, learn about reptiles and how to care for them and how to care for young animals. 

Future Film - Festival and Competition - Reimagining Canberra’s Future

Link to Future Film. Future Film is the all-ages short film competition & festival that’s here to flip the switch on the climate crisis. This is a creative platform for young people to express their ideas to reimagine Canberra's future, a future where we: solve the most pressing environmental problems; regenerate the planet; create awareness of sustainable solutions and technology in use now ... or explore unique solutions for the future!

ACT Parliament of Youth on Sustainability

Link to the ACT Parliament of Youth on Sustainability. The ACT Parliament of Youth on Sustainability is an annual all-schools program that culminates in a one day mock-Parliament event at the Australian National University. It is aimed at giving young people a voice when it comes to the environment. The theme of the 2020 ACT Parliament of Youth on Sustainability is: 'What's one way we can thrive in the 21st Century?'

Nature Play Canberra

Link to Nature Play Canberra. Getting kids outdoors and participation in nature play has the ability to enhance children’s cognitive flexibility and creativity, boost self-esteem and improve resilience. Grab a Nature Play Canberra passport and help your kids complete these 51 things before they turn12!

The National Arboretum

Link to The National Arboretum Learn page. The Arboretum can provide a variety of facilitated education programs onsite that link with the Australian curriculum in the areas of Science, Sustainability and Geography.

KidsTeaching Kids

Link to national Kids Teaching Kids - aka KTK - knows kids are prepared to take up the challenges of restoring the environment when given responsibility to manage their own learning, when connected to challenging real world issues and when inspired to want to know more.

Circular_CBR - Circular Economy Education

Link to Circular_CBR. Circular_CBR explores the 'circular economy' through a pitch process and coffee, beer and bicycle riding themes. Resources to support student pitches address the nexus of climate change, environment, economy and waste. An unrestricted version is available that only includes coffee and bike riding.

National Dinosaur Museum Education

Link to National Dinosaur Museum Schools
Since opening in 1993, the National Dinosaur Museum has grown to be the largest permanent
display of dinosaurs and prehistoric life in Australia. Wander through the Dinosaur Garden, handle million year old fossils, and learn about dinosaurs and their world on one of the museums highly regarded educational tours.

Directory of Environmental, Earth and Sustainability Education providers - ACT

Welcome to the ACT Environmental Education Network Directory

Thanks to ACT's rich and varied environmental, Earth and sustainability education centres, programs and providers, for sharing their expertise and for providing input into this directory. 

If you know an educator who should be listed here, or if you have an update for the directory, please let us know at aaeeact@gmail.com. 

What ever happened to Sustainable Schools?

Did you know that 'Sustainable Schools' - aka #GreenSchools - is a global movement and that Australia was once a recognised global leader in this movement?

Earth, sustainability and environmental education dates

Time flies - and there is ALOT on, so we all need a way to keep track. Stay on top of it all with this comprehensive set of the most significant term by term and month by month local, national and global dates especially for environmental educators.

2020 Calendar for AAEE members and friends - would you like reminders of the main dates in a colourful AAEE Sea Week themed printable PDF? Let us know at aaeeact@gmail and we will get it to you.