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.
Get Up to Date Quick - At a Glance
- Quick relief: With social distancing, open green (and blue) spaces matter to people more than ever. Can't wait to get under water to visit nature? Studies now show looking at pictures and videos of nature is soothing to most people and better than nothing! Check out Port Phillip Bays seals and fish at a real time Reef Cam. Or try taking a 4-hour 'drive' to 'get away' from everyone and everything while viewing nature out the window? It works for some!
- Quick dates : Scroll down for all the dates or bookmark our Calendar page.
- SEND YOUR BACKYARD PHOTOS TO COSTA BY COB FRIDAY 1 MAY.
- 5 May 4.30 PM AEST - ACT Green Ed Drinks Online - Nature Journalling Special with Julia Landford.
- 6 May 11.00 AM AEST - Smart Energy Council #StimulusSummit FREE ONLINE
- 7 May 1PM AEST Growing a Mentally Healthy Generation through lifelong learning for sustainability - Early Childhood Australia collaboration launch Online Register here.
- Quick news : There are some new EE and EfS resources and initiatives in progress that are worth checking out from: Early Childhood Australia; Ted-Ed; Bushblitz; Climate Planet Foundation; Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience; Junior Landcare; John Cook's Cranky Uncle App; Climate Clever; Sea Week / the Australian Marine Education Network and so much more.
Many resources are now appearing online for the first time - you can even book a live ZOOM of The Bettong Bungalow for Friday Nights #AtHome ... Scroll down for more.
- Quick socials : As well as Fb, we're now occasionally joining the growing scientist-educator network and EE and education conversations on Twitter : we're at @AAEE_ACT and contribute when we can to #primarySTEMchat, #aussieED and #HASSchat - see you there?
But Wait, There's More ...
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ozEEnews
The March 2020 ozEEnews is available by emailing us at aaeeact@gmail.com or here in the AAEE members area. (you can join or renew there too, just follow the links)If you have an article in you this year, eg an education project to report on to a large and appreciative national readership, why not send your proposal to us at aaeeact@gmail.com and we'll guide you through the process of getting it into print either in the quarterly ozEEnews or in the monthly E-Bulletin.
Did you know 2020 is AAEEs 40th year?
BeYou Early Years Sustainability Learning Community Launch
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Social, economic and environmental sustainability play a key role in supporting mental health and wellbeing. Early childhood education lays foundations for lifelong learning for sustainability. On 7 May join with colleagues and share your thoughts, challenges and ideas in this new co-operative learning community. Register here.
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Future Film 2020
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| Now that sadly the ACT Parliament of Youth on Sustainability is postponed until 2021, you need to know you can still be part of student voice on climate change and sustainability in the ACT: SEE-Change is partnering with the Australian Academy of Science, the ACT Government and the Canberra Short Film Festival to host 'Future Film'. |
Emergency and Disaster Education News
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| 14 yo South Australian school student Mr Zel Whiting (pictured) was one of several young school students speaking at the Australian National Climate Emergency Summit in Melbourne back on 14 and 15 February. Session recordings are now available here. Read about Advance Australia's new schools 'climate balance' campaign here. Read AAEEs climate emergency statement here. Sign-up for a May 15 #ClimateStrike, now online, of course. If you are a faith-community based school then you might appreciate this initiative around climate and worship from Uniting Earth Care here. |
NEW Bushblitz Citizen Science resources
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| The Bush Blitz citizen science app launched a new online tool this week. In concert with the new Backyard Landcare program this species recovery program encourages children to explore their backyard to identify different species. |
Introducing TedEds #EarthSchool 30 Day Quests
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| Welcome to Earth School! TedEd has embarked on a month of daily adventures – or Quests to mark the 2020 Earth Day to World Environment Day April to June period. These are skilfully curated short 5-7 minute video-based lessons and are being co-created in collaboration with scientists and Earth advocates specifically to help people to both understand and celebrate our natural world, while at the same time learning about how dependent people are on our planet. Join (it's all free) to learn more, create, act and share #EarthSchool. |
SEND YOUR BACKYARD PHOTOS TO COSTA BY COB 1 MAY
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Joining forces with Junior Landcare, the popular TV star and Landcare champion Costa Georgiadis launched the ‘What’s in your Backyard?’ campaign to encourage the next generation to get outside and document what’s in their local environment.
‘What’s in Your Backyard?’ is a key focus of the Junior Landcare’s new Learning Centre. With 30-minute learning activities developed by education professionals, the Junior Landcare Learning Centre has been created to help children be aware, empowered and active in caring for their local environment.
The Learning Centre will help children understand biodiversity, where their food comes from, Indigenous perspectives and recycling and waste management. Each activity includes an authentic story to help build formative memories, whilst participating in the learning centre helps to build intergenerational connections with an Australia wide community of experienced Landcare mentors.
For 'What's in Your Backyard?' Costa wants kids across Australia to get involved and grab a camera, and snap photos of the flora and fauna in their backyard. With the help from their parents, carers and teachers, kids can submit photos to Junior Landcare to be in with a chance to win one of ten $250 cameras. The major school prize will be a visit from Costa!
Costa says “the entire environment is your backyard…” Your backyard might be a garden. If you live in an apartment, your garden could be plants on your balcony. You may live near a park or bushland area, or a river or wetland. You may live on the coast close to the sea, or on a farm. The ‘What’s in your Backyard?’ campaign now closes May 1! Get snapping and send your photos ASAP!
Get involved here: https://juniorlandcare.org.au/campaigns/whatsinyourbackyard/
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Term 2 and 3 Dates and Links
MAY
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5 May 4.30-5.30pm ACT AAEE Green Ed Drinks Nature Journaling with Julia (ZOOM) 6 May UNSW Waste 2020 UnConference 14 week Webinar Series begins 7-13 May International Composting Awareness Week NEW DATES TBA NSW ECEEN Conference, Lane Cove 12 May World Migratory Bird Day 17 May Walk Safely to School Day 20 May World Bee Day 21 May Zayed Sustainability Prize deadline 22 May International Day for Biological Diversity (Check out the TedEd #EarthSchool pack) 26 May National Sorry Day 27 May National Reconciliation Week till June 3rd theme for 2020 is Grounded in Truth Walk Together with Courage JUNE |
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| 2 June Environmental Educators National Learning Circle Webinar 4.00 - 5.30 PM AEST 5 June World Environment Day 5 June Threatened Species Childrens' Art Competition opens, runs to August 8 June World Oceans Day (Schools page) 17 June World Day of the Convention to Combat Desertification 20 June World Refugee Day 21 - 25 June The 6th International EcoSummit Congress - EcoSummit 2020 - Gold Coast Australia 24 June Addressing the sustainability cross-curriculum priority through the Actsmart Schools focus areas 1.00pm – 4.00pm. Register here. 26 June End of term VIC, QLD, NT JULY
3 July End of term NSW, SA, TAS, WA, ACTDates TBA ONLINE CONASTA 69 ACT (Australian Science Teaching Association annual conference)POSTPONED 7-14 July NAIDOC Week
13 July Term 3 begins VIC, QLD |
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| 2 August National Tree Day 4 August National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day 4 August 5.30 - 7.00pm ACT AAEE Green Ed Drinks ANU Union Bar (RSVP for details to aaeeact@gmail.com) 9 August International Day of the World’s Indigenous People 12 August International Youth Day 15 - 23 August National Science Week (Schools Theme for 202 is "Deep Blue' ) 22 - 29 August National Book Week 2020 theme Curious creatures, curious minds 19-25 August Keep Australia Beautiful Week |
 1-30 September Save the Koala Month 1 September 5.30 - 7.00pm ACT AAEE Green Ed Drinks ANU Union Bar (RSVP for details to aaeeact@gmail.com) 4 September Walk to Work Day 7-11 September Kids Teaching Kids Week 5-11 September National Landcare Week 7 September Threatened Species Day 8 September National Bilby Day 8 September Junior Landcare Youth Summit Canberra NOTE THE NEW DATE 12 - 18 September Sea Week Australia 2020 Australian Marine Education Network (facebook)
The 2020 theme is based on the 'Ocean Literacy' concept: The sea supports a great diversity of life and ecosystems
7-15 September National Organic (Food and Fibre) Week 15 September Sustainable House Day POSTPONED 15 September Bushcare's Major Day Out 16 September International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 18 September Term 3 ends VIC, QLD 22 September World Car-Free Day 22 September Environmental Educators National Learning Circle Webinar 4 - 5.30 PM AEDT 25 September Term 3 ends NSW, SA, TAS, NT, WA, ACT |
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