We’re on the move!

The Botanic Gardens Engagement Network is on the move, and we’d love you to join us!

We have stretched our wings and we are now located on the Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand website – click here to visit and join us!

World Environment Day Celebrations at Adelaide Botanic Garden

World Environment Day is the United Nation’s most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment.

Since 1996, Adelaide Botanic Garden has hosted tens of thousands of South Australian school students as well as their teachers and caregivers at what is now the state’s largest World Environment Day event.

On June 5 2017, three thousand Reception (Prep) to Year 7 students were greeted with perfect weather and participated in a range of interactive environmental presentations covering important topics from Aboriginal tools for living, preserving endangered species and native bees and spiders, through to worms and compost, food security and feral invaders.

Stewardship of Endemic Endangered Species Project – Botanic Gardens of South Australia

Baby Boomers have been arguably the most impactful of generations for the earth’s environment.

But what of the current generation of young people still at school?

What is their awareness of conservation and of the natural environment?

If the Mission Australia’s Youth Surveys* are observed, it would appear the environment is not even on their radar. Perhaps global warming is just too big and too hard for the average year 9 student to feel as though they can make a difference, after all it appears that their elders can’t manage to do so…….

What are the opportunities for them to become involved in and passionate about conservation were they feel as though their efforts do make a difference?

SEEDS is a program that gives them the opportunity and the passion. A collaboration between the Seed Conservation Centre of SA, the SA Seed Bank, schools and students called SEEDS (Stewardship of Endemic Endangered Species) is doing just that.

Real science, real conservation and real passion.

Stewards of today – Environmentalists of tomorrow.

The aims of the SEEDS Project is to:

• increase students and teachers knowledge and awareness of environmental stewardship
• provide an opportunity for students to be involved in direct conservation
• involve students with scientists and effective science as part of STEM and to also raise awareness of the broader community regarding plant conservation.

Environmentally, we are seeing direct benefits to threatened species conservation, increased knowledge that may further assist threatened species recovery strategies, engagement of school communities in environmental stewardship and support plant recovery programs.

Further information click here

 

In securing the future of the planet, we secure happiness for ourselves. One of the aims of the Greens is to turn around the tide of pessimism amongst the young people of the world.

Bob Brown

 

* Footnote – The 2013 Mission Australia Annual Survey of Young People shows the Environment has dropped as an identified major issue from 37% in 2011 to 11.7% in 2014. Perhaps it is because the only thing young people are empowered to do about environmental issues is to put the rubbish in the correct bin and turn off the tap when they clean their teeth!

Treasure hunt time!

Created by Michael Connor, Wollongong Botanic Garden

A great example of a fun treasure hunt and the content created for it.  Click the link below to enjoy a slide show with all the details.

Treasure Hunt Walk Through Wollongong PPT Show compressed

Treasure hunt created at Wollongong Botanic Garden

Pizza Plants – kids trail

As part of our current display (which is all about which plants are in our food), we’ve put together a garden trail for kids.
The pizza plants trail is designed to encourage children and families to grow simple plants at home that can then be used as tasty pizza toppings. We have a trail guide that can be picked up at our visitor centre, and then a series of signs in our edible garden and herb garden highlighting the relevant plants and their uses.
Kids are then also encouraged to pick up an envelope of beetroot seeds to grow at home once they have completed the trail.
Garden trails are very popular here at the Auckland Botanic Gardens, and we have printed 5000 copies to be distributed over the three month period of the theme.

Inner page of the Pizza Plants kids trail – including map, list of plants to check as they find them and colouring in.

Front and back pages of the kids trail – the A4 sheet is folded twice times to form a DLE.

Example of a trail sign that can be found in the garden as part of the pizza plants trail. Signs are 600mm in diameter and printed on ACM which can be reskinned for subsequent use.

afterDark @ the ANBG

By Kate Adams, Visitor Experience Co-ordinator, Australian National Botanic Garden

There is always something new and exciting to do at the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Our afterDARK programs are great fun for the whole family and over the Spring season many visitors enjoyed our Scavenger Hunts.  Families gathered for a night-time botanical scavenger hunt and by following clues they discovered treasures and treats while learning about our fantastic plant, animal and insect life.

Scavenger Hunts

We have a summer of fun and exciting activities planned for our visitors including Sunset Cinema, the annual Summer Sounds Concert Series and Luminous Botanicus III. Join us and enjoy one of the many great events on offer this summer. For more details check out the What’s On at http://www.parksaustralia.gov.au/botanic-gardens/do/whats-on.html

I’ll interpret the rocks…

I’ll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm and the avalanche.

I’ll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can.

John Muir, 1896, Naturalist, Interpretor & Author

Winter wonders school holiday programme

An easy programme to run indoors if you are unsure of the weather.

Highlights from the programme: