Students can do a single classroom activity, or just the interpretive walk alone, but these resources have been designed to work together and, if delivered together, they will give students a good understanding of the ecology and importance of wetlands and macrophyte beds to the broader estuary.
Our aim is to promote aquatic conservation by raising awareness of our impacts on urban waterways, the value of maintaining healthy waterways, and the need for habitat restoration and protection. This project also helps to develop the students' listening, writing and recording skills through creating charts, making records of animals' diet and sensitivity to pollution, thinking about biological processes, and creating visual classroom displays. Many of these activities also help students develop social skills such as working in a team, and considering the need for other creatures and the environment.
Classroom activities
Wetland and Macrophyte Introduction Grades 1–10
The DEP website provides a general introduction to tidal wetlands and macrophyte beds in the Derwent Estuary. In small groups ask students to explore the website to answer a range of general exploratory questions. They can get specific information at our tidal wetlands and macrophytes beds page.
Get the Wetland and Macrophyte Introduction Activity PDF.
Discovery Cards Grades 1–6
If planning an excursion to wetlands and macrophyte beds (Goulds Lagoon Discovery Trail), you can undertake this classroom activity before and after the field trip to promote scientific enquiry. Write questions about the habitat to be visited, revisit them in the field, and also when back in the classroom to see if they found the answers.
Get the Discovery Cards Classroom Activity PDF.
Wetland Critters in the Classroom – where they live and the effect of pollution Grades K–6
The aim of this activity is to identify the diversity of organisms that live in wetland habitats, and gain an understanding of habitat, in terms of where an organism lives, what it eats, and its requirements for breeding and survival. The activity also raises awareness of the varied impacts on urban waterways, the value of maintaining healthy waterways, and the need for habitat restoration and protection. Two tasks are presented ‘Wetland critters and where they live’, and ‘How does pollution affect wetland organisms and the broader habitat’.
Get the Wetland Critters in the Classroom Activity PDF.
Dragonfly Life Cycle Grades K–6
The most common type of wetland animals are invertebrates, and the most common of these are insects – a diverse and fascinating group of animals that are the base of wetland food chains. Read through info cards with the class, talking through a range of topics including insect anatomy, life cycles, metamorphosis, and the need for a healthy aquatic environment. Provide time to talk through each card, and perhaps complete the questions and activities along the way. Activities include making dragonflies out of art materials, and drawing dragonfly life cycles and wetland food webs.
Get the Dragon Life Cycle Activity PDF.
Outdoor activities
Goulds Lagoon Discovery Trail all ages
The Goulds Lagoon Discovery Trail can be enjoyed by individuals, or led by a teacher/guide. Take the trail by following 10 discovery points along a mapped walking trail and read from a detailed information sheet. Explore the diverse and productive world of wetlands and macrophyte beds to discover underwater grass meadows, water filtering plants, a diverse bird community, water bug community, and the threat of sea level rise, all in one short walk. Incorporate the ‘Wetland Detective’ and ‘Wonderful Waterbugs’ activities to engage students further in this outdoor classroom. Currently there are no signs at the site, so it is you need to print out the Discovery Trail info pack and take it with you.
Get the Goulds Lagoon Discovery Trail Activity PDF.
Wetland Detective Grades 1–6
After the highly visible animals have been sighted it is useful to consider the wide range of other users of the wetland that cannot be seen. Many animals visit the site only at night, or at certain times of the year. Print out one field sheet per student and hand them out at the start of the Discovery trail. Ask students to fill in the field sheets with a pencil to piece together the users and residents of the wetland by looking closely for signs, tracks and scats.
Get the activity PDFs
Wonderful Waterbugs Grades 4–10
Healthy wetlands contain an incredibly abundant and diverse community of microscopic animals. This activity focuses on collecting and looking closely at water samples to appreciate the number and variety of waterbugs that live there. It introduces students to the diversity of tiny animals that live in wetlands, the roles they play in processing nutrients, and their importance as food for larger wetland animals. Supervise students using dip nets and containers to collect and sort waterbugs, and follow identification charts to identify them.
Get the Wonderful Waterbugs Activity PDF.