We had a brilliant turn out on April 13 for the Bug Detectives Nature Play school holiday event at Pipemakers Park. Over 70 children and adults joined us to explore the park; learning about frogs, bugs, birds and more.
We ran two sessions during the day, the first for 3-5 year olds and the second for 6-10 year olds. The sessions included an interactive talk about the plants and animals of the river and bushland areas followed by a series of activities including bug hunting with jars, magnifying glasses and field guides.
This event was run as part of Maribyrnong Council’s environmental education program in partnership with Leap into Nature and with support from Melbourne Water. Green Army members were part of the event and shared their knowledge of Pipemakers Park and the local environment.
The event celebrated Nature Play week. Nature Play Week has been developed collaboratively by individuals and organisations involved in the Kids in Nature Network and is supported by the Victorian Government, Department of Health & Human Services. The aim of Nature Play Week is to encourage children to reconnect with nature and the outdoors.
The feedback received was particularly positive. One participant said that ‘with three boys of different ages it is sometimes hard to find affordable events that they can all connect with and enjoy. Today they were all very engaged’.
Further, that the activities were ‘well thought through, so that children could participate in the things they liked best; whether that be bug hunting, habitat making, colouring in, reading, or water investigation’.
Another participant said that it was ‘a great activity that introduced us to an amazing park that we never knew was there! I also loved the handouts and colouring pages so that we could continue our learning at home’.
A word from the Mayor
‘Maribyrnong City Council is committed to environmental education including teaching the community about the importance of biodiversity and conservation. The earlier we can get people interested in these topics the better which is why activities like Bug Detectives are so important, not to mention fun.’
‘Over the last few decades in particular, we have moved indoors and screen spaces have replaced green places. Our use of technology among other things has discouraged children from playing outside. Meanwhile, research conducted by Associate Professor Mardie Townsend of Deakin University has uncovered that experiencing nature in an outdoor setting can help tackle not only physical health problems such as obesity but also mental health problems. It makes sense then that we encourage children to spend time outside, for their benefit and the benefit of our environment.’
Maribyrnong News 