Great Barrier Reef Early Learning Activities for Early Learning Settings (Kindergarten) Early Years Learning Framework for Australia

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Reef Guardian Activity Guide- Early Learning Stage The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) has produced this guide for educators in early learning settings. It is intended for use as a tool to aid the introduction of environmental concepts to children. The intention is to create a holistic learning environment that intentionally teaches children to explore and discover things about the environment around them. We have built the activities around the Great Barrier Reef. Guiding children to learn about environmental principles at a young age will help them to easily build on this knowledge and enhance their ability to become successful learners in the future.

The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia

An integrated, holistic approach to teaching and learning also focuses on connections to the natural world. Educators foster children’s capacity to understand and respect the natural environment and the interdependence between people, plants, animals and the land.

The Great Barrier Reef is a world-renowned natural icon and a beautiful and diverse ecosystem teeming with marine life and beauty. It is also an important pillar of the North Queensland community with great cultural significance. It is important for local children, in particular, to learn about the Great Barrier Reef, which is right on their doorstep and embrace it as part of their identity as a North Queenslander.

The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia

Educators promote this learning, for example, when they promote in all children a strong sense of who they are and their connectedness to others – a shared identity as Australians.

As the coastal population increases, so does pressure on the Reef system. In the following activities we have focused on not only teaching children about discovering the Reef and its inhabitants, but also what we can do to keep it great, thereby encouraging children to become active and engaged citizens. The activities are intended to encourage learning through play and also to encourage educators to be responsive to children’s enquiries by practising intentional teaching. Extra information on the related issues for educators can be found in the Glossary of this Guide. The Reef Guardian Activity Guide for Early Learning Settings powerfully aligns with the Early Learning Framework for Australia. The links to outcomes and elaborations have been boxed so that you can easily see how these activities can fit into your centre’s learning plans. We hope your staff and Junior Reef Guardians enjoy the activities.

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Table of Contents Themed Activities: Waste management and recycling ..................................................................................... 4

Quick Summary.............................................................................................................................................. 4

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE .............................................................................................................................. 4

WASTE WARRIORS ......................................................................................................................................... 5

Ocean Diorama .............................................................................................................................................. 6

Themed Activities: Coastal development & water quality ................................................................................ 7

Quick Summary.............................................................................................................................................. 7

HEALTHY HABITATS ....................................................................................................................................... 7

MUDDY MANGROVE ..................................................................................................................................... 9

Themed Activity: Responsible Reef Practices .................................................................................................. 10

Quick Summary............................................................................................................................................ 10

GO FISH ........................................................................................................................................................ 10

Additional learning resources:......................................................................................................................... 11

Media ........................................................................................................................................................... 11

Books ........................................................................................................................................................... 11

Additional information ................................................................................................................................ 11

Glossary of Terms ............................................................................................................................................ 12

Climate Change ............................................................................................................................................ 12

Coastal Development .................................................................................................................................. 12

Water Quality .............................................................................................................................................. 12

Marine Debris .............................................................................................................................................. 12

Responsible Reef Practices .......................................................................................................................... 13

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Themed Activities: Waste management and recycling

Quick Summary In this activity children are introduced to the topic of waste, garbage and recycling. Students begin to understand what materials are used to make packaging and also begin to understand that not all waste needs to go into the bin. Some waste can be reused, recycled or composted.

EYLF Learning Outcome Elaborations

OUTCOME 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world

Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding of the reciprocal rights and responsibilities necessary for active community participation

Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE Children bury objects made of differing materials and later dig them up and examine how the objects have changed. This helps children to begin thinking about how some materials decompose and others contribute to the accumulation of waste.

Purpose Children begin to understand that humans create a lot of waste. Children will learn how to manage the waste we create in a positive way and become proactive in contributing to a healthy environment. This involves learning about recycling (reduce, reuse, recycle) and includes additional activities to foster understanding about why it is important to dispose of your rubbish thoughtfully. This theme is broken into parts that complement each other. Activities can include any or all of the following:

What you will need:

Items constructed of differing materials to bury. Included but not limited to newspaper, plastic, old food tin (such as baked bean tin), food waste, glass jar and tin lid

Camera to take photos

Small shovel

Something to use as markers such as paddle pop sticks

Pen to write or draw on markers

What to do: Gather some common household rubbish constructed from various distinctive materials. Take

photographs of the items for later reference.

Lead children outside and have a discussion about what may happen to the items if they are buried in the ground. Let children get involved with digging shallow holes approximately 10 cm deep.

Place the items in the ground and cover them back over with dirt and indicate the positions of the items with a marker of some sort.

Wait for two weeks to a month depending on weather conditions and desired time frame (moist conditions will speed up decomposition of materials). When the desired timeframe has passed take the children outside again to dig up the materials and have a discussion about how some materials easily break down and some cannot break down at all.

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Ask questions around what will happen to the items that do not break down and go back to the earth. Where will they end up?

If there are children who may benefit from, or, be interested in further discussion about waste, the following activity is suggested to facilitate intentional teaching: Let a bin at your centre fill up and begin to overflow. When children begin to notice and report the problem this can initiate discussion of where we send our rubbish and where it ends up.

Child Educator

We can get a bigger bin

What will happen when that bin also fills up? Will it smell bad? Where would it go? How many bins could we fit at the centre? Will we eventually run out of room for all our rubbish if we keep getting more bins?

The garbage truck will come and get it

Where does the garbage truck take the rubbish? Has anyone ever been to the waste disposal facility? What would a place filled with everyone’s garbage look like? Will it fill up? What happens when it fills up? Show a picture of a dump. Explain that we recycle to reduce waste, and that some garbage can be recycled.

WASTE WARRIORS Early learning childcare centres can create separate bins and sort waste accordingly. This activity is suggested as a permanent fixture, but may be done as a short-term project if necessary.

Purpose Demonstrate to children how to be proactive in caring for the environment and the Reef by carrying out the “three R’s” of waste. Reduce, reuse and recycle. By managing waste appropriately, we can reduce marine debris, one of the five key threats to the Reef.

What you will need:

Bins (can be made according to individual budgets/needs)

General craft materials to create signs that illustrate what goes in which bin.

What to do:

Have separate bins at the centre to sort waste. There should be four bins. This includes a recycle bin, garbage bin, food waste bin and reusable items bin for anything that could be thrown out but may further utilised by your centre (left over craft materials, encourage parents to participate by

putting in old items that may not fit the child anymore, old toys, etc). Bins may be as simple or robust as desired, from a cardboard box with a bin liner, to a purchased

bin. A letter may be sent home to parents and carers informing them of the centres initiative and encouraging them to continue the dialogue at home and/or participate in donating reusable items. Please note that recycled materials must not be disposed of in plastic bags or they will be thrown in landfill.

Illustrated signs may be made and put up around the bin to communicate to children what belongs where.

The food waste disposal may be utilised by the centre, or a staff member, or even one or multiple families attending the centre. Food waste disposal can include any of the following: scraps for animals (chooks, pigs, goats etc.) compost bin

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worm farm

Food waste used in compost or worm farms can be an excellent addition to your centre’s growing gardens as it provides luscious nutrients to gardens and is a great demonstration of good recycling. If a food waste disposal is not appropriate for your centre, then food waste may be disposed of with general garbage.

The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia

Outdoor learning spaces are a feature of Australian learning environments. They offer a vast array of possibilities not available indoors. Play spaces in natural environments include plants, trees, edible gardens, sand, rocks, mud, water and other elements from nature. These spaces invite open-ended interactions, spontaneity, risk-taking, exploration, discovery and connection with nature. They foster an appreciation of the natural environment, develop environmental awareness and provide a platform for ongoing environmental education.

Ocean Diorama Create a display board of things that don’t belong in marine ecosystems. This includes any type of rubbish that does not readily break down e.g. abandoned fishing equipment; old tangled fishing line; bottle caps; old fishing nets; any plastic waste; plastic bags; six pack joiners;, cigarette butts, etc.

Purpose Encourage children to make the link between waste management and resulting environmental effects such as marine debris.

What you will need:

Cardboard backing to act as board (can be an old box unfolded to lay flat)

Bits of rubbish to stick to the board, glue, tie wire (tie wire can easily poke through cardboard and be twitched around items to hold them in place)

Plastic bags

Party streamers or some other material to represent jellyfish tentacles Old fishing tackle and hooks and many pieces of discarded plastic can be found quickly around popular fishing spot such as rocks around boat ramps and headlands. Plastic bags from shopping can be recycled for the jellyfish.

What to do:

Make models of jellyfish using plastic bags for the body and party streamers for tentacles. Discussion can form around how the plastic bag looks like a jellyfish. Turtles eat jellyfish, what would happen if a turtle ate a plastic bag? The jellyfish created may then be used to decorate the early learning setting.

Stick the litter items onto the board and have a discussion with the children about why these things are bad for the animals that live on the Reef.

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Themed Activities: Coastal development & water quality Quick Summary This activity allows learners to consider what animals and plants live in coastal ecosystems. Living and non-living items are considered as well as thinking about things that might be there that don’t belong there (for example rubbish).

EYLF Learning Outcome Elaborations

OUTCOME 4: Children are confident and involved learners

Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating

Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials

HEALTHY HABITATS This is a craft activity that encourages children to think about marine habitats. The artwork may be used to decorate the early learning setting.

Purpose Introduce children to the connectedness between ecosystems. This will lead to understanding that the coast is an important connection to the reef. This concept should give foundations to future learning about the effect of coastal development on marine habitats.

What you will need:

Butcher paper

Markers for drawing backgrounds

Craft materials for drawing cutting out and colouring in different animals to stick on backgrounds (it is suggested that animal outlines are drawn on paper and photocopied for children to colour in).

What to do:

On butcher paper create two marine habitat backgrounds and stick it to the wall or lay it out flat somewhere. The first habitat is a coastal mangrove estuary, which could have mangroves and their roots, intertidal mudflat, creek banks, salt flats, salt marsh, and wetland pools and even hills rolling into rivers which flow into the coastal estuary to illustrate the whole catchment flowing out the river mouth (see links to example pictures in resources). The second is a coral reef habitat, which should just begin as some rock with blue water.

Children colour in pictures of marine animals from each habitat, including corals, and populate the reef and estuary habitats by sticking them to the background. This activity should include baby versions in the estuary of some adult species from the reef. Some examples of creatures from each habitat are listed in the table below.

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Habitat Animals that live there

Estuary Crab Prawn Crocodile Mudskipper Dugong (somewhere in between, seagrass beds??) Jellyfish Estuary fish Some juvenile Reef fish Dragonfly Mosquito Sandfly

Reef Coral (flat, etc., all colours) Seahorse Turtle Eels Octopus Jellyfish giant clams Sea snakes Reef sharks Reef fish

This activity can be taken further by adding manmade things to the ecosystem for example - pictures of a house; a ship; rubbish; nets. When the manmade things are added to the mural background, some of the marine animals and plants must be removed. This demonstrates the conflict between coastal development and healthy marine habitats.

The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia

Educators who engage in intentional teaching recognise that learning occurs in social contexts and interactions and conversations are vitally important for learning. They actively promote children’s learning through worthwhile and challenging experiences and interactions that foster high-level thinking skills. They use strategies such as modelling and demonstrating; open questioning; speculating; explaining; engaging in shared thinking; and problem solving to extend children’s thinking and learning.

Examples for drawing habitat background:

Estuary http://www.ozcoasts.gov.au/conceptual_mods/processes/habprov.jsp https://ian.umces.edu/imagelibrary/displayimage-topd-0-6434.html

Reef http://www.naturefoundationsxm.org/education/coral_reefs/kinds_of_coral.htm

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/media/file/Coral_Reef_Layers-ecosystem-spanish.jpg

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MUDDY MANGROVE This game is a role-play game called the muddy mangrove game. Children are the mangroves while an adult plays the water drop. The water drop picks up rubbish a handful of dirt and some fertilizer. As the water drop tries to pass through the mangroves, it becomes difficult to hold onto the pollutants and they are dropped along the way. As gaps appear in the mangroves, some things get through and some things are dropped. When the mangroves are thinned out, all of the pollutants make it through the mangroves and out to the reef.

Purpose To help children to understand that mangroves and other vegetation improve water quality. Mangroves act as a buffer between land and sea, filtering out much of the sediment and other pollution that would otherwise flow directly out to the ocean and the reef.

What you will need:

Bucket of water,

Something to represent fertilizer/nutrients eg flour

Pieces of rubbish

A small amount of dirt

What to do: Children stand in two lines to represent mangroves. A bucket of water is placed at one end of the

lines.

Both rows of children turn to face the opposite row. Each child puts their hands in the air, straight across to the child opposite them so that their fingertips touch and are told to try to keep them there to stop the yucky stuff attached to the water drop getting out to the ocean.

A ‘water drop’ comes down from the clouds when it’s raining and picks up three pollutants on its way to the river. First, fertilizer (flour) is picked up from a farm, then rubbish from the road and dirt from a bulldozer.

With the pollutants in their hand, the water drop attempts to pass through the mangroves to make it from the river out to the ocean and the reef. A fuss is made when breaking through the arms of the children and all the pollutants are dropped before the water drop passes through the mangroves and out to the reef.

The action is repeated again with the children having only one of their hands meeting this time- to represent loss of habitat due to mangroves being cut down to build houses. This time one of the pollutants makes it through with the water drop and gets dumped in the bucket at the end of the line. The children can look in the bucket and see what it looks like.

The action is repeated a third time with the children having one hand outstretched and moving a step back. This time there are hardly any mangroves left to stop the water drop and all the pollutants get through and are dumped in the bucket.

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Themed Activity: Responsible Reef Practices Quick Summary Students learn about fishing responsibly.

EYLF Learning Outcome Elaborations

OUTCOME 5: Children are effective communicators

Children interact verbally and non-verbally

with others for a range of purposes

Children engage with a range of texts and

gain meaning from these texts

Children begin to understand how symbols and pattern systems work

GO FISH This is a fishing game. Children go ‘fishing’ and catch different things. They then have to determine whether (or not) they are able to keep what they caught.

Learning out comes achieved (from EYLF) Introduce children to the concept of fishing rules and limits and why these are in place.

What to do:

Make fishing poles and fish for game

Children are given fishing poles to try to catch fish.

There are two types of animals and each comes with a set of rules. There are different types of fish, some big and some small. There are also crabs; some big, some small, some male and some female.

The rules should be as listed in the table below. A poster may be made for the children to check of their fish are allowed to be taken. If they are not, they must throw them back. For extra simplification, one of the rules for each species may be omitted.

Fish Crabs

Take Don’t Take Take Don’t Take

Big fish Small fish Extra big fish

Male Female

Barramundi Saw fish Big small

What you will need:

Fishing poles could be made of a stick or piece of bamboo with a string attached to a magnet.

Magnets are also attached to fish and crabs of the types specified in the table above.

Craft materials will be needed to make the fish and crabs. These can be recycled for use in other activities also included in this guide.

Important enquiry questions may arise - such as what will happen if we catch all the fish?

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Additional learning resources: Media Plastic ocean song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlqi58MV3yQ Ocean creature’s song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFJuQZhAHr8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fb1Xv9mZl4 Reduce reuse recycle online computer game http://www.abc.net.au/abcforkids/games/show.htm?show=DIRTGIRLWORLD&id=3524372 Upcycling story on BTN http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4183196.htm

Books My Little Planet Series: Recycling is Fun, Charles Chigna We Need Water, Charles Chigna Scholastic: Big Earth, Little Me, Thom Wiley Tricycle Press: Compost Stew, Mary McKenna Siddals Dutton Juvenile: Gabby and Grandma Go Green, Monica Wellington

Additional information Great additional resources for Early Learning settings can be found at Cool Australia http://www.coolaustralia.org/ Extra info and activity plans for promoting recycling in early learning centres http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/teacher/wee/weerecyclers/WeeActivityGuide09lo.pdf Further information and posters about sorting waste appropriately can be found on local council’s website http://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/resident/waste/Pages/reducereuserecycle.aspx#recyclingathome More recycling info and posters see local council’s website Townsville: http://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/resident/waste/Pages/reducereuserecycle.aspx#recyclingathome

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Glossary of Terms Climate Change Climate change is one the biggest environmental and social issues that the human race has ever faced. Humans are increasing greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, causing the earth to warm at a rate faster than ever recorded. Ecosystems around the world including the Great Barrier Reef are changing as a result. The Great Barrier Reef is a widely studied marine ecosystem and efforts are underway to understand how it will cope with climate change. Issues affecting the Reef that are associated with climate change are extreme weather, ocean acidification, sea level rise and rising sea temperatures. Coastal Development A lot of urban development has occurred within the coastal zone. This has been largely driven by land use, mining and industry, population growth, urban infrastructure and port development – all of which significantly affects the Great Barrier Reef. The greatest threats associated with coastal development are clearing or modifying wetlands, mangroves and other coastal ecosystems. More than 50 per cent of Australia’s freshwater wetlands have been degraded, modified or lost since European settlement. Extensive habitat areas that support the Great Barrier Reef have been modified or cleared. Even when there is no substantial clearing, land use changes can still alter the way in which coastal ecosystems function. Tidal barrages, for example, change saline wetlands into freshwater wetlands. This can disrupt fish migration and encourage pest species to take hold. Cumulative impacts can also take their toll on coastal ecosystems. For example, the use of bund walls (retaining walls), dams and introduced pasture grasses can all affect the health of local fish species and impede their migration. Without adequate planning and careful environmental management, population growth could increase pollution and sediments, decrease water quality and change land and sea connections, resulting in the loss of long-term health and function of the Reef. Water Quality Marine ecosystems require good quality water to remain healthy. The Reef continues to be exposed to increased levels of sediments, nutrients and pesticides. Farming and land management practices are the main source of these pollutants. In particular, there are significant effects in inshore areas close to developed coasts, such as mangrove and sea grass dieback and increased algae on coral reefs. The effects of degraded water quality on the Great Barrier Reef include the reduction of hard coral cover at some inshore reefs; the increase of diseases and crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks; the incorporation of pesticides into tissues of invertebrates, marine turtles and marine mammals; and a reduced ability for coral reefs to recover from bleaching or crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks. Marine Debris Marine debris, including that introduced into the marine environment through land-based run-off, poses a significant threat to wildlife, including species of conservation concern. They can choke on it, ingest it, become entangled in it, or absorb chemicals from it. In Australia, plastic waste, including discarded fishing gear (for example nets, lines and ropes), is potentially one of the most harmful types of debris to marine wildlife because of ingestion and entanglement.

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Marine debris of all sorts affects species and habitats throughout the region including the Great Barrier Reef. http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/cdn/2014/GBRMPA-Outlook-Report-2014/projet/swf/page191.swf This issue also has financial effects on industries such as commercial fishing and tourism and recreation. Marine debris contributes to the destruction of the reef and an unsustainable future for Australians. Responsible Reef Practices When enjoying the many different activities and experiences on the Great Barrier Reef, it is important to enjoy them in a responsible and 'reef friendly' way. Responsible reef practices involves following guidelines around these things in particular:

Anchoring and mooring

Around turtles

Around whales and dolphins

Bird watching

Boating and yachting

Collecting

Diving and snorkeling

Fishing

Motorised water sports

Outboard engines

Visiting islands and cays

Waste (including sewage), chemicals and litter Please refer to this webpage for further information on the recommended practice for the above circumstances http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/visit-the-reef/responsible-reef-practices