Home school learning at the Gardens
Exciting learning adventures await your home schoolers.
Don't miss this chance to enrich your child's education with hands-on experiences in nature.
Give your home schoolers a day to remember with our immersive, nature-based learning program at the Botanic Gardens. With a day each term at one of our three beautiful gardens, you can come to one or the whole series.
Your children will dive into engaging morning and afternoon sessions, designed to spark curiosity and align with the Science & Technology and Geography curriculums. Our activities also emphasise the importance of Sustainability and celebrate Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures. With dedicated First Nations content, your kids will gain a deeper understanding of country, connection, and culture.
We are offering three programs each day for students learning at lower primary, upper primary and high school levels.
While there is flexibility to book students into any of the programs, parents/carers are required to provide supervision for all students at all times. The three groups will be working in different parts of the garden across the day. We strongly recommend arranging supervision for your child/children before the day of the program.
See the full programs below.
Term 3
Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and Australian Museum
Activities on the day include:
- Sydney Science Trail Expo at the Australian Museum
- Interactive STEM Workshop at either the Australian Museum or the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
- Science Show for Primary or Scientist Talks for Secondary students at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
- Self-guided experience of either the Australian Museum or the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
Sessions:
- Morning sessions at the Museum: 9.30 – 10.30 and 10.30 – 11.30
- Lunch and walk to the gardens: 11.30 – 12.30 (15 minute walk)
- Afternoon sessions at the Gardens: 12.30 – 1.30 and 1.30 – 2.30
Term 4
Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah
Activities on the day include:
Morning Program – Birds in the Mountains
- Explore the gardens and lookout for the beautiful birds that call the garden home.
- Participate in a planting activity.
- Listen to the story Lynard the Lyrebird and create their own bird and habitat to take home.
Afternoon Program – First Nations connections
- Investigate the text Big Rain Coming and look for elements of the text in the real-world setting.
- Participate in a hands-on weaving activity.
Morning Program – First Nations connections
- Learn about First Nations ways of interacting with the environment, using sustainable management practices that are thousands of years old.
- Investigate how natural resources are sourced, selected and used for food, medicine, tools and weapons.
Afternoon Program – Exploring environments
- Explore three distinct environments within the Botanic Garden.
- Practice the skills of field botany and nature journalling.
- Dip net in the lily pond.
Morning Program – Field work and biological diversity
- Students will observe features of some Australian plants are adaptations for survival in their environment.
- Students will engage in field work using the Garden’s Eucalypt specimens to examine the role of evolution in biological diversity.
Afternoon Program – First nations knowledges
- Students will research how the knowledge of physical properties of natural materials is used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in everyday life.
- Discover how First Nations people use native Australian plants for medicinal and health purposes.