A large group of our Year 4 students participated in a Service Learning Excursion to Lilac Hill. Armed with tongs, buckets and plastic bags the students set off in groups with teachers and parent helpers to clean up the river parkland.
During the hour-long collection, the students gathered large amounts of litter. They helped not only to beautify the parkland but also to provide a safer habitat for wildlife and for people using the park. This experience was a practical follow on from the learning the students have done in class about the ecosystem and environmental sustainability.
Prior to the excursion, students partook in a workshop with Samantha Culbertson from Keep Australia Beautiful who emphasised the damaging effects of litter on our fauna. Samantha and Kathryn Petersen, the Waste Education officer from the City of Swan both assisted by providing the gloves and tongs for the excursion, giving a safety talk and providing a debrief about the litter as it was inventoried at the conclusion of the collection. The excursion was enjoyed by all and provided the students with a first-hand witness of the effects that litter can have on the environment.