Creek explorers

HSIE geography

Explore your creek or local water!

A day for students to learn about their local waterway through geographical thinking and doing. This hands-on excursion invites students to discover the plants and animals that live in and around their local creek, building a sense of belonging and fostering pride in caring for the special places close to home. Students will also learn how waterways have long been cared for and valued by Aboriginal peoples, who maintain deep cultural, spiritual and ongoing connections to Country and water. Through nature-based activities such as creekside sensory sit-spots, wildlife spotting, aquatic minibeast investigations and team challenges, students will build a deeper connection to their environment and experience the wellbeing benefits of time outdoors.

Students will use simple environmental monitoring equipment to collect data on water quality, aquatic macroinvertebrate populations and riparian ecosystems. Finding will be recorded in field journals using various recording techniques including tallies, field sketching and observations drawing.

Together, they will explore simple actions we can take to care for our waterways and protect the special places we enjoy.

Connect with our Zero litter in the Georges River project. Access lessons and information (here) to enrich your Georges Riverkeepers excursion.

Maximum 4 classes per day.

Location

Your local waterway.

Essential information

Cost
Year Cost
2025/26
  • Department of Education Schools $22 per student
  • Non-government Schools $28 per student
Cancellation policy

Cancellation or major changes to bookings will incur the following cancellation fees:

  • within 30 days of excursion or incursion date - $600 administration fee charged
  • within 7 days of excursion/incursion date - total fee charged based on confirmed student numbers
Suggested timetable
Time Classes 1, 23 and 4
9.30am Arrival - introduction, recess and toilets
10.00am - 11.30am Waterway and creek explorations
11.30am - 12.00pm Lunch and toilets
12.00am - 1.30pm Waterway and creek explorations
1.30pm - 2.00pm Snack, conclusions and depart
Syllabus

Human Society and its Environment K–6 Syllabus (2024)

Focus area outcome

People are connected to places and groups

  • HS1-GEO-01 describes ways people connect to and care for places, water environments and each other, using geographical information

Content groups

People care for Australia's water environments

  • Observe and describe natural and human features of Australian rivers, lakes, beaches and oceans by collecting and representing data
  • Compare the ways people use water environments in Australia by posing questions to collect data
  • Explain how people can use and care for water responsibly
  • Identify ways that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples value water Country and Place

People engage in active citizenship by working together to care for places and each other

  • Participate in the school or local community by caring for places and others

  • Explain the benefits of participating in communities

    Human Society and its Environment K-6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024

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