With the school holidays under way, students living in Maribyrnong can swap the classroom for the great outdoors.
For the first time, Maribyrnong council is running a junior ranger school holiday program at parks across the municipality.
The program began at Cruickshank Park in Yarraville on Monday, September 23, and will continue at Pipemakers Park in Maribyrnong on October 1 and Newell’s Paddock in Footscray on October 4.
Two of the three sessions can be attended free of charge.
“It’s for young people in the community to connect with nature and to learn how to connect with nature,” said Maribyrnong council park ranger Martin Forster, who will help co-ordinate the program.
Mr Forster explained what activities the junior rangers will get up to.
“We’re going to going for a walk to learn about habitat and how habitats are created and also how we can create them, such as making holds in logs for skinks and insects, spiders bees etc,” he said.
“We’ll be checking nesting boxes we’ve got in all the parks and that’s where we have a telescopic camera and the junior rangers have a monitor that they all get to share and they get to see who’s at home. Is it a ringtail possum or a spider or a micro bat?”
Children participating in the program are encouraged to wear enclosed shoes, a hat, bring sunscreen and a water bottle and come dressed in comfortable clothes that are OK to get dirty.
Mr Forster said the program was open to school kids and their families.
“We’ve had families come with their toddlers through to 14 year olds.
Details: www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/Events/Junior-Rangers-School-Holiday-Program
