Gibberagong Environmental Education Centre

Wonder, Engage, Inspire

Telephone02 9457 8245

Emailgibberagon-e.school@det.nsw.edu.au

ES1 People are Connected to Places

Students walking through forest

People are Connected to Places

NEW Human Society and Its Environment K-6 syllabus

Book Now

Students will embark on an immersive experience in Muogamarra Nature Reserve or Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, discovering what makes places special and why they matter. Through sensory exploration, mapping, storytelling, and inquiry, they will investigate the natural and human features of diverse environments, how people care for these places, and the deep connections Aboriginal Peoples have with Country.

Mangrove boardwalk
Banksia flower

Inquiry questions

  • What makes a place special to different people?
  • How can we use our senses and tools to observe and describe places?
  • How do Aboriginal Peoples care for and connect to Country?

Excursion locations

This program is offered at one locations. Click on an image to find out more about the venue.

Muogamarra
Kalkari Discovery Centre
Bobbin Head
West Head

Learning Activities

Sensory Bushwalk

Students will be led on a guided bushwalk, using their senses to explore textures, colours, sounds, and scents in nature. They use magnifiers and colour chips to examine leaves and bark while completing a scavenger hunt to find plants, animals, and landscape features. Discussions help students reflect on what makes a place special and how to care for it.

Exploring Places

Using maps, images, and observation, students explore natural and human features of bushland, waterways, and coastal environments. Students identify features of the landscape and record their findings through drawing and discussion. They will investigate the plants and animals that live in these places, listen for bird calls, and work together to build nests using natural materials. Students will also learn about how Aboriginal Peoples have long connected with and cared for these places through sustainable practices, stories, and traditions, deepening their understanding of Country.

Forest Story – How Places Change Over Time

Through an interactive storytelling session, students learn how places can change due to human impact. They then work together to rebuild a play forest, placing small trees, rocks, and animals back into the landscape to restore the habitat.

Sample Timetable

NOTE: Variations to timetable based on specific location, group size and weather

Time Class A & B Class C & D
10.00am Acknowledgement of Country, Welcome, Overview of the day
10.10am Morning Tea
10.30am Sensory Bushwalk

Forest Story & Free Play

Mapping Activity
12.00pm Lunch
12.30pm

Mapping Activity

Forest Story & Free Play

Sensory Bushwalk
1.50pm Conclusion and depart

Download the program flyer

Excursion locations

Muogamarra Nature Reserve, Cowan (Terms 2 and 3 only)

Bobbin Head

Kalkari Discovery Centre

West Head
Bus access map

Map for access to venue will be sent with the confirmation

Please ensure you print a copy and provide to the bus driver on the morning of the excursion.
Cost

2025 DoE $20 per student - GST free

2025 Non-gov school cost $25 per student - GST free, minimum charge $750 per class. 

NOTE:  National Parks entry is $1.10 per student in addition
Class numbers and size

Up to 4 classes

Max. 30 students per class
Risk Assessments

View the sample risk assessment

A complete risk assessment will be sent upon confirmation
What to bring

Backpack, medication, low-waste food, water bottle, sunblock, raincoat, hat, sturdy shoes, mask.

Students wear sports uniform.
Adverse weather
 On days where the weather is unsuitable (see risk assessment), a Gibberagong staff member will contact the organising teacher to discuss alternative arrangments.
Medical notifications
 Notify Gibberagong EEC by completing and returning the medical form before the excursion. This form will be sent out upon confirmation of booking.

Human Society and Its Environment K-6 Syllabus 

Outcomes (2024)

A student:

> identifies ways that Aboriginal Peoples connect with Country, Culture and Community HSE- ACH-01

> identifies and locates places people connect with, using geographical information HSE-GEO- 01 

Content

People are connected to places

Aboriginal Peoples are the Traditional Custodians of Country

  • Describe natural features of land, water and sky Country by engaging with Aboriginal Dreaming Stories and Languages
  • Identify specific terms Aboriginal Peoples may use to refer to the Country they connect to

Places can be located and described using geographical information

  • Describe natural and human features of Australian coastal and inland places using Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary
  • Observe and record natural and human features of familiar places and present in data displays
  • Recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples connect to the features of Country or Place in a variety of ways

People are connected to places and each other

  • Identify own connections to places and describe why some places are special
  • Describe own connections to groups
  • Collect and represent data about connections people have with places and groups
  • Identify and describe how people care for places

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, 2025

Related content

Gibberagong Environmental Education Centre

General enquiries

CallGet directionsMail

Follow us

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work. We would like to pay our respects to the Elders, past, present and emerging and acknowledge our Aboriginal Elders and knowledge holders who have helped us to understand the special connection Aboriginal Peoples have with the land.

Copyright for this website is owned by the State of New South Wales through the Department of Education. For more information go to http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/footer/copyright.