Year 4 Excursion – Canning River Eco Centre

Wetlands are an important part of our environment in Perth and especially in the Peel area where we live. On Monday 24 October Miss de Swarts and Mr Mitchell’s Year 4 classes visited the Canning River Eco Centre. The weather was perfect, and the day was a busy one full of learning. We were grateful to our parent helpers who travelled with us. Thank you to Mrs Arthur, Mrs Hazeldean, Mrs Orchard and Mrs de Villiers. The Eco Centre staff educated us on the environment of the area, the ecosystems within it and the creatures living there.

One highlight was sampling the water of the river to see the micro invertebrates swimming in the water. This was great fun and extended the vocabulary.  Students took the opportunity to sample and record the amazing and diverse macroinvertebrate communities that live in the Canning River. Students used field equipment to investigate the critical role of aquatic life in maintaining the health of wetland ecosystems

The second part of the excursion was learning about the health of the river catchments. Sustainability and natural resources are part of our curriculum so finding out where the Canning River comes from and where does it flow fitted well into our learning plans. A big picture view of our waterways was presented, and students interacted with a 3-D model to consider the human impacts on the Swan-Canning River catchment, the consequences for living things and action people can take for sustainable change.