Dreaming stories are an integral part of Aboriginal culture and Indigenous Australians are pioneers of sustainable land use. In this workshop, students will learn about the importance of animals and Dreaming stories to Aboriginal people, their culture and their connection to Country.

During this workshop, students have the opportunity to get up close to a range of native Australian animals and learn about their needs for survival. Students will discover some of their amazing structural and behaviour features and how these adaptations help them to survive throughout their life.

Just by exploring living things in our local environment, we can learn so much. During this workshop students will meet a range of local native Australian animals and collect and identify garden invertebrates. Students will learn how different places provide for the needs of living things and how they can help by creating habitat for wildlife.

This workshop is a unique, guided walking tour of the Taronga Western Plains Zoo site. Students will engage with Dreaming stories and cultural learnings while highlighting the strong connections between Aboriginal people and the natural world.

In this workshop students will meet a range of Australian animals and compare their life cycles. They will discover how they can support the various needs of animals as they move through the different stages of their life cycle.

In this workshop students will examine the unique features of Australian and Sumatran habitats and meet some animals that depend on these environments. Students will discover the ways people value and conserve environments, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. They will learn how their everyday consumer choices impact critical environments across the globe. While in grounds, a visit to the Wild Asian Wetlands is valuable to reinforce the concepts discussed in this workshop.

When designing zoo exhibits, Taronga aims to reproduce each animals natural environment. In this workshop students will learn about how the behavioural and physiological needs of an animal are the primary consideration in designing their exhibit. They will examine how animal welfare, enrichment, keeper safety, budget, visitor engagement and sustainability also significantly inform the design process and discover the range of styles that characterise modern exhibit design.

Populations of organisms do not remain constant; the number of individuals can increase and decrease over time. Predator and prey relationships contribute to these changes.

In this workshop students will explore the classification system used to identify animals and reasons for classifying organisms. They will meet some amazing native animals and develop their ability to group living organisms according to a variety of common features. Each animal’s structural and behavioural adaptations will be discussed and how they help the species survive in the harsh Australian environment.

In this workshop students will develop an appreciation of the causes, consequences and management of deforestation taking place in Australia and Sumatra. They will examine how differing worldviews influence the importance people place on natural habitats and the environmental management strategies used in each country. They will feel empowered as they discover ways individuals can contribute to sustainability.

In this workshop students will engage with live animals to understand biological diversity and how it is achieved through Natural Selection. They will discuss examples of evidence that support evolution. Students will discover how adaptations increase an organism’s chance of survival and will explore the impacts that selection pressures have on population dynamics.

In this workshop students will explore how biodiversity is achieved through reproduction and heredity. Students will investigate a variety of reproductive methods and the influence of environmental factors on reproductive success and inheritance patterns. Students will learn how Taronga’s use of contemporary genetic research and reproductive technologies are helping ensure the conservation of many iconic species.