Workshops Across Taronga Dubbo
Early Stage 1 - Stage 1: Dreaming and Living on the Land
Dreaming stories are an integral part of Aboriginal culture and Indigenous Australians are the pioneers of sustainable land use. In this workshop your students will experience immersion in a natural environment and intimate native animal encounters.
Early Stage 1 - Stage 6: Animal Encounters
In this animal encounter experience, students engage in an intimate session meeting some fascinating native Australian animals, learning about their roles in the environment and their unique features and adaptations that help them thrive in the wild.
Early Stage 1: Wildlife Patrol - Living Things
Students can observe birds as they interact with each other and their surroundings at Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo. They will have a chance to meet a wide range of native animals in the workshop, examine their features and identify how these help animals meet all of their different needs.
Stage 1: Backyard Buddies
Your students will discover how to create habitats for wildlife and learn how different places provide the needs of living things. They can put this into practice back at school and get busy creating homes that meet the diverse needs of their Backyard Buddy friends.
Stage 1: Bug Garden
In this workshop, your students will explore Taronga’s gardens to examine a rich variety of wild invertebrates and meet some of their predators. They will learn to identify different types of invertebrates and discover if they are a pest or a friend.
Stage 2 - 3: Marradir, Garay, Birdany Tour
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.
Stage 2: Life Cycles
Students will learn how the features and needs of animals change and develop as they move from stage to stage. They will meet animals with unique lifecycles and investigate how they can help overcome the challenges these species face as they develop and grow.
Stage 2: The Earth's Environment
In this workshop students will examine the climate, vegetation and native animals of Australia and Sumatra. They will learn about the importance of habitats for animals and people and discover the ways people value environments, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Stage 3 - 5: Enclosure Design
In this fascinating workshop, students will develop a design brief for a new animal exhibit by undertaking research and observation of animals in Taronga’s care. They will learn about and consider animal welfare and enrichment, visitor engagement and interpretation, keeper safety and functionality.
Stage 4 - 5: Connecting to Country
Students will learn about the importance of the land’s role in kinship, spirituality and everday life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. This workshop draws on the location of Taronga Zoo Sydney’s culturally significant sites to explore Aboriginal history and identity while reinforcing a connection to Country.
Stage 4: Classification and Adaptations
Investigate why classification is so important and how scientists group living things. Relate the structure and function of different animal groups to their classification, survival and reproduction. Discover some amazing adaptations that give our native wildlife the edge for survival.
Stage 5: Environmental Change and Management
Taronga's local and international conservation projects provide the perfect resource for your Environmental Change and Management investigative study. In this workshop students will develop an understanding of the causes and consequences of human-induced environmental change in Australia and Sumatra that is challenging sustainability.