The campaign aims to help kids discover what is in their ‘backyard’ and take action to protect the natural environment around them, because Junior Landcare understands that children can’t be involved in caring for the environment if they don’t love it – and one way to do this is for children to get their hands and feet in it.
Children are encouraged to grab a camera, or use a mobile phone camera, to capture photos of the flora and fauna in their backyard, and then share them with Costa and Junior Landcare, explaining why their backyard is important to them. There are some great prizes up for grabs for both individuals and schools.
Children (via their parents, carers and educators) can submit photos to the Junior Landcare website, under one of four themes including biodiversity, food production, First Nations perspectives and waste management, to be in the running to win one of nine cameras, book hampers and other great prizes. One school or youth group will also win a visit from Costa to check out their environmental projects.
We’re calling on all Aussie kids to get outside and explore their local environment. Your backyard might be a garden. If you live in an apartment, your garden could be plants on your balcony. You may live near a park or bushland area, or a river or wetland. You may live on the coast close to the sea, or on a farm – these could all be your backyard”, says Costa.
Junior Landcare Learning Centre
‘What’s in Your Backyard?’ is a key activity in Junior Landcare’s Learning Centre.
The online platform features fun, easy-to-use learning activities developed by education professionals and will help children understand how they can be aware of biodiversity, where their food comes from, Indigenous perspectives, and recycling and waste management.
For the first time, 10 new First Nations learning activities have been developed by Landcare Australia, together with First Nations educator, Wiradjuri man Adam Shipp, to teach young children and educators about how to have a connection to Country.
Joining Costa as a campaign supporter and host of Channel 10’s The Living Room, Barry Du Bois, says that he wants his ten-year-old twins, Bennett and Arabella, to experience the same sense of wonder around nature that he had when he was young.
Download Junior Landcare activities:
Biodiversity find-a-word
Harvesting spot the difference
A4 gardening colouring sheet
Make your own seedling pots
For more information:
