Project Overview:  

Wendouree Primary School received a Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant to establish a habitat garden for the critically endangered Swift Parrot, raising awareness of the species and other endangered animals.  

The habitat garden was designed to support the Swift Parrot within the school’s existing Wildlife Habitat Corridor. A group of 25 students played a key role in the project, conducting research on the parrot’s needs and sourcing materials. 

The students' involvement included planting trees, shrubs, and grasses, installing bird baths, mulching, staking plants, creating pathways, and relocating logs to enhance the habitat. Their favourite activity was moving a large tree branch that had fallen in a storm. Students collaborated to devise a safe method, using pipes and an old door to roll the branch 25 metres into its new location. 

Educational Outcomes  

The project provided students with valuable insights into the challenges faced by endangered species and taught practical conservation skills. These lessons will be extended through future initiatives as the school continues to raise funds for similar projects and organisations. 

A partnership with a neighbouring school’s Year 12 mentoring program further enriched the project and they kindly raised funds to support the construction of bird and possum boxes and provided an opportunity for Wendouree Primary School’s senior students to visit the Melbourne Zoo.  

Conclusion 

With the help of 25 students and 4 volunteers, the project successfully established 150 plants and installed 10 nesting boxes. The grant also strengthened the school’s partnership with the local council, paving the way for future collaborations.  

Rebecca Prentice, a Grade 4/5 Classroom Teacher, reflected on the project’s hands-on learning experiences: "What amazing lessons we have had, learning about what type of habitat the Swift Parrot requires and then having the real opportunity to move a very large and heavy branch that had come down in our yard over to the new Swift Parrot area. Watching the students work out how we could move this unmovable branch and them actually achieving it using pipe and a door was inspiring.”