Project Overview

Thanks to their Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant, Dayboro Community Kindergarten in Queensland created a natural environment for their resident lizards to have a safe space to live within the grounds of the kindergarten.

Building the area using materials such as rocks, soil and natural vegetation, the project helped the 44 children get hands-on with learning about the importance of providing habitat for native wildlife and see for themselves the benefits of creating something from scratch.

Educational Outcomes

The children helped to research the type of environment best suited to lizards and other small native animals. This in turn helped them to decide what materials would be needed to construct the lizard lounge.

In addition to helping design and build the lizard lounge, the children also got involved planting and maintaining the lizard-friendly garden.

Seeing the habitat being used every day by the kindergarten’s resident water dragon and other lizards right beside their play area also showed the children that humans and fauna can live together by respecting the creatures around them.

Environmental Outcomes

Urban lizard populations have declined due to loss of lizard-friendly habitats. By increasing the biodiversity in their kindergarten garden, Dayboro Community Kindergarten helped to develop a safe habitat for their water dragons and other vulnerable creatures to help them thrive.

Conclusion

Thanks to their new lizard lounge, the children of Dayboro Community Kindergarten are now better aware of how they can help local wildlife to thrive in an environment nearby humans.

“This project enabled our kids to learn about the environmental needs of local fauna and what lizards require to have a safe space to thrive,” said Alison Vellnagel, teacher at the kindergarten.