About the Junior Bushcare program
Our Whites Hill - Pine Mountain Community Group was awarded a grant to initiate a Junior Naturalist & Bushcare program. We took enrolments from youths aged 8 to 11 who wanted to attend a series of sessions at Whites Hill Reserve and learn about our local nature and how to care for it. Between January & September we’ll run six (6) events at Whites Hill to show participants how to identify the birds, animals, plants and habitats in the Reserve and the Bushcare skills needed to care for them.
Each session will be about two hours long, involving a teaching part but most of the time will be spent on active, hands-on learning. Learning materials & tools provided, plus mid-session snack & drink.
If this sounds like something you and your child(ren) would be interested in email Gary at gary.is.king56@gmail.com with your name and contact details
Session Plan 2026
23/1/26 Discovery walk
29/3/26 Animal habitats
17/4/26 Planting
31/5/26 Plants & Water stations
6/7/26 Build a "Frog Sauna"
12/8/26 Bushwalk and habitat loss
27/9/26 Wrap up.
Whites Hill Junior Bushcare Naturalists Plan for our wrap up on Sunday Sept 27th
We’re hoping to make this a bit of a celebration, so you’re all welcome to come along - regardless of how many sessions you and your children may or may not have attended up to now.
Our session will be in two parts. The first part will involve a ramble through the Reserve, using the children as our guides. [Let’s see what they’ve learned!]. Then, if there’s interest, we might run a few goes of the Predator v Prey game again.
Lastly, we are hoping that those who have kept journals will bring them along, in whatever state they might be in [finished or unfinished, in a book, on paper or in a box, etc.], and share some of their favourite moments and experiences with the group.
We will also recap the Wild At Art Day we ran the week before on Tuesday September 22nd [see below] dealing with the problems facing some of Australia’s threatened & endangered animals and how we can help them.
We will meet for a 9:00 AM start at the Bandshell* and we will run for about two hours, so expect to be done around 11:00 AM.
WHERE DO WE MEET for 9:00 AM? – Come into the reserve off Boundary Road and drive until you arrive at the Bandshell* – the octagonal shaped shelter with the bench seats at the far end of the fenced children’s playground, near the exercise equipment across from the café. [see map attached].
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO BRING?
· Proper footwear, a water bottle and sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.
· Bring binoculars if you have a pair, but we have 10 pairs available to borrow
· BRING YOUR JOURNAL, along with a pencil and some colouring-in pencils or markers.
Hope to see you there!