This term, students have been learning about animals, how they are classified, and how they survive in different environments. To compliment this, students went to Healesville Sanctuary for the day.

As part of our Creation Keeper MECS thread, students explored how their choices can help protect animals and their habitats, developing a sense of responsibility for the natural world.

A highlight of the program was a special Bird Show, where students see live birds up close and learn about their features, behaviours, and habitats.

Students learnt how scientists group animals based on their physical features. For example, during the workshop with zoo keepers they investigated skulls, teeth, and eye position to understand how animals survive. A key idea being: “eyes in front like to hunt, eyes on the side like to hide,” helping students distinguish between predator and prey species.

On the day and throughout the unit, students also:

Learn about adaptations that help animals survive
Explore food chains and food webs to understand how ecosystems are connected
Investigate how human actions impact habitats and wildlife
Identify simple, meaningful actions they can take to care for local environments

It was a fantastic day out at the Sanctuary, with students thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to socialise with their peers while observing animals in their naturalistic habitat enclosures.

The excursion provided a valuable opportunity to connect classroom learning with real-world experiences. Students developed a deeper understanding of how animals live, survive, and adapt to their environments.

Importantly, the day also reinforced our focus on students becoming active keepers of the environment. They explored how their actions can make a positive difference, and how they can help protect and support local wildlife in meaningful ways.

Mel Bouma and May Cho

Year 7 Science Teachers

Student Reflections:

Wow what a day! I loved being in a group with my friends and walking around and looking at the beautiful animals. My highlight was watching the bird show and watching them fly over our heads.

Mack B 7B

Visiting Healesville Sanctuary was an exciting and memorable experience! One of my highlights was the bird show, where everyone watched a variety of native Australian birds fly across the sky and swoop so close to the crowds' heads! We saw how each bird had a different level of speed, strength, and precision to help them survive in the wild. Walking through the sanctuary in our groups, we saw lots of Australian animals including reptiles, emus, koalas, possums, Tasmanian devils and even a lyrebird! Each animal we saw had a habitat that reflected the natural environment that they would actually live in. Throughout the day, we learned about how each animal has its own unique adaptations to help it survive in the wild, such as how some animals use camouflage, how others are suited for climbing or hopping long distances, and how they have specific traits to find food or hide from predators. Overall, the excursion was amazing! Everyone definitely learned more about animals and how they are each perfect for their environment.

Anita B 7C

When we first arrived at Healesville Sanctuary it was pretty cool, we got to meet experts who seemed like they knew everything about what we were learning! We got to see lots of animals like Dingos, Lyrebirds, Koalas, Kangaroos and even Quolls! It was an amazing day and I would happily come back!

Audrey M 7C

My visit to Healesville Sanctuary was very enjoyable. I saw many amazing animals, including Tasmanian devils and reptiles, and watched the exciting Birds of Prey show. The highlight was seeing the birds fly overhead and display their incredible skills. Overall, I had a fantastic day and enjoyed learning about the animals and their habitats.

Amelie O 7B

Healesville Sanctuary was awesome! We saw loads of animals like tree-kangaroos, possums, snakes, emus, and echidnas. It was really fun learning about animal classification and how they adapt to their environment. My favourite part was the bird show where we saw black cockatoos, an owl, and a few other birds fly right over our heads. It was amazing to see how they use their wings and skills to survive in the wild.

Alannah V 7A

On Tuesday the 9th of June, the Year 7's went to Healesville Sanctuary. We went to several enclosures. Our group started with the Classification workshop, we looked at different animal's skulls, and figured out whether they were predators or prey, by looking at their eyes. After, we saw animals and filled out a booklet, then we went to the bird show, which was amazing!! We saw so many cool features of different birds, cool tricks they can do, and they flew around, one of them nearly hit my head!! Overall, the Healesville Sanctuary excursion was an incredible experience, and a great idea for the Year 7s.

Ellie M 7A

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