Hampshire House 

The Ocean Comes to Hampshire House

This year many of the children’s projects have focused upon our Harbour. Our children in the Margaret White Room have been investigating Rock pools and have engaged in discussions on caring for our beach and ocean environments and exploring sustainability. Our older children in the Playfair class have been engaged in an investigation of “Sharing the Shelf” in which they took a deep dive to the bottom of our Harbour to explore deep sea fish, luminescence, and the various layers of the Ocean.

On Wednesday 12th October the children had the opportunity for some wonderful hands-on investigation as we welcomed “Diver Dave” who ran an interesting workshop on environmental conservation of our harbour.  Diver Dan collected a range of sea creatures he had collected that morning for the children to touch and feel. He talked about the important role that each animal plays in the ocean and then explained that he would be releasing them back into their natural habitat at the end of the day. It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to extend on their research projects and have an opportunity to explore first-hand all the creatures they have been learning about. 

Isabelle Austin’s mother Geraldine Nordfeldt also brought to our attention a colony of seahorses at Parsley Bay which is under threat by Sydney Water’s proposed sewage pumping station. The children were very eager to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the White Seahorses who live in Parsley Bay. If you would also like to support this delicate environment you can find additional details on the following link. https://me.getup.org.au/petitions/sage-parsley-bay.

It is wonderful to see the children taking such an active interest in protecting their local ecosystems. Thank you Diver Dan and Geraldine.

Ms Simone Cooke

Director Hampshire House