Ages 10–15 · drop-off · Term 4, 2026
The Field Term
Thursdays, 11:00am to 3:00pm, 15 October to 3 December. Each session opens up a different part of field science, and across the term the kids build their own Field Record as their observations, practical investigations and discoveries come together. Built against the Western Australian Curriculum Science, across biological, earth and space sciences and all six Science Inquiry sub-strands.
The eight sessions
Each reserve becomes a survey site — getting dirty, rolling soil between their hands, sorting pond creatures out of a tray, naming plants they’ve never seen before. By the end of the term they’ll have learnt to identify plants using a dichotomous key, work out why a tree is unwell, test what the soil is made of, read a wetland by the creatures living in it, and tell whether a seed is alive.
| Session | Focus | What we’ll explore |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reading the Season | Seasonal change, phenology, and setting up our study |
| 2 | Names That Mean Something | Plant identification, dichotomous keys and scientific naming |
| 3 | Who Does the Work? | Pollination ecology and observation |
| 4 | The Ground Decides | Soil texture, pH, and why it matters |
| 5 | What It Takes to Stand Still | Plant health, herbivory and habitat use |
| 6 | What’s Living in the Water? | Freshwater invertebrates and water quality |
| 7 | Inside a Seed | Seed biology, dormancy and viability |
| 8 | The Collector’s Job | Seed processing, provenance, and bringing our findings together |
Pricing
What it costs
Dates
Term 4
Please keep Thursday 10 December free. I’m holding it spare in case weather means we need to make up a session.
Term 4 is $495 because it’s the first one I’m running, and I’d love to have eight families along for it. All I ask in return is a few words at the end of term, and permission to take photos.
What’s included
- Eight four-hour field sessions.
- The Field Kit — field record notebook, magnifying glass, sample vials and clipboard. This is theirs to keep, take home to keep exploring, and bring each week.
- All the other field equipment we use on the day.
- The Field Record: a term of science, documented against the Western Australian Curriculum.
- Every session delivered. If weather cancels one, it runs the following Thursday.
What your child brings
- Water and a hat.
- Closed-in shoes.
- Morning tea and lunch, or whatever they need to be comfortable.
- A jumper or raincoat, depending on the day.
- Their Field Kit. I bring everything else.
- Their own emergency medication and action plan, if they need one.
Is my child the right age?
Age doesn’t always tell the whole story. If your child sits outside 10 to 15 but you think they’re ready, get in touch and have a chat. Younger siblings can sometimes come along by arrangement.