As part of their Mini Beasts unit the Year 1/2 students are also looking at sustainability so ‘Wrapped with Love” owner Dianne Membery introduced the students to beeswax wraps which can be used in the place of cling wrap or paper. Students learnt that Dianne mixes the wax with jojoba oil and pine resin to help make it flexible and sticky to adhere to the cotton material and food it protects. Dianne demonstrated that the students had to use their ‘super hero muscles’ to grate the wax blocks over cotton material before it was melted in an oven. The students then brushed the wax out evenly over the cotton and proudly took their beeswax wraps home. We were even more ‘wrapt’ to see many beeswax wraps return to school the next day safely holding school lunches. What a buzz! The Year 9/10 ‘Interconnected world’ Geography students, who have studied recreational, historical, wilderness and ecotourism, welcomed into their classroom the inspiring Mark Cuthell, Coordinator of the Port Campbell Visitor Information Centre. Mark questioned students about what they expected from their own holidays whilst thinking about the concept of people, planet and profit. Students learnt about the opportunities and challenges that 2.2 million visitors bring to our region and the pros and cons of tourist buses vs FITs (Free Independent Travellers) with jousting selfie sticks often at 2.00pm. Visitors to the southwest can aspire for years to visit our region as it is far removed from their urban or rural reality with the potential to entice some visitors to stay longer to provide income in our region whilst minimizing environmental impact a priority. Students learnt that the role of the Visitor Information Centre had changed as less people came through the doors but more people sought information via their website and social media posts. Tourists were welcomed to investigate Dark Skies Tourism to photograph stars in our clear skies, cycling trails, the Great Ocean Walk, rail trails, pre wedding shoot tourism, spa and wellness tourism, agritourism, the 12 Apostles Food Trail and ‘Cool tourism’ for tourists from humid or hot climates during winter. Mark explained that Google states that the consumer never switches off from planning their travel experiences as demonstrated by the cycle, “I DREAM - I DECIDE - I PLAN & RESEARCH - I BOOK – I TRAVEL – I BRAG & REFLECT – I DREAM…” He left students with the 2030 challenge for Port Campbell, Timboon and the 12 Apostles to become ”The world’s most sustainable and aspirational nature based tourism destination.” What needs to happen to make it the best holiday destination and the best place to live on the planet? What needs to change and what needs to stay the same? Our Year 1/2 students and teachers have been sourcing all sorts information and inviting people into the classroom to help them learn more about bees! Students learnt how bees 'bee-have' and about their 'bee-autiful' honey as they read about George the Farmer's "Beehive Breakout" and the "Bee Vomit Honey", what bountiful bees! It's pretty cool when your Grandmother is invited into your classroom as an expert on mini beasts and you can proudly watch as she describes the family business and the way they take care of their bees. This is what happened in the Year 1/2 classes this week when beekeeper, and Grandmother, Maryann Pender from Timboon Honey visited our classrooms as part of the Mini Beasts investigations. Maryann described the various roles of the different bees in the hives and students could answer Maryann’s questions about the role of bees which included making honey, wax and pollinating flowers. Students saw how the hexagonal honeycombs were filled and bees emerging from eggs including a queen bee but learnt that sometimes new queens are mailed to the Penders for new genetics from bee breeders. The class was impressed by the processes and automation that Timboon Honey used to extract honey and wax from the hives and the way the hives were transported to different locations to access flowers to keep the bees healthy. Un-bee-lievable! As part of their physics investigation of small engines our Year 7 science students visited the South Western District Restoration Group’s rally ground in Cobden. Adam Edge explained that the Club had over 130 members and that the Club’s aim was to foster interest in the restitution and restoration of steam or oil engines and other vintage articles. Club members generously showed students through sheds which included a 1908 vintage steam engine, a vertical fire tube boiler and a working scale model of a steam engine. Adam described the mechanism and force that drove a Fence Master post borer which was powered by a 1960’s Landrover and was used in paddocks to replace crank hand-powered post borers. Students examined a reducer gas unit which produced goal gas for a Crossley engine and they learnt about the workings of a Ruston Hornsby oil engine produced in 1920 that would have driven a large generator which supplied power for homesteads, cottages and buildings at Coleraine. Other agricultural equipment included a demonstration model Eclipse Milker and a wire tie hay baler that was towed to piles of hay in a paddock, then hay was pitched forked into the hopper where the bales were formed and the operator tied them off. Students also visited the Cistern Chapel which is nothing like the Sistine Chapel!! Thanks Adam, Peter, Steve, Ian, Neil, Russell and Barrie you’ve really made forces and physics come alive, we are really looking forward to our workshop at TAP’s On! Our Year 8 Science students have made their own Camembert cheese in the classroom in a small scale operation, so as a comparison, Steve Billington introduced students to the large scale cheese making processes of Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory and Saputo Australia. Students learnt that the Saputo site in Allansford is the biggest dairy site in Australia employing over 800 people. The Allansford plant yields 10% of the milk produced in Australia and 48% of the product mix is cheese with 30% of the Cheddar Cheese made in Australia produced here. It was interesting to note, that despite the volume differences and mechanisation, many of the techniques were similar to those undertaken by our students to produce their own cheese. A feature of the science and literacy undertaken at Timboon P-12 School is the opportunity to celebrate peer teaching so it was great to see the Year 1/2 students sharing their new knowledge about snails with the Preps. The Year 1/2 students read their snail reports to the Preps and then asked the Preps to locate the snails' features. After watching how snails move around the classroom students held a snail race... what a wonderful way to learn. |
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April 2024
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