Student programs

The Discovery Centre caters to a wide range of visitors from pre-school age through to seniors. A variety of school programs and community education programs are offered to these visitors. School holiday programs are full of activities that are offered in and around the centre, and in the garden annexes, to cater to families visiting the botanic garden.

Most class lessons/sessions run for approximately 50 minutes. Schools can take part in more than one session per day (depending on the availability of the educational officer). When two or more class groups visit the garden in one day, they usually rotate through a number of sessions, run by different education officers.

The cost for the day is $6 per student.

Education staff from the Discovery Centre also visit schools, community centres and other organisations teaching about the environment, mainly through a travelling environmental drama program called Theatre in a Wheelbarrow.

Early childhood program
This program caters children attending pre-school, a child care centre or play group. A number of 40-minute sessions on offer, including Senses Working Over Time, Leaf Hunts, Puppet Walks, Jungle/Desert walks and Growing Plants from Seeds and Captain Compost had a Farm.

Primary school program
A number of lessons for all stages of primary school have been designed to meet environmental education outcomes of various parts of the school curriculum including HSIE, Science and Technology, The Environmental Education Policy, together with Key learning areas of English and Maths and other areas of the curriculum such as Creative and Visual Arts and PD/H/PE.

Each school visit will also include a fun waste audit activity plus a Grand Adventure Walk in the Botanic Garden to discovery the bizarre an curious plants and animals.

Stage one: Kindergarten to year two Sensory Walk, How plants Grow, Mini Beasts of the Pond, Taking Care of the Earth, and  Captain compost had a farm.

Stage two: Year three and four. Mini Beasts, Bees and Flowers, Aboriginal Plant Use and Shelter building, Growing Plants from Seeds and Bush Maths. And Super Compost Heroes.

Stage three: Year five and six. Plant Adaptations, Food Chains, Bush Tucker and Medicine, Rare and Endangered Species, Homes for Plants, Plant Propagation, Spontaneous Environmental Drama, Creative Writing and Botanical Art. Nelly Nitrogen meets King Carbon

A cultural experience: A curriculum linked, special program for primary school students.Class groups take part in the following activities:

• Indigenous plant use: Change and Community, Cultures and Environments, Students explore the garden to learn about native plants and their traditional Aboriginal uses in bush medicine and bush tucker. This is an interactive session where children are able to taste, smell touch and experience the garden in full life.  
• Traditional Shelter Building: Change and Community, Cultures and Environments, Children work in teams to build traditional Aboriginal gunyas. This interactive session involves hands on group work, as children work as one to build their shelter. 
• Dreamtime Legend: Change and Community, Cultures and Environments, Children learn about traditional communication, whilst taking part in an interactive and colourful Dreamtime story.

Recess and lunch: bring a picnic, relax and enjoy the Botanic Garden scenery. Children may bring bread and classes adventure down to feed the ducks (and maybe some eels) near the pond.

Times: 10am - 2pm

Cost: $6 per child [teachers/parents and carers free]

Location: Discovery Centre, Wollongong Botanic Garden [Madoline Street Gwynneville]

To make a booking, please contact the  Discovery Centre

High school program
A variety of programs have been designed to meet outcomes in a range of curriculum areas. Topics covered include: Plant Habitats and Adaptations, Plant Reproduction, Plant Diversity, Eucalypts, Plant Propagation, Snack Maps and Bush Medicine, Creative Writing, Botanical Art and Environmental Drama. With a Green Warriors Survivors walk from Mt Keira to the Botanic Garden. This is an interactive ecological and habitat walk with a focus on biodiversity and team work.

Tertiary education program
The Discovery Centre also caters to University and TAFE students, particularly in areas such as Environmental Education, Biogeography and Early Childhood teacher training.

How to book:

1. Choose a topic or theme for your excursion. 
2. Contact the Discovery Centre 
3. The education officers at the centre will arrange the excursion with you; so have some important details ready such as preferred dates, grade(s), number of students, school address, telephone and fax numbers
4. You will receive confirmation of the booking (by fax), together with a map to assist you in finding the garden
5. On the day of the excursion, bring your class to the Discovery Centre at the north east section of the garden (off Madoline Street) 
6. Wollongong City Council will invoice you for the excursion after the visit, so do not pay on the day
7. Please send us any thoughts/art work from your students after the excursion. We will display them in the centre