For Educators
Project Platypus is helping train our next generation of landcarers.
We are proud to offer enriching educational experiences designed to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of our natural environment among students. Through hands-on experiences such as tree planting days and biodiversity surveys, we aim to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. Check out our iNaturalist project to see what our budding citizen scientists are contributing!
All programs are designed to give local students hands-on opportunities to learn about and connect with local biodiversity, and train them in techniques to protect and create habitat. These programs are delivered by our highly qualified staff, including trained scientists with expertise covering topics from ecology and entomology to botany and revegetation. Our team is also highly experienced in educational outreach and teaching. We can create extremely unique, fun and impactful experiences for your students!
All our options are mapped to Sustainability Victoria’s ResourceSmart Schools Program, to make it easy for participating schools to report their activities and secure their biodiversity sustainability star certification.
For local schools
Every year we apply for grant funding to cover transport costs to invite our local schools to annual winter plant outs. Project Platypus is also leveraging the DEECA Junior Landcare Grants to provide free biodiversity focused incursion and excursion experiences to our schools within the Upper Wimmera. The grant guidelines require the schools themselves, rather than us at the Landcare network, to submit the applications, but to reduce burden on our local teachers, we have already written the application for you. All you need to do is submit!
Junior Landcare Grant applications for the 2025 school year are now closed, but we will reach out to local schools when they reopen for the 2026 school year. But you can still register your interest in an educational experience for the 2025 school year, as we may have other grant funding we can leverage.
For visiting schools
While priority is given to our local schools for subsidized sessions, we can also offer conservation focused experiences to visiting schools and school camps. Visiting school groups must provide their own transportation to and from activity sites. Please use the EOI form below if you are a visiting school interested in an educational activity, providing the following information:
- The school you represent
- The proposed dates of your visit, along with the duration of activity sessions you are seeking
- The location where you will be staying
- The number of students involved and grade levels represented
- Are you contacting us as a member of the school, or as a third party educational experience provider, or similar?
- Do you have your own mode of transportation for taking students to and from activity sites?
- You may also provide us information on your current curriculum focus