Yangan State School’s water whiz-kids have left scientists blown away by their enthusiasm for healthy waterways.
Queensland Fisheries staff and officers from the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder spent a day outdoors with the school’s year 4, 5 and 6 students at Condamine River and Swan Creek last week.
Delivered as part of the school’s science curriculum, the topic of waterways and how to keep them healthy was met with great enthusiasm by the students.
Local engagement officer with the federal water authority Greg Ringwood said he and fellow staff member Jane Humphries were left feeling inspired by the students thinking scientifically and learning from the outside classroom experience
“Understanding water movements and the ecology of waterways is quite complicated but the students were not deterred by the subject matter,” Mr Ringwood said.
“Their questions were high quality and both Jane and I were happy to delve into the topics they raised,” he said.
“We are always wanting to find ways to engage with local communities and help younger generations to become curious about waterways in their local area.
“[It’s] an important part of building community knowledge of healthy rivers, plants and animals.”
Throughout the day, students covered a number of topics including nutrients, macroinvertebrates, turbidity, habitat and biodiversity. They also conducted water testing at both Condamine River and Swan Creek before collating their research into charts and graphs.
Yangan State School Principal Steven Grogan said the students were enthusiastic enough to then ask their teacher about sending an email to Mr Ringwood with follow-up questions.
“We were delighted with the students’ enthusiasm and while it is early days for students to be thinking about future careers, I wonder if their day might inspire some to go on to work in land and water management,” Mr Grogan said.
“A lot of our children come from farms, so this is their every day, seeing parents working on the land and understanding water flows,” he said.
“The outside classroom learning is invaluable, and we could see the students thinking outside the box, using innovative techniques and challenging our guest presenters.”
