Bowerbird builders incursion | Early Stage 1 Science and Technology | Field of Mars EEC

Cost, risk assessment and details

Cost	DoE $20 per student – GST free Non-gov $26 per student – GST free, min charge $750 per class Schools outside Greater Sydney – minimum charge $750 per class Program costs may change. Bookings are charged at the cost confirmed when you book.
Risk assessment	Risk management plan
Classes	Maximum 3 program sessions per day. Maximum 2 classes per session with up to 30 students per class.
School preparation	Program length is 1.5 hours. Schools are to provide one learning space for all participating classes for the duration of the day e.g., hall or empty classroom).
Welfare	For medical or special needs notify staff prior to program.
Extreme or wet weather	Program may be modified, postponed or cancelled due to predicted extreme temperatures, bush fire danger, heavy rainfall, high winds or dust storms.
Booking policy	Confirm student numbers and classes 7 days in advance.
Cancellation and rescheduling	Cancellation or rescheduling with less than 30 school days’ notice before the booking date – $650 Cancellation with less than 14 school days’ notice before the booking date – full program cost Cancellation due to unsafe weather or fire danger – $0

Activities

Activities may vary depending on student needs, timing and weather.

Story time

The session begins with a shared reading of Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker, inspiring curiosity about animal-built structures.

Bowerbird challenge

Students then take part in the bowerbird challenge, working together to design and construct their own bowers in your school grounds using natural materials. They search for blue objects hidden in the environment to decorate their creations, exploring how structure and colour influence behaviour in nature.

Bowerbird art

In the classroom, students create bowerbird-inspired artworks, using natural materials and paint to express their understanding of these remarkable birds and their habitats.

Explore related fact sheets

Use these student-friendly fact sheets before or after your Bowerbird builders incursion to introduce bowerbirds, animal-built structures, habitats and natural materials.

• ⁠Satin bowerbird fact sheet – Learn about a native bird that builds and decorates bowers using sticks and colourful objects.
• ⁠Birds fact sheet – Explore bird features, behaviours, nests, eggs, feeding adaptations and survival needs.
• ⁠Habitat fact sheet – Learn how food, water, shelter and space help living things survive.
• ⁠Tree habitats fact sheet – Discover how trees provide branches, hollows, flowers, leaves and shelter for wildlife.
• ⁠Shrub habitats fact sheet – Learn how shrubs provide shelter, nesting places, flowers, seeds and insects for small birds.
• ⁠Eucalypt forest ecosystem fact sheet – Explore the forest ecosystem where bowerbirds use plants, insects, fruit, sticks and sheltered spaces.

Suggested timetable

Time	Classes
9.30 - 11.00	Class A, B
11.30 - 1.00	Class C, D
1.30 - 3.00	Class E, F

Please include your school's bell times in the notes section of your booking form.

Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary

construct, design, observe, collaborate, investigate, compare, explain, bowerbird, bower, structure, behaviour, habitat, shelter, materials, decorate

Syllabus outcomes and content

Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2024)

Observations and questions spark curiosity

Outcomes

• Identifies and describes characteristics of living things, properties of materials, and movement STE-SCI-01
• Poses questions based on observations to collect data STE-PQU-01

Content

Living things have characteristics that help them survive in their environment

• Identify and use tools to aid and extend sensory observations
• Describe how living things get air, water and energy to survive in their environment
• Recognise that plants produce their own food, and animals need to find their food
• Examine animal bodies, their body coverings, and how and what they eat
• Observe and group animals based on their characteristics and justify the grouping

Living things and objects move in different ways

• Observe, describe and categorise the ways in which living things move

Observations and questions initiate design and digital solutions

Outcome

• Identifies and uses technologies to make products to address user needs or opportunities STE-DDT-01

Content

Understanding user needs inspires design and digital solutions

• Examine designed structures that animals build to help them survive in their environment

Other syllabus links

Learning experiences will also support but not explicitly teach the following outcomes:

English K-10 Syllabus (2022)

Outcomes

• Understands and effectively uses Tier 1 words and Tier 2 words in familiar contexts ENE-VOCAB-01
• Understands and responds to literature read to them ENE-UARL-01

Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2024

English K–10 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2022