Sydney Zoo – Caring for Country K-8 Program

Western Sydney K-8 students are learning about cultural connections to the land through new workshops hosted at the Sydney Zoo. The workshops emphasize citizen action and encourage environmental stewardship to extend beyond the classroom.

Sydney Zoo First Nations educators host the student workshops with Dharug Elders to teach students how to protect and support the habitats of the long-neck turtle Katukulung, explore a native bush tucker garden, interact with traditional tools and weapons, and discover local plants and their uses. The students also learn about “caring for Country,” a term that encompasses traditional land management by Indigenous Australians and how it has existed and evolved sustainably over thousands of years. A First Nations choreographer guides the students in a traditional dance performance as a culmination to the workshops.