WILDLIFE ADOPTION PACK - TERM 1 2020 - GREEN HEROES - Squarespace

GREEN HEROES

WILDLIFE
ADOPTION
PACK.
TERM 1 - 2020

                  Sarah Barnes
                 Lee-Ann Grohn
                  Sarah Jantos
                Jasmine Lindsay

           VISIT WWW.GREENHEROES.ORG.AU

CONTENTS

WILDLIFE ADOPTION
PROGRAM

Introduction to the program and
how it supports discovery and
learning

COBARGO WILDLIFE
SANCTUARY

The story of a dedicated couple
and their commitment to the
care of native wildlife

FUN FACTS ABOUT
MARSUPIALS

Information about Australia’s
unique and incredible native
marsupial mammals

TEACHING & LEARNING
POSSIBILITIES

Ideas for educators to engage
children's curiosity and provide a
launchpad for further learning

TAKING ACTION FOR
WILDLIFE

Involving children and families in
taking effective action to assist
native wildlife conservation

WILDLIFE ADOPTION PROGRAM
In a nutshell

Thank you for choosing to participate in the    This Wildlife Adoption Pack contains:
Green Heroes Wildlife Adoption Program,            Facts about Australia’s unique and
which supports wildlife carers in their            incredible native marsupial mammals;
commitment to the rehabilitation and release       Suggested classroom activities to engage
of orphaned marsupial joeys. This term we          young children;
have chosen to support wildlife groups and         Information about how children and
shelters in bushfire-affected areas, such as       families can help to conserve wildlife;
Cobargo Wildlife Sanctuary in NSW. Their           Links to the Early Years Learning
story is shared in the next section.               Framework

At Green Heroes, we believe that children are   We acknowledge the importance of children’s
diverse learners, competent and capable         agency in playing an active role in their own
thinkers, collaborators and decision-makers.    learning. We encourage educators to
Interaction between children, families,         collaborate with children as they contribute
educators and community creates                 to the thinking, planning and organising of
meaningful learning. Our Wildlife Adoption      any learning, to negotiate ways of following
Program offers opportunities for play,          up their own interests and ideas as a result of
inquiry, real-life engagement, collaborative    this program and to encourage freedom to
partnerships and meaningful communication,      explore possibilities and contributions. The
while supporting learning and helping           suggested activities are just a starting
children to make sense of their world.          point... the children will steer the journey!

COBARGO WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
 A place where hope is rising

 On New Year’s Eve, Sara and Gary of Cobargo     Sara and Gary returned to the property as
 Wildlife Sanctuary had to evacuate their        soon as they were able. They cared nothing
 home and leave the property without enough      for their home or possessions; all they
 time to rescue kangaroos or wombats in their    wanted was to begin searching for the
 care.                                           animals. Many had died, trapped by fires, but
                                                 over the following days some returned
 The fire that swept through destroyed their     looking for food and shelter. Although Sara
 home, the enclosures, all surrounding habitat   and Gary are living in makeshift housing, they
 and sadly took the lives of many kangaroos      will not leave the property. Their
 and wombats unable to escape.                   commitment is to every animal in need of
                                                 care.

    COBARGO WILDLIFE SANCTUARY IS COMMITTED TO EACH
                   AND EVERY ANIMAL IN NEED OF CARE.

On the 8th January, one kangaroo returned to     Sara and Gary will rebuild Cobargo Wildlife
the property. She was badly burned and           Sanctuary. With your help, they will continue
passed away within a short time. In her pouch    to look after every orphan who comes into
she carried a joey. Sara and Gary believe she    their care. By sponsoring Phoenix and other
returned to deliver her baby into their care.    marsupial joeys, you will enable and support
They named him Phoenix, meaning “risen           the work of shelters like Cobargo Wildlife
from the ashes”. Phoenix was the first joey to   Sanctuary to receive all the necessary
come into care at Cobargo after the              supplies they need to raise strong, healthy
bushfires. Since then, more have arrived.        native animals.

FUN FACTS ABOUT MARSUPIALS
A discovery of our unique and incredible mammals

There are three groups of mammals on        Some of our most famous and unique
earth today:                                Australian animals belong to this group.
  Marsupials                                Each has evolved to live in perfect balance
  Placental mammals (e.g. cows, horses      with all the plants and other animals in their
  AND humans); and                          habitat.
  Monotremes (the echidna and
  platypus).                                When marsupials are born, they can be as
                                            small as a grain of rice or no bigger than a
What is a marsupial?                        jelly bean. That is tiny! Marsupials are born
Marsupials are pouched mammals which        blind, with no fur, no limbs and can look very
give birth to babies that are not fully     strange.
developed. There are 250 marsupial
species and they are found ONLY in          Even though this little jelly bean cannot see,
Australia, New Guinea, South America and    it does have a very good sense of direction. It
parts of North America.                     begins a long journey, making its way through
                                            the mother’s fur to reach her pouch by
Some well-known Australian marsupials       moving its little stumps in a swimming-like
are:                                        action. This takes about 3 minutes ... a big
  Kangaroos and wallabies (macropods)       effort for a newborn!
  Wombats
  Koalas                                    Once the joey reaches the pouch, it attaches
  Possums and gliders                       to its mother’s teat to drink her nutritious
  Tasmanian devil                           milk. The joey will stay hidden for up to six
  Quokkas (Google me, I’m usually smiling   and a half months until it feels brave enough
  for the camera!)                          to venture out of the mother's pouch.

MACROPODS
  This group of animals includes kangaroos, wallabies and wallaroos

The ancestors of macropods all lived in the trees but millions of years ago they
evolved to live on the ground. The only tree dwelling macropod in Australia
today is the tree kangaroo, which lives in North Queensland.

Macropods are well known for their amazing ability to move by jumping. Their
bodies are specially designed for this, with short front legs, powerful back legs,
big back feet and long strong tails to give them balance.

Did you know that, in a single leap, kangaroos can jump as high as 3 metres
(that’s much taller than a grown man) and as long as 7 metres (that’s 3 grown-
ups lying in a straight line) ?

Kangaroos usually live in groups called a mob. These mobs are made of joeys,
females and males. The largest male is the leader of the mob.

      This little Eastern grey kangaroo joey was adopted by the kind
                    children at Goodstart Currumbin Waters

WOMBAT
      There are three species of wombat: the common wombat, the
 Northern hairy-nosed wombat and the Southern hairy-nosed wombat.

Wombats are nocturnal and spend their days sleeping in burrows. The burrows are very
complex tunnel systems, which can be up to 30 metres long. Wombats dig these out
with their sharp, powerful claws and teeth, moving up to 1 metre of earth in ONE DAY.

Wombats have a pouch to rear their young. However, the wombat’s pouch is different to
most others - it faces backwards! This is to prevent any soil from getting in while they
dig their burrows. That is smart EVOLUTION.

The front teeth of the wombat resemble those of a rodent. They continuously grow as
they have adapted to gnawing on tough vegetation such as grasses, herbs, roots and
even bark.

Wombats have a very long and slow digestive process, which means it can take
   over two weeks for them to go to the toilet after eating a meal. One very
       unusual thing about wombats is that they have cube-shaped poo!

KOALA
        The koala spends most of each day sleeping high in the trees

The koala is a nocturnal specialist feeder, meaning it relies mainly on one food item for
its survival and is active mostly at night.

Koalas have evolved to eat the leaves of eucalypt trees. These are highly toxic to most
animals and contain very few nutrients, therefore many animals would not be able to eat
them.

There are ONLY three animals that can consume eucalypts; the koala, the greater glider
and the ringtail possum. These animals have extremely long digestive systems and little
bugs (known as microbes) in their stomachs that help them to break down their food.

They get these bugs by eating a gooey substance, known as pap, which their mum
excretes from her bottom.

         These koala joeys loved to cuddle teddy bears whilst being cared
                                for by Wildcare Australia

POSSUM
 There are 23 possum species in Australia, the most abundant being
    the common brushtail possum and the common ringtail possum.

Possums are nocturnal and mainly rely on tree hollows and dreys for shelter. A drey is a
bunch of sticks woven together in the branches of a tree.

Gliders are a special group of possum that have a piece of skin running from their wrists
down to the ankles, which allows them to glide from tree to tree.

Some possums have very strong tails which they can hang from while looking for food.

The largest possums can weigh between 4 and 5kg, about the same as a domestic cat.
The tiny feathertail glider weighs only 13g, about the same as a AAA battery.

Possums love to eat plants, flowers, insects and some even consume tree sap.

      'Flo' is a common ringtail possum who was sponsored through the
            Green Heroes 'Christmas Wishes for Wildlife' campaign

TEACHING AND LEARNING POSSIBILITIES
  Engaging curiosity and nurturing a life-long love of nature

  At Green Heroes, we believe effective and          Support and encourage children’s
  meaningful curriculum occurs when                  expression of thoughts, ideas & even their
  educators engage children, family and              feelings of distress or discomfort
  community as participants and contributors         associated with your orphaned joey,
  in planning and decision making.                   through interactions and conversations
                                                     which result from roleplay, art, movement.
  We encourage educators to extend and               Encourage children to write letters/draw
  enrich children’s learning and experiences         pictures to send to the adopted joey.
  around the Wildlife Adoption Program. The
  provocations and possibilities supplied are     We are very proud of the Green Heroes
  only suggestions. We know that you will have    Wildlife Hospital, a beautiful resource which
  amazing ideas!                                  provides opportunities for children to
                                                  investigate ideas and issues in a meaningful
    Connect with your newly adopted joey by       setting. If you would like to access this
    discussing its appearance, size and           resource, please contact us for details.
    special characteristics. We discourage
    naming it but perhaps describing              Please share your ideas and experiences with
    its characteristics could be fun.             us: bekind@greenheroes.org.au

EYLF: OUTCOME 2: CHILDREN ARE CONNECTED WITH AND CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR
                                           WORLD
      Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry,
experimentation. Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment.

Manipulate objects, experiment and use mathematical ideas to record and communicate
ideas:

  Demonstrate and record the size/weight of your joey after adoption. Consider ways to help
  children connect with the concept of weight, perhaps holding the same weight as the joey
  e.g. a bag of stones/beads/blocks. Repeat this activity when you receive your next update
  from the wildlife carer about the growth of your joey. Has it changed?
  Place balancing scales on a provocation table. Add a variety of items to weigh. Children can
  add their own ideas. Find objects that weigh as much as a glider/possum, etc. Consider how
  many blocks,toy cars or rocks would be needed to balance the scales.
  Provocation “I wonder if I can jump as far as a kangaroo?” Make a prediction e.g. “I think I can
  jump from here to the chair”. Measure the distance using a tape measure, board ruler,
  children’s steps ... any way you want. Children jump as far as they can, measure it and
  compare. How far did they actually go?
  Investigation of wombats may lead to discussions about their unusual cubed-shape poo!
  Explore shapes in nature with a particular investigation of the cube. What are the physical
  attributes of the shape? Can the children find other examples in their immediate
  environment? Provide children with access to wide range of materials that they can sort,
  categorise, compare. Add cube shapes to learning areas e.g. blocks, sandpit etc. To assist
  with the inevitable poo discussion, “The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His
  Business” by Werner Hollzwarth is fun book which investigates this!

    EYLF: OUTCOME 4: CHILDREN ARE CONFIDENT AND INVOLVED LEARNERS
    Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry,
             experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating.

Individual, small group and circle time are wonderful opportunities to share knowledge.
What prior knowledge do the children hold? What new things did we discover as a result
of our investigations, co-collaboration and decision making?

Include literacy and numeracy learning opportunities.There are many beautifully photographed
information books available for young children. Visit your local library and set up a provocation
table displaying books, artifacts from nature, life cycle puzzles, ... the possibilities are endless!
Read and share a range of stories and picture books. Here are some examples:

   Sebastian Lives In A Hat by Thelma Catterwell
   Eyes In The Dark by Kym Dale
   Australian Animal Series by Debbie Gallagher
   Life Cycle Of A Kangaroo by Karen Latchana Kenney
   A is for Australian Animals by Frane Lessac
   How Kangaroos Got Their Tails - An Aboriginal Story by Pamela Lofts
   The Midnight Possum by Sally Morgan
   Wombat Goes Walkabout by Michael Morpurgo
   Blossom Possum by Gina Newton

    EYLF: OUTCOME 4: CHILDREN ARE CONFIDENT AND INVOLVED LEARNERS
 Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiousity, cooperation, confidence,
      creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity

          EYLF: OUTCOME 5: CHILDREN ARE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS
     Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes.

Engage with families and local community members by inviting them to contribute to
  learning by sharing ideas, knowledge and resources:

    Connect with local Indigenous Elders and community members to help develop an
    understanding of First Peoples' ways of knowing and their connection to Country. Invite
    them to spend time in the centre to share their knowledge.
    Discuss the Indigenous idea of a totem animal that individuals are responsible for
    protecting. Ask the children to choose their favourite marsupial animal and think about what
    they could do to protect it.
    Involve families and community members in helping children to make a meaningful
    contribution to wildlife conservation. Invite the local men's shed to make flat-packed nest
    boxes for children to assemble. Ask craft groups to sew joey pouches for children to
    decorate and donate to wildlife carers.
    Visit your local native plant nursery before making decisions about appropriate species to
    plant at your centre. Invite them to demonstrate correct planting techniques to children.
    This is an important life skill that would benefit both children and adults.

          EYLF: OUTCOME 1: CHILDREN HAVE A STRONG SENSE OF IDENTITY
  Children develop knowledgeable and confident self identities. Children learn to interact in
                       relation to others with care, empathy and respect.

EYLF: OUTCOME 2: CHILDREN ARE CONNECTED WITH & CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR WORLD.
Children develop a sense of belonging to groups and communities and an understanding of the
          reciprocal rights and responsibilities for active community participation

Share information and provide resources about marsupials, including representations of
marsupial mammals (small toys, photos, books) in a variety of learning areas (at the paint
easel, literacy table, block area). Allow children to explore possibilities and use play to
investigate and explore ideas:

  Provide a range of materials which encourage experimentation creating representations of
  animals. Use any sort of materials that the children may suggest e.g. air-drying clay, play
  dough, collage materials, natural materials.
  Discuss where their animal may live, food it might need, what would its habitat look like?
  Encourage children to plan and create a habitat for their marsupial. Help the children to find
  what materials they need to create ... sand tray, stones, leaves, ask children for ideas!
  Maybe create it outside ... in the sandpit, in the garden... anywhere!
  Consider ways to respect and care for nature in your centre. Place leaves on a nature table,
  on the collage table, in the art area, add to playdough or clay creations. Go on a leaf hunt!
  What sorts of leaves are in our centre garden? Look for any fallen leaves at home or in the
  park. Make some leaf confetti using a hole punch, biodegradable and gorgeous!
  Create a leaf memory game by laminating leaves on card. Make sure you have a pair for each
  leaf. Turn the cards over and see if you can match them. Which ones were the eucalyptus
  leaves?

EYLF: OUTCOME 2: CHILDREN ARE CONNECTED WITH AND CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR
                                           WORLD.
      Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment.

TAKING ACTION FOR WILDLIFE
Do something beautiful for the world

Recent bushfires such as those experienced at        Collect donations of supplies urgently
Cobargo have had a devastating effect on             needed by wildlife carers - ask your local
Australian wildlife. Children may be feeling         wildife rescue organisation what they
overwhelmed by what they have seen and heard         need.
and this may cause feelings of anxiety, stress       Organise a fundraiser for a wildlife rescue
and sadness. A powerful way to help children         organisation - we can assist you with ideas
cope is to encourage them and their families to      and inspiration.
take positive steps to assist native wildlife.       Plant local native trees for your local
Some of the most impactful ways of helping are       marsupials such as koalas and possums to
as follows:                                          use for food and shelter - visit a local
   Host a wildlife feeding station during the        native plant nursery for advice.
   current drought and bushfire crisis - please      Create fabric pouches to keep rescued
   contact us for details of how to do this safely   joeys warm and safe whilst they are being
   and appropriately.                                looked after by a wildlife carer - please
   Make nesting boxes for wildlife. Australia has    contact us for instructions on how to
   several hollow-dependent marsupial species        make pouches from recycled fabrics.
   such as possums and gliders but not enough        Inform parents and caregivers about the
   mature gum trees left to support these            simple ways they can act to keep native
   animals - we can advise you about correct         wildlife safe - download, display and share
   construction and installation.                    the poster on the next page.

WATCH OUT FOR WILDLIFE
                Small changes can make a big difference

Native animals often become sick or injured as a direct result of human actions. We
can assist wildlife by being aware and making small changes in our daily lives.

10 simple ways that we can all help to keep wildlife safe:

 1. Drive safely on the roads and keep a lookout for wildlife
2. Keep cats indoors and dogs contained to a small area at night
3. Plant local native trees
4. Install nest boxes in your backyard
5. Choose wildlife-friendly fencing and fruit tree protection
6. Use alternatives to poisonous pest baits
7. Avoid giving human food to wildlife
8. Provide fresh, clean drinking water for wildlife during prolonged dry periods
9. Avoid single-use plastic
10. Dispose of rubbish responsibly

       If you find a sick or injured native animal always call your
      local wildlife hospital or rescue organisation for assistance

FUNDRAISING IDEAS
$30 can buy a box of specialised milk formula for an orphaned marsupial.

$50 can provide food to support a wildlife feeding station in a bushfire-affected
area for one week. With no other food source currently available, feeding stations
are a lifeline for many native animals.

$80 can sponsor an orphaned marsupial joey through the Green Heroes Wildlife
Adoption Program: https://www.greenheroes.org.au/adopt-a-joey

$150 can sponsor a feeding station for one month.

$250 can provide a permanent home for a hollow-dwelling native animal that has
lost a home after the bushfires: https://www.greenheroes.org.au/tree-hollow-
homes

$1500-$2000 can build an enclosure for orphaned marsupial joeys to be
rehabilitated safely.
   To discuss hosting a fundraiser for wildlife conservation in
      response to bushfires in Australia please contact us.
 We are able to direct and assist you in connecting with rescue
             organisations urgently needing assistance.

IN A WORLD WHERE YOU
CAN BE ANYTHING...
BE KIND