Our Year 3 students recently enjoyed an excursion to Monarto Zoo, with the day offering a rich mix of excitement, discovery and hands-on learning. From the moment we arrived, students showed great curiosity, asking thoughtful questions and eagerly observing the amazing animals and environments around them.

A highlight of the excursion was the bus safari where we saw a range of incredible animals including giraffes, bison, eland, elephants, zebras, rhinos and cheetahs. Everybody’s favourite was the pride of 9 lions, which we were fortunate to see up close and personal. It was a thrilling experience and one the students will be talking about for a long time.

The excursion provided a fantastic opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of animals, their habitats and the things living things need to survive. This connected closely with the Year 3 Science curriculum, as students explored living things, their environments and the importance of conditions that support survival. Seeing the animals in their carefully designed habitats encouraged students to use deep thinking as they considered how different animals live, find shelter, access food and water and stay safe.

Our learners also enjoyed a cubby building challenge at Indaba Bush Camp. Working in small groups, students learned more about how animals survive in different habitats and why healthy habitats are so important. Using only natural materials collected from the ground, each group was challenged to create a cubby that met several criteria: all group members had to fit inside, predators could not see in and the structure needed to provide shelter from bad weather.

This task gave students a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate our learning dispositions. Their curiosity was evident as they explored the bush camp environment and experimented with different materials. They engaged deep thinking as they planned and problem-solved together, carefully considering how to make their cubby strong, hidden and protective. Their resilience was especially noticeable as groups adjusted their designs, overcame challenges and kept trying when things did not work the first time. Students also showed what it means to be balanced, working cooperatively, listening to one another, sharing ideas and embracing the physical, outdoor nature of the task with enthusiasm.

We ended our day with a playground and afternoon tea stop in Mount Barker, which was a lovely way to finish such a busy and engaging excursion. By the time we arrived back at school, everyone was exhausted but happy after a day full of learning, teamwork and adventure.

The year 3 team are very grateful to the wonderful parent volunteers who joined us for the day.