Nature and Biodiversity in Schools

Create greener school environments that support native wildlife, while helping students connect with our local ecosystems. Access educational materials such as indigenous plant guides and Glen Eira biodiversity maps or borrow a hands‑on learning kit.

Our team can support you with advice on local flora and fauna, habitat gardening and citizen science.

Council resources for schools

We offer free educational resources to support biodiversity learning in the classroom and school grounds. To find out more or receive physical copies of the resources below, please contact our Sustainability Team at sustainability@gleneira.vic.gov.au 

• Indigenous plant guide — Glen Eira’s locally native plants, with information on their growing conditions, flowering time, size and wildlife they attract
• Glen Eira biodiversity map — explore the ecosystems and species that are local to this area
• Nature Explorer Journal — use this booklet to run nature hunts, exploration activities and wildlife observations
• Bug Hunt Data Sheet — Find the Pollinator Observatories at Rippon Lea Estate, or use the Bug Hunt sheet to carry out your own pollinator observations at school.
• Nature Explorer Kit — A free, borrowable teacher and student kit containing field guides, binoculars, mini-microscopes, magnifying jar and activity ideas to support hands-on outdoor learning and biodiversity investigations.

ResourceSmart School Audit

The Biodiversity Audit Tool is a practical, step by step guide that supports teachers and students to measure and record biodiversity on school grounds, identify improvement opportunities, and plan targeted actions to enhance habitat and ecosystem health.

Useful websites and applications

• Seek (iNaturalist) — An easy-to-use app that helps students identify plants and animals and explore local biodiversity. Seek was created by iNaturalist and is a kid- and family-fun friendly alternative that requires no user data or registration.
• BirdLife Australia - Birds in Schools — An educational program with resources and activities to help students learn about and protect native birds.
• Atlas of Living Australia  — An open-access database providing information and data on Australia’s biodiversity and species distributions. You can explore by location to find the wildlife near your school.

Lesson plans

• Cool.Org curriculum-linked resources — biodiversity lesson plans, courses and other teaching materials to support environmental learning across year levels.

Primary

• Bug Hunt: Pollinator Perspectives — Discover native invertebrate pollinators and run a bug hunt on school grounds
• Understanding Habitats and Biodiversity — Investigate plants and animals that adapt and co-exist in our communities

Secondary

• Building Biodiversity in Our Community — Students plan a creative solution to improve biodiversity in their area

Teachers

• Seeds of Connection: Biodiversity, Culture, and Community in Schools — 60-minute course on how to work with First Nations communities and knowledge holders to create a biodiverse and culturally respectful school garden
• Habitat Gardening for Birds online course — Learn how to support native birds by creating a habitat garden