Students’ sustainability books on show at FLOW

Posted on July 4th, 2014

FLOW, Fitzroy Basin Association’s Visitor Centre in Rockhampton will host a new book collection this school holidays.
FLOW, located in the Old Post Office on the corner of East and Denham Streets will feature a unique range of children’s books written and illustrated by Year 9 Emmaus College students from the class of 2013.
The books focus on Central Queensland sustainability issues to help young children learn about the importance of caring for the environment.
FBA CEO Paul Birch said in addition to the Emmaus sustainability book exhibit, FLOW will also feature a Fighting Ferals in the Fitzroy display throughout the school holidays with some life like preserved feral animal pieces on show.
“FLOW will be open Tuesday to Friday each week, it’s a fun, free and interactive space with plenty for the kids to see and do this school holidays,” Mr Birch said.
“On Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 July from 2-3pm track and monitor ferals as a Pest Patrol Investigator. Find out who is nasty to CQ native species. There will be mystery touch boxes, experiments and specimens of feral skeletons and hides to magnify!
“Also just for the kids this school holidays on Thursday 10 July from 2-3pm FLOW will host a Writing Workshop to create stories about local Beasts of the Basin and view the books on display”, he said.
Emmaus College Year 10 Coordinator, Alison King said that as part of the national curriculum’s sustainability unit their students visited FLOW last year, learnt about the new local children’s book “Oh Dear That’s My Rear” and the bottom-breathing Fitzroy River Turtle and created their own books with important environmental messages.
“You know when students come back from a visit with lots of questions they have really taken something from the experience, and this was certainly the case after our FLOW visit,” Ms King said.
The students brainstormed to decide on their topic and age group, with books covering everything from recycling and pollution to climate change and some of the region’s endangered animals including the Capricorn Yellow Chat, a critically endangered bird.
Some of the unique titles included “Sea Adventures with Penny the Prawn”, “Wally saves the Outback”, “Gary the Garbage Truck”, “Mia and the Little Yellow Bird” and “Dixie the Dingo.”
“We have taken a number of student groups through FLOW and will later this year bring the Year 9 English students from 2014 through to tackle the same project as last year’s students,” Ms King said.
More than 2,750 students have visited the centre for tailored educational sessions tied closely to their curriculum since it opened in 2012 —whether it is endangered animals, sustainability, water, land use or many other topics!
Pop in and check out FLOW this school holidays or contact us at flow@fba.org.au to discuss a corporate, group or school visit.