Queensland is now very much a State of play for PlantingSeeds’ B&B Highway with seven schools now part of the regenerative corridor north of the NSW border. Our Queensland educator is busy planning education sessions and habitats in schools in Samford, Pine Rivers and Brisbane.
PlantingSeeds was also a central part of the recent 2023 Sustainability and Science Schools Showcase hosted by the Queensland’s Office of the Chief Scientist at Queensland Museum’s The Edge.
CEO Dr Judy Friedlander was invited to present to over 150 Queensland primary and secondary school students and teachers from over 30 schools on citizen science and the ambassador pollinator species, the Blue-banded bee.
Dr Friedlander guided students on how to take identifiable citizen science observations that showcase special features of pollinator species. This was followed by a hands-on activity involving clay and sand that was a big hit. Students mixed clay and sand to make homes for Blue-banded bees which they took back to their schools to contribute to valuable pollinator habitat.
Some tips for taking good citizen science photos:
- Take multiple photos and choose the best and clearest ones
- No photos of human faces
- Don’t just photography flowers of plants. The leaves, bark, fruit and whole plant are also important
- Photograph fungi from above, below and the side
- Focus on wild organisms and not your cat or dog
- Insect ID can often be helped by the number and position of veins in an insect’s wing
- Pay attention to metadata – it is important to have location services on so experts know the where and when of the observation
- Be aware of copyright and don’t copy images from books or the internet.
Fellow presenter, #CitSciOz23 Conference co-convener, Michelle Neil, enthralled students with the incredible array of citizen science projects available.
The Sustainability and Science Schools Showcase day was truly inspirational with students presenting some extraordinary school projects.
If you’re a teacher or school interested in learning more about citizen science, take a look at our upcoming B&B BioBlitz and our FREE teacher introductory workshops here.