Are you a school or early years educator in Stonnington?
Council offers a range of educational resources to support educators and students in Stonnington schools and early learning centres (ELCs) to take climate action and embed sustainability.
We're partnering with the Port Phillip EcoCentre to provide leadership programs, planting events and targeted behaviour-change program opportunities for local schools and ELCs.
Stay informed about environmental education opportunities by subscribing to our quarterly Sustainable Schools and ELCs update.
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Student leadership in sustainability
We're proud to support Stonnington schools to participate in the award-winning Tomorrow's Leaders for Sustainability (TLfS) leadership Program for Years 4 to 10 delivered by the Port Phillip EcoCentre.
To register your school’s interest in completing this subsidised leadership program in 2023, complete the expression of interest form below.
Submit expression of interest
ResourceSmart Schools
Join other Stonnington schools on their sustainability journeys by becoming a ResourceSmart School. Run by Sustainability Victoria, this program provides a 5-star certification framework that supports Victorian schools to embed sustainability across facilities, community and curriculum while saving schools money and resources. Registered schools work with sustainability experts to complete five modules to develop a whole-school environmental management plan and complete five modules to meet benchmarks for resource use.
Connect with local flora and fauna
Celebrate National Tree Day by joining one of our annual school planting events in term 3 at a local reserve or park. Sign up to our Sustainable Schools and ELC's Update for 2023 event dates.
Support important biodiversity research while helping your students observe and understand local plants and wildlife in our city using the iNaturalist app. Use this app to get your school involved in the annual City Nature Challenge (April to May), an exciting global biodiversity blitz.
Find a local park, wetland or waterway near your school to connect learners with our urban environment and biodiversity.
Early Learning Centre Biodiversity Package
We're proud to support Stonnington ELCs to participate in a biodiversity-focused professional learning and incursion package delivered by the Port Phillip EcoCentre to guide the creation of a habitat garden at your centre.
To register your ELC's interest in completing this subsidised biodiversity program, complete the expression of interest form.
Submit expression of interest
Nature Play and Bush Kinder
Promote healthy physical, social and cognitive childhood development by encouraging nature-based play. Stonnington's Nature Play Handbook(PDF, 3MB) is a practical and easy-to-use guide for educators and families that provides resources and ideas about how to integrate nature play into early years education.
Looking to start a nature playgroup in a local park or reserve? To register your group and find the space right for you, email us at environment@stonnington.vic.gov.au
For more nature-based play ideas, visit the Kids in Nature Network Facebook page and look out for Nature Play Week events in April.
Compost Revolution offers discounted compost bins, a bokashi bin and worm farms to Stonnington residents, schools and ELCs.
View our waste and recycling posters(PDF, 5MB) created specifically for ELCs and schools to use.
Contact Council’s Waste Education Officers to find the right system for your school or read more about waste and recycling for resources and tips for reducing waste.
Waste education sessions
Council provides free face-to-face sessions for schools and ELCs through our education partner, Cleanaway. Schools and ELCs are eligible for up to one day of incursions per calendar year. Teachers are required to stay with their students for the duration of the session. Cleanaway's education program kNOw Waste is part of our Sustainable Schools Program and includes education on the following topics:
- Recycling right
- Composting
- Reducing litter
- Plastic reduction
- Circular economy
Find out more about the kNOw Waste incursions for ELCs(PDF, 1MB), primary schools(PDF, 999KB) and secondary schools(PDF, 1MB).
To express your school or centre's interest, please complete the form below. Council's Waste Education Officers will be in contact to discuss this further.
Register your interest
Explore Stonnington's urban flora and wildlife at key biodiversity sites along the Yarra River (Birrarung Marr) and Gardiners Creek (Kooyongkoot). Sites like the Glen Iris Wetlands, the Malvern Urban Forest and Herring Island.
Get your students into citizen science by using the ClimateWatch app to observe the behaviour of plants and animals along one of our designated trails at the Main Yarra Trail and Glen Iris Wetlands. The ClimateWatch app helps researchers understand the impacts of climate change on these species over time.
Reconnect learners with Stonnington's ancient ecological history and learn about plants on a visit to the Lost Lands Found eco-art installation at Central Park, Malvern.
You can also take students on a historical tour along the Yarra River (Birrarung Marr) through the Life of the Yarra audio tour.
To discuss how we can help you tailor a local excursion to suit your school or centre's educational and curriculum outcomes, email us at environment@stonnington.vic.gov.au
- Cool Australia has a wealth of free, curriculum-linked sustainability lessons and unit plans in its digital resource library. The self-paced professional development modules suit all subject areas and year levels.
- CERES School of Nature and Climate offers a wide range of free primary and secondary resources aligned with the Victorian Curriculum.
- Environment Education Victoria (EEV) is an independent, professional organisation that supports sustainability educators from early years to tertiary with educational resources, professional development and networking opportunities.
- Schools Water Efficiency Program (SWEP) is a Victorian Government-funded program that provides learning resources and data loggers to schools to help track water usage, identify leaks and educate students about water efficiency.
- Melbourne Water has a great range of curriculum-aligned, interactive games, treatment plant tours and lesson resources for both primary and secondary schools.
- Toorak Primary School has a great collection of educational clips for primary students to get into Sustainability at Home through exploring seed planting, baking and salad-making.
- Cleanaway offers a combination of online and face-to-face waste education programs to ELCs, primary and secondary schools across the country.
- TROPICSU has a huge, global collection of digital climate change teaching tools and learning resources for a range of subjects and ages, designed by teachers for teachers.
For more information about our Sustainable Schools Program, contact our Environmental Education Officer at environment@stonnington.vic.gov.au