Our Education Program
Our Education Program continues to evolve from the interactive and experiential learning opportunities the Farm and its community provide. Situated on the banks of the Birrarung on Wurundjeri Land, Collingwood Children’s Farm is an educational environment designed to spark curiosity and critical thinking in students and visitors alike.
Designed by our team of educators, the Farm’s Education Program reflects the ongoing and collaborative industry knowledge shared by our Animal Husbandry, Community Programs and Horticulture experts on site—working together with a commitment to life-long learning and a sustainable future.
Our Education team encourages you to learn about animals and nature, and how they relate to the world you live in at your level by using your senses when exploring the Farm and asking lots of questions!
Meet animals big and small, smell flowers and other plants in our Indigenous Food Garden and Market Garden, hold special objects collected from the Farm like a bird’s nest or insect wings on our Discovery Table, hear stories about the food system humans use to survive, and get your hands in soil by potting a seedling you can keep.
Develop knowledge and skills you can use at home and into the future through guided tours, workshops and activities available in our School Excursions and School Holiday Program bookings.
Meet the Education Team
Learn more about our educators and their approaches to teaching on the Farm, from inciting a sense of wonder about the world around us to inquiry-based learning.
Alice
Community & Education Programs Manager
Alice comes to Collingwood Children’s Farm with ten years of experience working with diverse communities in early childhood, education and environmental sustainability programs.
She brings skills from a Master of International Community Development and her time spent in Indonesia and the Northern Territory working in school engagement and environmental education.
Alice is committed to accessible education and wants everyone who comes to Collingwood Children’s Farm to be able to learn from the knowledge and expertise of our talented Education team.
She values the collective approach the Education team takes by working alongside and harnessing insights from our Animal Husbandry, Community Programs and Horticulture teams.
Alice loves working on the Farm, especially when she walks through the Nursery and Market Garden, seeing visitors learn from our fantastic educators about the different plants and animals on site.
She’s privileged to lead a team who love what they do, and are enthusiastic about our natural environment and sharing their knowledge with children and adults in our community.
Education Officer
Beth has been working on the Farm since 2018 and is on her way to becoming a primary school teacher. She loves working in an interesting and complex environment like the Farm, with its many moving parts: animals, gardens, community groups and visitors—there’s always something different to do and new to learn.
Beth learns best by getting hands on outside and is happy to be able to facilitate this style of teaching on the Farm where students and visitors alike get to be tactile in nature, which enables deeper learning of concepts.
Beth has always been an avid lover of nature, and as a child she was the proud keeper of a ‘nature box’ filled with interesting discoveries from the bush or backyard.
Now, she collects curiosities from the Farm for children to investigate at the Discovery Table. Beth sees all students as scientists: making observations about the world, asking questions and using evidence to support their answers, and encourages students to tune into their world and wonder ‘why?‘. Beth believes that for children to become active and engaged citizens, it’s important that they can think critically about their world, and being curious is the first step—you need to ask questions before you can get answers.
Education Officer
Melina is a qualified teacher who has worked in schools across Melbourne’s inner northern suburbs as an art and relief teacher, but has found her place at the Farm, teaching in a beautiful setting along the Birrarung on Wurundjeri Land.
Growing up on a farm in South Gippsland, Melina ate plums from her family’s orchard, collected eggs from the chooks and watched wild animals living in the bush around her home.
Now, Melina loves that city kids can have similar experiences at the Farm, helping them to understand where their food comes from and learning about nature and its cycles. These experiences are key to developing a desire to protect the natural world and living sustainably.
Melina loves working at the Farm because it’s a prime location for people to begin learning about important topics such as food production, soil health, biodiversity and animal welfare—just to name a few.
It’s rewarding for Melina to hear students of all ages make important connections and discoveries while exploring the Farm.
Education Officer
Danielle is a teacher from Canada who traded in beavers and moose for wombats and wallabies (and all of the Farm’s beautiful animals) eight years ago. She has worked in schools in Naarm/Melbourne, Central America and Canada.
She loves spending her days at the Farm because it combines her love of teaching with time spent around animals, fresh veggies and flowers in a beautiful, picturesque setting.
Outside of teaching, Danielle has a strong connection to nature and always feels best working outdoors and getting her hands dirty.
She grew up going on camping trips in northern Ontario, spending time at national parks and recently worked at a farm in rural NSW taking care of their sheep and cows.
Having spent a large part of her career in the special education field, Danielle has a great appreciation of the Farm’s mission: education, inclusivity and community engagement, while building a connection with nature, green space and animals.
Danielle is committed to teaching the next generation about all things farming related, in hopes of passing on an appreciation of the food we eat and building community, while meeting and learning about farm animals.