Rewild the World
Week 9 - Biodiversity boosters - Maker's Week!
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Biodiversity Boosters Maker's Week
Begin by having the students reflect on their achievements, encouraging them to discuss what knowledge they have gained throughout the course and how this can assist them in making additional habitat for the animal biodiversity that they are aiming to attract to the school.
This introduction marks an important transition in the programme from learning about habitats to actively improving them. Up until this point, students have explored ecological ideas such as biodiversity, ecosystems and the needs of their Champion Animal. This week gives them the opportunity to apply that knowledge through practical action.
Begin by helping students reflect on the journey they have taken so far. Invite them to recall the investigations, discussions and observations that have shaped their understanding of habitats. This reflection helps students recognise that the practical work they are about to begin is built upon the knowledge they have already developed.
This week is a very exciting moment in your Rewild Your World journey.
Over the past weeks, you have explored habitats, studied your Champion Animal and learned how living things depend on healthy ecosystems to survive. You have observed your school grounds, investigated biodiversity and begun thinking about how small changes can help support wildlife.
Now it is time to take action.
During Biodiversity Boosters Maker's Week, you will work together to build and install habitat projects that can help animals and insects in your local environment. These projects might provide shelter, protection or places for wildlife to rest and raise their young.
You will work in teams, use tools and materials you have gathered and carefully follow your plans as you create these habitat essentials. As you build, think about the animals that may one day use the structures you are making.
Every thoughtful decision you make can help improve the habitat around your school — and your local area.
By the end of the week, you will not only have learned more about biodiversity. You will have helped create real spaces that support wildlife in your community.
Your Weekly Keywords
This activity introduces vocabulary that will support the practical work students will undertake during Biodiversity Boosters Maker's Week. The purpose is not simply to memorise words but to help students understand how language connects to ecological ideas such as advocacy and for use in written text.
Begin by introducing the keywords and reading them aloud together. Encourage students to listen for familiar parts of the words and to think about what they might mean before reading the definitions. Invite students to share their initial ideas and predictions. This helps activate prior knowledge and encourages curiosity.
This week, your new keywords will help you understand how animals find shelter, safety and food in a habitat.
During Biodiversity Boosters Maker's Week, you will be building homes for wildlife such as bird boxes, insect hotels and possum dreys. These structures are not just craft projects. They are habitat essentials that can support living things in your school environment.
This week, your new keywords will help you understand what it means to be an advocate for nature and how people can take action to protect wildlife and the environment.
During this week, as you plant, build habitats, and learn about the needs of your Champion Animal, you are doing more than creating spaces for wildlife. You are taking agency, showing leadership, and becoming someone who speaks up and acts for the natural world.
Some of this week’s words describe how people can make a difference through their choices and actions. Others explain how individuals and communities can work together to care for ecosystems and support biodiversity.
As you design, build, and care for your habitat projects, these words will help you understand how your actions can influence others and create positive environmental change.
First, read all of the keywords carefully. Then read the definitions. Think about which word matches each meaning. Talk with a partner and explain your thinking. Try using the word in a sentence connected to nature.
As you work, ask yourself:
What action does this word describe
How can I use this action to help wildlife
How might my actions influence others to care for nature
By the end of this task, you will understand that creating habitat is not just about helping animals—it is also about people taking responsibility and leading change. Even small actions can inspire others and make a real difference for biodiversity.
Quote of the Week – Spencer Hitchen
“I keep standing up for nature because I want future generations of humans and wildlife to be able to experience what I see today. I don’t want to lose our threatened species like the glossies from our skies. We can all make a difference and create change — and change can begin in our own backyards.” Spencer Hitchen
This quote invites students to think about the idea that people can influence positive change by speaking up and acting for things they care about despite their age. The goal of this activity is to help students reflect on the role individuals can play in protecting the environment and supporting biodiversity. Spencer Hitchen took a stand for glossy black cockatoos and uses his passion for photography and public speaking to raise awareness.
“I keep standing up for nature because I want future generations of humans and wildlife to be able to experience what I see today. I don’t want to lose our threatened species like the glossies from our skies. We can all make a difference and create change — and change can begin in our own backyards.” Spencer Hitchen
This week’s quote reminds us that our voices and actions matter, and that by leading by example we can raise awareness and make people think.
Spencer Hitchen is a 14-year-old conservationist with a passion for glossy black cockatoos. He has been advocating to protect their habitat since he was 8 years old. His journey began with curiosity, spending time watching and exploring nature. This led to understanding, as he learned about the glossy black cockatoo, and how it depends on specific habitat to survive. When he discovered that their local habitat was under threat from development, he moved to action, speaking up, raising awareness, and encouraging others to protect the environment.
As you start Biodiversity Boosters Maker's Week, think about how your actions can help wildlife. When you build a bird box, an insect hotel or another wildlife home, you are making a choice to help animals in your local habitat. One small action might not seem very big at first, but as Spencer discovered, his passion for the environment has led to a bigger movement, inspiring others and raising awareness far beyond his backyard.
Talk with your class about what this quote means. Why is it important to use your voice? How can young people help protect nature in their own community?
After your discussion, write your own short quote about how people can help nature and protect wildlife. Keep your message clear, positive and hopeful.
Rewilding the World – Story of the Week – The Dazzling Dancing Spider
Introduce this story as a real example of how curiosity and careful observation can lead to important discoveries in nature. Explain that for many years peacock spiders lived quietly in Australia without most people knowing they existed.
Guide students to notice the structure of the story. It begins with a scientist walking through bushland, noticing something small and unusual, then slowly discovering more through patient observation. Highlight how the story moves from curiosity, to discovery, to global interest and scientific research.
Provide opportunities for students to consider how they would feel in this situation, supporting them to connect with the role of the scientist through empathy and perspective-taking.
This week you will read a true story about one of the most surprising discoveries in the Australian bush.
Read the story carefully and imagine the moment when biologist Jürgen Otto was walking through bushland near Sydney. Look closely at how the forest floor is full of tiny creatures living among the leaves and grasses. Many of these animals are so small that people often walk past them without noticing.
As you read, notice how the peacock spider lived quietly in this hidden world for many years. Scientists knew very little about these spiders until Otto began observing them more closely.
Pay attention to what happened when he finally photographed and filmed the spider’s incredible courtship dance. The tiny spider lifted colourful flaps on its body and performed a remarkable display to attract a female.
After the videos were shared online, people around the world became fascinated by these tiny dancers. Photographers, nature lovers and citizen scientists began searching for peacock spiders across Australia, helping scientists discover many new species.
As you finish reading, think about what this story teaches us about curiosity and careful observation in nature, and how citizen science can contribute to our understanding of biodiversity. Be ready to share one surprising thing you learned and why even the smallest creatures can help us understand the natural world.
Comprehension – Understanding Feral Animals
This comprehension activity helps students understand what feral animals are and how introduced species can affect ecosystems and native wildlife. It also encourages students to think about balance in nature and how human actions can change environments.
Before reading, briefly explain that feral animals are species that have been introduced to a place where they did not originally live. Remind students that this can also be within the same country, such as the example with the sugar gliders being introduced to Tasmania from mainland Australia. Clarify any unfamiliar vocabulary. Remind students that animals can behave differently depending on the environment they live in.
This week you will read an information text about feral animals and how they affect ecosystems and native wildlife.
As you read, look carefully at what a feral animal is and how it is different from a native animal. Notice how some animals are introduced by people into places where they did not originally live. Think about how this can change the balance of an ecosystem.
Pay attention to the ways feral animals can affect the environment. Notice how they may hunt native animals, damage habitats, spread disease or compete with native species for food and shelter. Consider why many native plants and animals have no natural protection against these introduced species.
You will also see that some animals can be threatened in their natural home but become very common in another country where they were introduced. Think about why a new environment with fewer predators or more food might allow these animals to thrive.
Work your way through the 12 comprehension questions and see how far you can progress through the levels. Try to make it all the way to the end. The answer card is in the next part of this learning sequence.
Record Your Answers – How Far Will You Stretch Your Thinking?
Explain to students that the levels are designed to stretch their thinking rather than sort or compare ability. Moving to higher levels does not mean working faster. It means thinking more deeply about the ideas in the text.
Before students begin, model how to answer one question using a full sentence and information from the text. Show students how to return to the text to find supporting evidence rather than relying only on memory.
Now that you have read the text, you will answer twelve comprehension questions. The questions are organised into levels and each level asks you to think a little more deeply.
You will begin with Level 1 questions. These focus on finding clear facts from the text. As you move through the levels, you will be asked to explain ideas in your own words, make connections and apply your understanding to real animals, habitats and ecosystems.
Write your answers in full sentences. Use information from the text to support your thinking. Read each question carefully before you begin and take a moment to think about what the question is really asking.
If a question feels challenging, slow down rather than rush. That feeling means your brain is stretching. The deeper questions help you understand not only what happens in ecosystems but also why it happens and how living things are connected.
Extension Activity — In this activity, you will research one feral animal and explore how it lives in two different places. Look at where the animal lives naturally and a place where it has been introduced by people. As you research, find out what the animal eats, what hunts it, its role in the ecosystem and how people manage it. Use what you discover to complete the blank table and compare how the same animal behaves in each place.
Click the Extension activity button below to start your feral animal research.
Choosing Your Wild Project
This stage introduces the major practical component of the week. It is important for teachers to understand that these Wild Projects are not designed to be completed in a single lesson. The intention is for students to work on their projects across the entire week, allowing time for planning, collaboration, construction and installation.
Begin by giving students time to explore the Wild Projects booklet and discuss which projects may best support their Champion Animal and the habitat within the school grounds. Encourage thoughtful selection rather than quick decisions. Students should consider the needs of wildlife, the available space and the resources required.
This week you will begin creating a Wild Project that helps support wildlife in your school habitat.
In Week 6 you looked through the Wild Projects booklet to find the projects that are suited for your Champion Animal. You may remember, this booklet has a range of different habitat projects such as bird boxes, insect hotels, possum dreys and other shelters for wildlife designed to help animals find safety, protection or a place to rest and raise their young, and you added these as habitat essentials to the class Wild List.
Since then, the Habitat Essentials team has been collecting materials to make some of these projects. And now it is the time to finalise the details and get making!
Take your time to revisit the booklet and think about your Champion Animal. Ask yourself which project might be most helpful for that animal and the habitat around your school. Some animals need places to hide, some need nesting spaces, and others benefit from safe areas close to food sources. Some species may benefit from multiple projects so you may have to prioritise.
Talk with your classmates and begin discussing which projects interest you. You may work together in small teams so that you can share ideas, support each other and build your project successfully.
Think about the tools and materials your class has collected over the past few weeks. Consider how these items might help you build your chosen project. In the next activity, you will carefully plan your Wild Project including all the materials and skills needed to complete them. You may find that you require some additional materials and tools too.
Take your time choosing your Wild Project, then create a planning document to help your team prepare before you begin building.
Wild Project Process – Let’s Get Prepared
This activity introduces students to the idea that good projects begin with careful planning as they follow the Engineering Design Process.
Before students start building their Wild Projects, guide them through the booklet so they understand that scientists, engineers and designers all plan their work before they create something.
Encourage students to work collaboratively in small teams. The goal of this stage is to slow students down and help them think through their ideas before construction begins and to understand the needs of the animal and how it will use the project. They may be keen to make something from the Wild Projects booklet or design and create something bespoke for a local issue they care about.
In this activity, you will design a Wild Project to help your Champion Animal and improve habitat in your local environment. It may be something you have selected from the Wild Projects booklet or something completely bespoke.
Using the engineering design process, you will explore a problem, come up with ideas, plan a solution, and test whether your design will work. You will start by thinking about the needs and behaviour of your Champion Animal, as well as any threats it faces. Then you will brainstorm ideas, draw possible designs, and develop a detailed plan for a project that could support that animal in the wild.
Before building the final project, you may create a prototype to test your idea and improve it. Finally, you will evaluate your design, refine it, and document your project so others could recreate it.
By the end, you will have created a thoughtful design that helps rewild your local area and support wildlife — and by the end, you will have made and installed it for your Champion Animal.
Planning Our Habitat Excursion
This activity helps students practise research, communication and planning while thinking about how scientists and environmental educators study natural habitats.
Students should work in small collaborative groups to select a natural area close to their school. Encourage them to choose environments where biodiversity can be observed, such as forests, wetlands, rivers, mountains or protected parks.
Using the Habitat Excursion Planning Card, students organise their thinking before making their proposal. The card guides them to consider the location they would like to visit, wildlife that may be present, what the class could learn, how the class might travel there, the associated costs and any possible risks that should be considered.
Next term your class may wish to visit another local natural habitat to compare the biodiversity between an intact ecosystem and your school. This will help you appreciate the work you have done in improving your school habitat and give you an insight into how it may develop over time. Before the trip can happen, your group will help plan the excursion.
Work with your group to think about a natural place not too far from your school. It could be a forest, a river, a wetland, a national park, mountains, or another place that is reasonably diverse.
Your goal is to choose a habitat that will help your class learn more about wildlife and biodiversity while allowing you to compare the habitat you are creating with one that is already working successfully elsewhere. You may discover useful ideas that could help your habitat develop further and improve. You may also wish to invite a local First Nations person to provide some insight about the site, or organise a guided experience with another environmental educator.
Use the Habitat Excursion Planning Card to organise your ideas. Talk together and fill in each section of the card. Think about:
The habitat you would like to visit.
Animals or plants you might see there.
Any activities you will do.
What your class could learn in this environment.
How your class could travel there.
Any risks that might exist.
How everyone could stay safe.
The cost of the excursion.
Once your group has completed the planning card, you will use your ideas to submit your proposal to the school principal. Your application should explain clearly why this is a good place for the class to visit and what students could learn from the experience.
Work together as a team and try to make your proposal clear, organised and convincing.
Weekly Mindfulness – Getting to Know a Plant
This mindfulness activity encourages students to slow their pace and observe the natural world with care and attention. The focus is not artistic perfection but developing the habit of close observation.
Invite students to find a quiet space near the habitat area and choose a single plant to study. Encourage them to take their time noticing details such as leaf shape, texture, colour and structure.
Students should draw the plant in their nature diary and surround the drawing with descriptive words that reflect their observations. These may include sensory details such as texture, smell, colour and form.
Guide students to think about how the plant might support wildlife. For example, it may provide food, shelter, nesting materials or protection for insects and small animals.
This week you will spend time quietly observing a plant that your Champion Animal may depend on.
Find a calm place near your habitat area and choose one plant to study closely. Move slowly and take your time. The goal of this activity is to notice details that are easy to miss when we rush.
Look carefully at the plant. Notice the shape of the leaves, the colour, the size and the way it grows. If it is safe to do so, gently touch the plant and think about how it feels.
As you observe, think about questions like these:
What shape are the leaves?
What colours can you see?
Does the plant have a smell?
What does the surface feel like?
How might animals or insects use this plant?
Draw the plant carefully in your nature diary. Around your drawing, write words or short descriptions about what you notice. Think about the texture, the smell, the shape and how this plant may help animals survive.
By slowing down and paying attention, you are learning how plants support life in a habitat.
Your Digital Résumé – Experience 9
This reflection invites students to think about how their learning has moved from investigation and planning into real-world action. Throughout this week, students have collaborated to design, plan and build habitat structures that may support wildlife within the school environment. The résumé entry allows them to recognise the practical and collaborative skills they have developed during this process.
Encourage students to reflect on the role they played within their team. Some students may have focused on construction, others on organising materials, problem-solving or supporting their classmates. All contributions are valuable and students should be encouraged to recognise the importance of teamwork.
This week you will add your ninth experience to your digital résumé by reflecting on Biodiversity Boosters Maker's Week and the Wild Projects you helped create.
Think about the moment your class moved from planning habitats to building real structures that could support wildlife. You worked with your classmates to choose projects, gather materials and build habitat shelters that animals may one day use.
Reflect on the role you played in your team. What did you help build? What tools or materials did you use? Did you help solve a problem, organise materials or support a classmate while building?
You might also think about the planning process. How did completing your planning document help your team prepare before you started building? What did you predict might happen once your Wild Project is installed?
Consider how these habitat structures may support biodiversity in your school environment. Which animals might benefit from the shelters you created?
Your reflection should show how you worked collaboratively, used practical skills and helped improve a habitat for wildlife.
By adding this experience to your digital résumé, you are showing that you can turn ideas into real action that helps the natural world.
Dear World – Share Your Wild Project Story
This activity encourages students to reflect on their experience of Biodiversity Boosters Maker's Week and share their learning with a global audience through the Dear World platform.
Guide students to think beyond simply describing what they built. Encourage them to reflect on the process of collaboration, planning and construction that took place during the week. Students should consider the role they played within their team and how their efforts contributed to the success of the project.
Prompt students to explain why their Wild Project was chosen and how it may support wildlife within the school habitat. This helps reinforce the ecological purpose behind the activity rather than focusing only on the building process.
This week you will share your experience of Biodiversity Boosters Maker's Week on the Dear World platform.
Think about the Wild Project you helped create. What did your team decide to build and why did you choose that project? How did it help support your Champion Animal or other wildlife in your school habitat?
Reflect on the role you played during the week. Did you help gather materials, measure pieces, use tools, assemble parts or help install the structure? What challenges did your team face and how did you solve them together?
You might also think about the planning stage. How did completing your planning document help your team prepare before building? What predictions did you make about which animals might use your Wild Project?
Now imagine the future. What animals or insects might discover the shelter you created? How might your project help them find protection, rest or a place to raise their young?
Write your story describing what happened during the week and what you hope will happen next.
When you are ready, log in to the Dear World Library and upload your story. You may include photos of your Wild Project to show how your class is helping support biodiversity.
Your story will be shared with students and teachers around the world, showing how young people can take action to help wildlife.
Week 9 Quiz and Certificate
This final step builds reflection, recall, and self-assessment skills. The quiz reinforces students’ understanding of determination, resilience, and growth while rewarding their effort with certification. Encourage learners to view the certificate as a symbol of their personal progress, not just a score.
Consider reviewing key ideas beforehand, offering support where needed, and celebrating every student’s achievement. Extension: invite learners to share one way they will apply determination in their own lives to strengthen lasting impact.
At the end of this week, you will complete a short quiz to reflect on what you have learned about determination.
During Biodiversity Boosters Maker's Week, you worked on projects that required patience, teamwork and persistence. Building habitat structures takes time, careful planning and the willingness to keep going even when something becomes challenging.
The questions in this quiz will help you think about what determination means and how it helped you complete your Wild Project. You will reflect on how your team solved problems, worked together and continued improving your project throughout the week.
Think about moments when your team had to adjust your plans, gather new materials or try a different approach. These are all examples of determination in action.
Take your time and read each question carefully. Think about your experiences during the week and how you showed perseverance while helping create habitat structures for wildlife.
When you finish the quiz, you will receive your Week 9 certificate. Each certificate you earn shows that you are not only learning about the natural world but also developing important life skills such as determination, collaboration and responsibility for the environment.
