The much anticipated Year 6 Canberra Tour was a huge success.
Over 60 students prepared themselves and their luggage to set off for our nation’s Capital in the early hours of Monday the 19th of September.
The four-day educational tour gave students an opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy.
In order to take full advantage of the many attractions Canberra had to offer, the tour began early with the students arriving at Adelaide Airport at 5.00 am and the itinerary was certainly jam packed! The tour included visits to National Museum of Australia, Parliament House, Australian War Memorial, and the Australian Institute of Sport.
The students also visited Questacon, Government House, Mt Ainslie Lookout, Deep Space Communication Complex, National Electoral Education Centre, CSIRO Discovery Centre and National Capital Museum. Students took part in a range of activities, met a number of different people and enjoyed everything that our Capital has to offer.
In between these venues we enjoyed a driving tour of the embassies, a cycle around part of Lake Burley Griffin, a movie night at Dendy Cinemas and plenty of stops at playgrounds and parks to run around and have a bite of lunch or morning tea.
Nights were spent at Leumeah Lodge where we were treated to comfortable beds and hearty meals to give us the energy to engage in rich learning experiences throughout the day.
Many of the students found Questacon and the Australian Institute of Sport highlights because of the interactive component.
“I really enjoyed the Australian War Memorial because I learnt lots of facts about people who sacrificed their lives to save our country. It made me feel inspired and grateful to be a part of this incredible country!” – Imogen
“I love how I got to see all the different places in Canberra; I was able to discover how it was designed, who designed it and what the ‘triangle’ means. I particularly enjoyed the AIS as I got to play basketball with my friends and it was a great experience” – Ivy
“I really liked Parliament House because it was cool to see where the politicians did all of their arguing and where laws are made. I also enjoyed the role play of passing the bill, ‘banning adverts during children’s television programmes’. It was a highlight because we got to experience what being in parliament was actually like.” – Skye
The tour linked to many parts of the Year 6 curriculum, particularly the Civics and Citizenship Learning Areas and the Learning Area: The World Around Me from our DARE – Year 6 Graduate Diploma. The Australian Government supports such tours to Canberra and is acknowledged below:
The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit their national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist us in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government contributed $60 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) program towards the costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion. SPW would like to thank the Australian Government for their support of this program.