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Botanic Gardens
Here is everything you need to know about our excursion to the Botanic Gardens.
Where and what
The Botanic Gardens! We enjoy the beauty of the gardens together: We smell, see, touch and explore the plant life; hop over the river rocks; look for lizards; and we are often treated to a personalised tour of selected parts of the gardens (with our brilliant German-speaking, early-childhood qualified, experienced botanic gardens guide). We have a fun morning tea on the lawns, and then start our expedition on foot back to the GAP.
When
Date as per our email to families. In case of rain, you will get an email in the morning advising you to meet as usual at the GAP, and that we are postponing the excursion until a future date.
Timings and transport
Families arrange their own transport to drop off children at the Botanic Gardens. Here is a map to find the Botanic Gardens.
Please bring your child to the assembly point at the Botanic Gardens parking lot (turn right as you enter the car park) at 8:30am, where one of the teachers will welcome you. If you are running late, please ring the GAP mobile on 0481 590 656.
The staff and children will return to the GAP on foot. We stop along the way to rest, drink water and share treats, and arrive at GAP by around 12:30pm. We resume our normal program there.
Pick up is at 2:30 at the GAP, as usual.
Cost
Excursion fees cover any tour guide or entry fees, and are added to your statement on the day of the excursion. This excursion is approximately $5 to $7 per child.
What to bring
Please pack:
- your child’s backpack with their lunch and water bottle in. Their lunch will be transported back to GAP.
- your child’s morning tea in a disposable bag/container clearly labelled with your child’s name. Please pack something which can easily be eaten at the Gardens (eg. rice crackers or fruit; not yogurt).
Children will be given their red GAP sun hats at the Gardens in the morning. Dress for the outdoors, as always.
Staff and parent volunteers
There will be three or more GAP teachers/director supervising this excursion.
Parent volunteers are needed. We will need four parent helpers (one to take all the backpacks back to the GAP (in their car around 8:30am), and three or more parent helpers to accompany us).
Please don’t bring siblings* – volunteers will have their hands full with the GAP children. *Babies are accepted as long as they are in a carrier pouch, and we maintain our supervision ratios including the baby.
We will maintain a minimum 4:1 ratio of children:adults for this excursion. (A class of 22 children requires 6 adults.) More adults is preferable, as we have to cross Barry Drive on our way home.
On the walk back to GAP
Our walk takes us through the ANU campus, across Barry Drive at the lights, and straight up McCaughey Street to Masson Street.
Teachers and parent helpers will carry the children’s water bottles so we can pause to refresh ourselves periodically throughout the journey. Parent helpers are asked to bring a backpack (with a big plastic bag liner) to help with this too.
Permission
Please sign the Excursion Authorisation Signature Sheet when you drop off your child on the day of the excursion.
Contingency plans
If we are running late returning to GAP, we will ring the Playschool management to let them know. In the highly unlikely event that anything would cause us to arrive at GAP after pick up time, the Playschool will notify parents directly.
We are looking forward to an exciting excursion!