Karen Player, Author at Australian Environmental Education

May 7, 2023May 8, 2023

Roaring Back in Time

National Dinosaur Day is a time to celebrate Australian Dinosaurs is celebrated on 7 May every year. This special day is a time to recognize and appreciate these incredible prehistoric creatures that roamed the Earth millions of years ago.

The first known dinosaur fossil was discovered in England in the early 1800s. Since then, hundreds of species have been identified all over the world, including Australia. The study of dinosaurs has provided us with invaluable insights into the evolution of life on our planet.

Queensland, in particular, boasts some of Australia’s most significant dinosaur discoveries. The Dinosaur Trail and Winton is the gateway to the prehistoric past. I visited the world-renowned Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum last year, you can see ongoing fossil discoveries and even participate in dinosaur digs. One of the most remarkable dinosaur fossil discoveries in the areas is “Banjo,” Australia’s most complete carnivorous dinosaur.

Whether you are a lifelong dinosaur enthusiast or just starting to learn about these amazing creatures, today is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate their place in history and learn more about the science behind their existence. With new discoveries and advancements in technology, the study of dinosaurs continues to fascinate and inspire people of all ages. So why not join in the fun and celebrate? You never know what you might learn!

March 1, 2023May 8, 2023

SeaWeek 2023

SeaWeek is Australia’s major national public awareness campaign to focus community awareness and appreciation of the sea. This week-long event is held every year in March and provides a great opportunity to learn about marine environment. So, take a dive under the water this SeaWeek and explore our amazing marine environments with me.

It was great to be able to spend time diving over the last few week exploring the marine environment around Sydney.

Explore the amazing diversity of Marine Life. Take a journey beneath the waves to explore this wonderful world. Learn about some of these incredible animals, their adaptions and habitats with the resources below.

Where the river meets the sea title slide

Follow the journey of water down the river through the catchment to the sea. Water is essential for all forms of life and the small amount of available freshwater create competing pressures for our water resources.

January 2, 2023January 7, 2023

2022: it’s a wrap

What a year it has been! 2022 started with continued restrictions in the education sector. As the year progressed restrictions were reduced and face to face session were able to resume. It was also great to participate in community events again.

Australian Environmental Education 2022 in review

15,000 people were reached across all the programs and events during 2022. Over 150,000 people visited 250,000 pages across the website for their earth and environmental science needs. There were 6.6 million impressions on Google, with the Noises in the Night , Geologic Timescale and the Scientific Method the top 3 performing pages.

Different animals eggs, features and furs

Awards

Finalist in the 2022 Local Business Awards: Northern Districts for Outstanding Education Services and Outstanding Business Person of the Year.

Australian Environmental Education was awarded ‘Top Sustainability Blogs’ of 2022 by Twinkl

2022 was a great year and I’m looking forward to see what 2023 brings.

December 21, 2022December 23, 2022

Amazing Minerals

Last week I visited the new Minerals Exhibition at the Australian Museum. It was amazing to see the minerals collection on display again. All my old favourite specimens were back along with new specimens and interactives.

I have loved rocks and minerals my whole life and started my rock collection when I was 4 years old. Thankfully it has improved in quality since then and I have moved past painting river stones in my backyard.

One of my favourite objects from the old museum’s display has always been a large Molybdenite specimen. Molybdenite is extremely soft with a metallic luster.

I would talk about that specimen when I took highlight tours as a volunteer at the Australian Museum over 25 years ago. I loved that is was a metal, but very soft and that one of its uses was as an industrial lubricant. There are so many other stories connected with the amazing mineral collection and my time at the museum. It was an honour to be able share my passion with visitors for so many years.

If you don’t already have one, I challenge you to find your favourite rock or mineral. Why not start your search at your local natural history museum and find your passion.

If you are in Sydney check out the new minerals exhibition at the Australian Museum. A visit to this new exhibition is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon or explore with the kids school holidays.

November 28, 2022January 5, 2023

Adventures on the Great Barrier Reef

I was very excited to get back to the Great Barrier Reef last week. I stayed out on Ocean Quest for 5 days diving Norman and Saxon Reefs. Over the 5 days I went on 12 amazing dives and 4 snorkels exploring both reefs.

The Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage site that stretches more than 2,000km. The reef can be seen from space and is under threat. No other World Heritage site contains so much biodiversity — more than 1,500 species of fish, 400 species of coral, 4,000 species of molluscs, and 240 species of birds. Don’t forget all the sponges, anemones, marine worms, crustaceans and other species.

The variety of fish life is staggering, everywhere you look, you see something new hiding amongst the coral or out on the sand. The photos don’t do it justice.

Sometimes you only get a glimpse, but that is enough to see my first Hammerhead Shark.

The team from Deep Sea Divers Den were fabulous, all the staff from the kitchen to the dive crew made my stay an incredible adventure. I’m already planning my trip next year.

A big thanks also goes out to Saara & Lachie and Claudio and Natalie for letting me join their dives and for sharing their photos and video footage with me.

November 14, 2022December 2, 2022

Coastcare Week

Coastcare Week 2022 is about discovering what you can do to help protect our coasts and marine environments. Australian Environmental Education has a range of free resources to show what you can do to help protect our coasts, no matter where you live across Australia.

Plastic and rubbish washed up on the shore from oceans

Where the rivers meet the sea

Explore of the interactions between the land and sea. Eighty-five percent of Australians live within 50km of the coast. This session looks at the waste that washes downstream in our catchments, the impacts it has on our estuaries, wetlands and coastal areas where the rivers meets the sea.

Watch Where the rivers meet the sea session

Marine Life

Take a journey beneath the waves with Karen from Australian Environmental Education to explore Australia’s amazing marine life. Discover different marine habitats and the animals that live there.

Clockwise: male White’s seahorse, stars and stripes puffer, mourning cuttlefish and common stingaree — © John Turnbull

Watch the Marine Life session

How to conduct a beach survey

Recognise Coastcare Week by learning how you can conduct a beach survey. Our coasts are impacted by our actions on land. Rubbish and microplastics can be found washed up on almost every Australian beach. Join Karen from Australian Environmental Education to learn more about micro plastics and how to conduct a beach survey.

Detail of hands holding colander with microplastics on the beach

Watch the Beach Survey session

Caring for our Oceans

Coastcare Week is about working together to care for our coastal and marine environments. Our coasts are impacted by our actions on land. Rubbish and microplastics can be found washed up on almost every Australian beach. These are great activities to do with your high school students.

The Beach Survey provides a starting point to understand the types of rubbish in the marine environment.

Beack Survey

The Beach Clean up can help you work together as a team and community to remove this of rubbish.

Beach Clean up

Find out more about the impacts on plastics in our oceans.

Download Impacts of Marine Litter resource

November 7, 2022January 4, 2023

Cicadas Chorus

In Australia we know it is summer when the Cicadas starts their chorus. Cicadas are the loudest insects in the world and emerge from their underground world in late spring and summer. The peak Cicada season is November and December.

Cicadas Red Eye Cicada on tree — Red Eye Cicada Psaltoda moerens

Cicadas spend most of their life underground with many large Australian species living underground as nymphs for around 6-7 years. This is why in certain years some species are more abundant than others, there is often peaks every few years.

Listen out for the sounds of cicadas and keep an eye out for their exoskeletons on trees, walls, fences and shrubs.

The life of an adult cicada is very short, lasting only a few weeks. The female cicada lays its eggs by piercing plant stems and inserting the eggs into the slits it has made. The eggs hatch and are small, wingless nymphs. They fall to the ground and burrow below the surface. They live on the sap from plant roots and when the nymph reaches full size it digs its way to the surface. The nymphs then climbs on to a tree trunk or other object and sheds its skin for the last time. The fully-winged adult cicada which emerges leaves its old empty skin behind.

Watch the Cicada Lifecycle video form the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

Did you know?

Australia has an estimated 750 to 1000 species of cicada
Only male cicadas sing. They do this in an attempt to find a mate.
Different species have different songs to attract only their own kind.
Adult cicadas have short lives, usually only a few weeks.
Most of their lives are spent as nymphs underground. For some species this can be up to several years.
Cicadas feed only on plant sap using their piercing, sucking mouthparts.
Cicadas feed on a huge range of plants, including eucalypts and grasses.
Birds, bats, spiders, wasps, ants, mantids and tree crickets all prey on cicadas.

I heard a weird cicada sound during a walk around the Badu Wetlands in Sydney Olympic Park. As I got closer, I discovered a Praying Mantis devouring a cicada.

If you love cicadas too follow Cicadarama. They are an Australian-based project focused on learning about the lives of cicadas. They need your help, become a Citizen Scientist and log your Cicada sighting. https://www.cicadarama.com/

October 30, 2022October 31, 2022

FrogID Week 2022

FrogID Week 2022 is on between 11 – 20 November. This is the fifth FrogID Week and you can get involved. Australia is home to about 240 species of native Amphibians, all of which are frogs. In urban areas, human development has reduced the natural habitat available to frogs. FrogID Week is a great way to learn about frogs living in your backyard.

Perons Tree Frog on fern — Peron’s Tree Frog

Help to record frog calls during FrogID Week using the free app and uncover which frogs live in your backyards, local parks and bushlands. Your recording can help identify changes to local frog populations and inform frog conservation across Australia. Download the free FrogID app today and help us count Australia’s frogs.

Watch the Focus on Frogs video to find out more about Frogs.

You can create a frog friendly garden

Frogs are very sensitive to water loss because their skin is permeable. This also means Frogs are really sensitive to chemicals. Frogs can end up absorbing chemicals that could harm or potentially even kill them. Pesticides can also deplete the frogs’ food source.

You can encourage frogs to come to live and breed in your backyard by creating a frog friendly garden. Create a small shallow pond in an area that is partly shaded or install a Frog Hotel.

Reducing chemicals use in your garden 

Creating a Frog Habitat 

Be patient and wait, if you build it they will come

Use FrogID to research the frogs that are found in you local area. This will help you work out what kind of habitat will suit your backyard best.

You can use PVC pipe to create a habitat for tree frogs. Frog Tubes are an easy way to provide somewhere safe for tree frogs to live too. Use a 1 metre length of PVC pipe and stick the base in the ground to tie them to a tree. It provides a really moist environment for tree frogs to hide in.

A Frog Hotel is a great option for tree frogs and provide them a safe place to hide during the day. Check out the video below for step by step instructions on how ro make a Frog Hotel.

Discover more about Frogs and some of their amazing adaptions. There are also lots of information to create a frog friendly backyard in your area.

October 5, 2022October 5, 2022

World Rivers Day

World Rivers Day is a celebration of the World’s Waterways!

It highlights the many values of our rivers, strives to increase public awareness, and encourages the improved stewardship of all rivers around the world. Rivers in virtually every country face an array of threats, and only through our active involvement can we ensure their health in the years ahead.

Australia has 439 rivers, many of these rivers are quite small and are tributaries that flow into larger rivers.

A river is a natural watercourse flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of water.

A meandering stream has a single channel that winds snakelike through its valley. As water flows around these curves, the outer edge of water is moving faster than the inner.

Find out more about rivers

What are Rivers

September 14, 2022September 15, 2022

Underwater at Shelly Beach

It was great to get back in the water after a long winter break. Hearing that there were Port Jackson Sharks (PJs) at Shelly Beach got me in the water today. I lost count after about 25, there were PJs everywhere. They varied in colour and most were under a metre long.

Port Jackson Shark

Port Jackson Shark, Heterodontus portusjacksoni are very common tis time of year, between May – October. The teeth of the Port Jackson Shark are not serrated and are used to hold and break, then crush and grind the shells of molluscs and sea urchins.

Giant Cuttlefish

The Giant Cuttlefish Sepia apama are one of my favourite animals to find on a dive. On our way back to shore I spotted one under under a rocky ledge and was excited to see a second Cuttle hiding too. They are inquisitive and playful and came out in the open to check us out.

Blue Groper

The Eastern Blue Groper Achoerodus viridis is a familiar sight for Sydney Divers. The friendly Blue Groper often follows you around while you are on a dive. I have been surprised more than once to turn around and be face to face with one of these guys. You can find out more about the Blue Groper on the Australian Museum website

Smooth Stingray

We saw several Smooth Stingrays Bathytoshia brevicaudatais hiding in the sand when we were on the way back to shore. One was on top of the sand and the other had covered itself in sand. You could just see the outline of the stingray and the eyes sticking out above the sand. The Smooth stingray are the largest stingray in the world, but sometimes still hard to spot. Check out the video below (not my video).

What can you do to help preserve this amazing environment?

Remove any rubbish that you find in the water or on the beach
Remove any bits of fishing line and nets that you see
Be aware that what you do on land impacts our marine systems downstream