MPS Grade 1’s Explore Tree Hollows and Local Wildlife

Last Friday, Up2Us had the pleasure of visiting Mansfield Primary School to spend an hour with the Grade 1 students learning about the important role trees play in supporting wildlife. The session focused on animals that rely on tree hollows, a critical habitat feature for many native species in our region.

Kim shared a short presentation highlighting a variety of local animals that use hollows for shelter and breeding, explaining why trees take many years to form hollows and how human impacts like vegetation fragmentation affect wildlife movement across the landscape. The children were thrilled to meet Frosty, our feathertail glider “ambassador,” who provided a close-up look at one of these fascinating hollow-dependent animals.

Rhiannon then led an interactive game of “Habitat Musical Chairs,” designed to help students visualise the impacts of habitat loss. In the game, chairs represented trees, and each child chose a hollow-dependent animal. As the music played, the “woodcutter” slowly removed chairs, showing how fewer trees mean fewer homes for animals. The children quickly realised how habitat loss affects the survival of wildlife and began to make connections between their local environment and the needs of native species.

The session was full of curiosity, fun, and learning, giving the young students an engaging introduction to environmental stewardship and the importance of preserving habitats for wildlife in the Mansfield region.