11 Mar 2020
2020 is the International Year of Plant Health and thanks to a collaboration with Farrer and Mawson Primary Schools and Carol Quashie-Williams from the Department of Agriculture, students across the ACT will soon know a lot more about plant health.
Last year in conjunction with year six students at Mawson and Farrer Primary Schools, Carol developed a card game based on Australia’s national priority plant pests.
The game will help students understand the importance of plant health in Australia and the potential these pests have to damage our environment and way of life.
In coming weeks, the card game will be distributed across ACT Public Schools.
Year 5 at Farrer Primary came alive as students played the game, prompting a series of insightful questions.
Carol is an entomologist and has been involved with the school for many years as a parent and is now Farrer Primary School's scientist in residence.
She is well respected by the students and advises and organises garden planting and pest eradication as well as specifically working with some of the year 6 students to give them real life experiences in science.
“Carol’s background and passion for working with students provides our students with an invaluable opportunity to understand the real-life applications of science,” said Farrer Primary STEM teacher, Katheryn Elliot.
This work is central to Farrer’s Environment Centre that was opened in 2000.
More information regarding plant pests and the card game can be found here 
.