Early Years (Preschool – Year 2)
We take a trip into the Territory’s past to explore how the environment influences home design, the materials used, and how these have evolved over time.
Program snapshot
Let’s take a look at the homes that have been built in the Northern Territory. Why did Aboriginal peoples build their homes from bark or spinifex? Why are some houses elevated, with louvres or breezeways? We take a trip into the Territory’s past to explore how the environment influences home design, the materials used, and how these have evolved over time.
Session name: Home Architects
Available days: Tuesday to Friday.
Time: Session commences at 10am. The session will run for approximately 50 minutes.
Curriculum: The program addresses learning outcomes in the NT Preschool Curriculum and the Australian Curriculum
Location: Northern Territory Library, inside Parliament House, 4 Bennett Street, Darwin City
Booking and enquiries: All enquiries and bookings to be made via email at: lant.education@nt.gov.au.
Learning experiences and curriculum links
Students will:
- Hop aboard the exhibition’s tour bus to see the Territory landscapes.
- Explore why we need a home and which homes would be more comfortable in our environment.
- Design and build their own home with craft materials, and explain why certain features were chosen.
The session links to the Northern Territory Preschool Curriculum:
- Outcome 2.4 Connectedness – become socially responsible and show respect for the environment
- Outcome 4.4 Learning and Thinking – Engage in creative and inventive ways of thinking and doing
- Outcome 5.3 Communication – express ideas and make meaning using a range of media
The session links to the Australian Curriculum:
Technologies - Design and Technologies
- Identify how people design and produce familiar products, services and environments and consider sustainability to meet personal and local community needs.
- Explore the characteristics and properties of materials and components that are used to produce designed solutions
General Capabilities
- Critical and creative thinking
Before your visit:
- Explore the different environmental landscapes across the Northern Territory.
- Investigate different materials and design features that can be used to build houses.
After your visit:
- The facilitated session goes for 50 minutes and incorporates the All Aboard and Home sections of A Territory Story exhibition. You may choose to allow extra time for students to explore other sections of the exhibition, after this session, under your own guidance.
- Library & Archives NT staff will email you a link to view and download images and video clips from the session as evidence of students’ learning.
- Share your own photos and video clips of students’ designs with the class to reinforce the learning about the materials and features of houses in the Northern Territory. If sharing publicly please use #educationLANT to share with us.
- Reinforce and further develop students’ knowledge of materials and design features that work with or against environmental factors. Incorporate sustainability aspects into the discussions.
- Search the Library & Archives NT website to locate resources that will complement planned classroom topics for the school year.
Session Supervision
The session is facilitated by a Visitor Experience Librarian. To ensure the best experience for all, duty of care, including supervision of student behaviour, is the responsibility of the class teacher. It is expected that students will behave in a respectful manner and be aware that other people may be visiting the exhibition at the same time. We look forward to welcoming students, teachers and accompanying adults.
Excursion Details
The journey to get to the Library is part of your excursion experience, so please read about how to make a booking and getting here.