Nature provides something for everyone regardless of the age
The outdoor environment offered is where inspiration and creativity can take root, where curiosity and spontaneity can be realised, and where risk and failures can be experienced.
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- Bush Survival Activities
- Bush Discovery Activities
- Bush Adventure Activities
- Team Building Activities
- Fire & Food Activities
- Night Activities
- Wellness Activities
- Off-site Activities
Nature provides something for everyone regardless of age, culture, physical disposition or level of disadvantage. The outdoor learning environment cuts across multiple curriculum areas, engaging students of all ages in open-minded interactions, spontaneity, discovery, exploration, risk-taking, connection to nature and survival.
Learn how to build a bush shelter from materials right before your eyes. Children will gain an insight into geographical direction, essential items to pack for camping and rescue methods, before working in small teams to build a ‘bush shelter’.
Children of all ages find fire fascinating and it is one of the most important survival skills an aspiring adventurer can learn. While the risks within a fire are real, teaching children to have a healthy respect for fire and the rules around its use, provides them with a life skill and minimises the risk of serious harm or injury. Students will learn the seasonal bans on fires, understand fire safety, build a fire ring, gather enough wood to last a period of time before building and lighting a fire.
Our creeks and river systems become a natural food source for those surviving in the bush however it is important to understand sizing, sex and bag limits for sustainability. Students will learn how to make a simple marron net and wait for their catch. Once on shore, students will measure and decide if it’s big enough to eat or needs to be returned. Catches of size will take part in a marron race – who has caught a winner. Depending on season, marron taste samples will be available. Catch and release program
Being outdoors can help regulate emotions, socialise and develop a greater intellectual flexibility and awareness. Our massive outdoor learning environment provides the opportunity for students to engage in open-ended, diverse and meaningful learning experiences that are connected to nature.
Nukara Farm is home to an abundance of flora and fauna. Sneak through the trails set among old river gums and capture notes and photographs of seasonal animals and plants. Students will gain an insight into the re-vegetation and sustainability plan delivered over many years and how Nukara is protecting the property for the future.
Treasure Hunt Orienteering
Groups are broken into smaller teams to solve a series of clues that will lead them by compass to the hidden locations where they will collect further directions before finding their way to a hidden treasure chest with a mystery prize inside.
Night Bush Walk
See the colors of Nukara Farm change as the sun goes down and the sky becomes lit by a sky of infinite stars. Students will gain an insight around stars such as the Southern Cross for orienteering before receiving directional instructions to return to camp. You may be able to get a sneak peak at a possum while nature’s wildlife starts to wake on your return.
Birds of Prey
A rehabilitation centre for injured birds of prey, Just Raptors share their knowledge on how to save and protect natural wildlife and obtain an understanding on the importance of these birds to our ecosystem. Students will be able to get up close and personal with holding one of the very precious Birds of Prey.
Nature is the perfect leveler, it’s not just for those who are physically capable. Every child has a mastery level they are comfortable with. Providing them with a variety of natural resources and materials from the bush to create with, will open their minds. Students will be able to relax in our spacious surrounds and be inspired to create with multiple bush art tools including native grasses, plants and nuts to create their very own hand made Nukara momento.
As the empirical and anecdotal evidence in the outdoor adventure field begins to unfold, the proliferation of evidenced-based research grows exponentially. The unique opportunities within the natural and social environments offered by outdoor adventure activities provide varying contexts in which these positive connections are made.
Raft making is a team challenge in which students will work together to build a raft from tyre tubes, planks, ropes, empty water containers and floats. Students will learn the skill of tying basic knots and flotation before taking the raft to the dam and racing the challenging team to the finish line without getting wet.
Each student will make their way from one side of the dam to see if they can make it to the other without a dip in between. Students will be challenged by moving ropes and chilly winter water as they attempt to stay dry during their attempt. Water depth approximately 10cm.
The very heart of archery is learning a step-by-step method for drawing a bow and shooting an arrow. Delivered by experienced local instructors, ensuring safety first with maximum enjoyment, students will feel like Robin Hood. Participants must be 9 years old or above. Instructors provided, additional supervision to be provided by the group.
School camp is a fantastic opportunity for children to develop new skills, friendships and interests. Team building activities assist children to develop supportive relationships not only with different children, but also with their teachers. It can also assist improved social skills as children interact together and treat others with respect.
Bush Game Roundup
Kids need time and space to process all of the information they receive day to day. An hour spent around in the grass, under the trees gives them the brain space to build strong connections to all of that knowledge.
Unlike many single player games, many old fashioned games invite cooperation and communication. Playing outdoor games gives the opportunity to do something fun and active together while allowing team mates to use their strengths and weakness as a team advantage.
Choose any THREE (3) of the below for an activity filled with grunt, heave-ho, a touch of skill and it’s anyone’s game: Scoring Coits, Tug-A-War, Bocce Ball, Croquet, Frisbee Echidnas, Giant Jenga or Elastics
Ready, Set, Go. Have your students racing in all fashioned team racing games including egg and spoon, three legged, sack and flag. When people play games together, memories are made. Available as day or night activity.
An awesome icebreaker where participants will be blindfolded and have to get through an obstacle course with instructions from only one leader. It is a game of communication and trust, and also ensures your participants will have a great time together. Activity concludes with a debriefing session to discover how they felt to be blindfold and having to trust someone as their leader.
Participants are challenged to work as a team to navigate a ball around a tarpaulin for as long as possible without the ball falling through a hole or off the tarp completely. Driving open communication and cooperation will improve technique on each attempt.
Set up Camp
Groups will be provided a range of camping equipment to set up in the quickest time but also the most accurately. Some pieces may be missing? The hunt will be on to find what can be used as an alternative measure to ensure a good nights sleep. Once the camp has been checked, groups will de-construct the camp and place all items in the same packaging as when they commenced. The clock is ticking – who is winning.
Fire & Food
It is important to teach children and teenagers how to cook! From developing fine motor skills, to practicing math, to reducing picky eating – the benefits are endless. By the time children reach their teens they should be able to cook dinner for the family by themselves! What mum doesn’t like the sound of that?
Camp Oven Cooking
We know it tastes good and we need to eat but teaching kids to cook has many benefits. Our children want to be independent, they want to succeed at something, they want to feel validated and helpful and useful. When they know that they are able to cook something that tastes good, that the whole family will enjoy eating, it grows their confidence. Children will assist in putting together a variety of slow cooked camp oven dinners using beef, lamb, chicken and vegetarian produce and accompanied with hot damper and a delicious dessert.
From 1 April – 30 September, our Team Leader will make the most of a bed of hot fire coals so students and teachers will be able to enjoy an evening by the camp fire.
From 1 October – 31 March camp ovens will be cooked on gas burners.
All include seasonal vegetables and herbs from our organic orchard.
1 April – 30 September
Damper is a traditional dense Australian bread that long ago was made by stock men travelling long distances and carrying only basic food rations. And today, everyone seems to love a feed of hot damper dripping with butter, honey, golden syrup or jam. Prepare your damper on a stick, sit patiently as it cooks over hot coals before enjoying a tasty snack.
Nukara’s creative indoor and outdoor spaces provides guests more opportunity to utilise every minute of the day. In today’s society, many children reside to app based activity or entertainment at the earliest opportunity. Keep them engaged with a group movie night or burn off some extra energy before bedtime so everyone can have a good night sleep.
After a busy day in the bush, relax in the Stone & Timber Barn and enjoy watching a favorite movie complete with popcorn.
Glow in the Dark Soccer
Play traditional soccer under infinite stars with light up balls and players adorned with glow sticks. This night activity allows everyone to be involved regardless of their experience – it’s night time so who will see any mistakes.
1 April – 30 September (pizza oven)
1 October – 31 March (oven)
Busy days bring a big appetite and we know most people love pizza. Cooked in a hand built pizza oven, participants will have their taste buds oozing with fresh home made pizzas loaded with a variety of meat, vegetable and herb toppings.
Our beliefs about ourselves are the single most telling factors in determining our success and happiness in life. A child’s self-image is a direct result of the kind of reinforcement he or she receives on a daily basis. Empowering young children means ensuring they have a healthy mindset about themselves and what they can accomplish in life.
Respect is defined as a feeling or understanding that someone or something is important or serious and should be treated in an appropriate way. There are critical components of respect that children need to learn at an early age: respect for themselves, and respect for others. Our Empowerment Coaches can assist teaching children that they are the most important person in their life, boundaries to protect their physical and emotional health and how to model respect for others through words and actions.
The result of teaching these valuable practices is that they foster self-confidence that promotes a person’s ability to reach his or her potential. It also creates the tolerance to accept people from diverse backgrounds and cultures, and promote harmony in our world.
A quote will be provided once student numbers are confirmed.
Beyond coping with a crisis, providing kids with meditation as a tool encourages lifelong, healthy habits with oodles of benefits: Meditation improves your child’s ability to focus and learn in the classroom, and the self-regulation skills developed through a meditation practice can elevate a child’s mood, improve sleeping habits, and help him to regulate emotions, reactions and responses, resulting in reduced stress and anxiety levels. A reflective practice, meditation redirects kids from reflexive or impulsive thought and behavior patterns. By teaching children meditation, basic coping mechanisms are in place should she experience pain, trauma or challenges.
A quote will be provided once student numbers are confirmed.
Our children live in a hurry-up world of busy parents, school pressures, incessant lessons, video games, malls, and competitive sports. The bustling pace of our children’s lives can have a profound effect on their innate joy—and usually not for the better. Children derive enormous benefits from yoga. Physically, it enhances their flexibility, strength, coordination, and body awareness. In addition, their concentration and sense of calmness and relaxation improves. Doing yoga, children exercise, play, connect more deeply with the inner self, and develop an intimate relationship with the natural world that surrounds them. Yoga brings that marvelous inner light that all
children have to the surface.
A quote will be provided once student numbers are confirmed.
Nukara Farm is located in the heart of Nanson, Shire of Chapman Valley. Below are some outside excursions you may wish to include in your School Camp Itinerary. Websites with contact information have been provided, or we can provide pricing as part of our quote.
Chapman Valley Museum
Located in the heart of the Nanson Hamlet the Chapman Valley Museum is a treasure even visiting anthropologists cannot resist. The Museum is home to an impressive display of old farm machinery, vehicles, local history and photos brought to you by the Chapman Valley Historical Society. The Chapman Valley Historical Society is a community group dedicated to preserving and promoting our local history, which includes local pioneers, railway and mining. Treat yourself to a visit at the Chapman Valley Museum, you’ll be surprised by what you’ll discover.
Chapman Valley Fish Park
Chapman Valley Fishing Park offers a fun, affordable and unique social escape with no fishing experience or equipment necessary. At our catch and release fishing park you can cast a line for silver perch and black bream all year round, fish for barramundi in Summer or try your hand at the marron pond.
Fish for an hour or the whole day, the choice is yours. With all your fishing gear supplied, refreshments available at our café and plenty of landscaped picnic and barbeque areas, Chapman Valley Fishing Park is an easy place to laze away the hours.
Chapman Valley is home to some beautiful historic Churches including one designed by Monsignor Hawes, which is features in a Monsignor Hawes trails guide.
The Church of Our Lady Fatima, built in 1939 is located within 2km from Nukara Farm. To find out more about our Churches and other historic buildings please contact the Shire on 9920 5011.