Native Wisteria: our 2027 OSHC Diary cover, and 3 ways to explore it with school-age children
Meet Austrocallerya megasperma, the native wisteria on our 2027 OSHC Diary, plus three MTOP-linked ideas for before and after school care.
Each of our 2027 covers is named after an Australian native plant. The OSHC Diary wears Native Wisteria, and here is a little about it, plus three easy ways to explore it with your school-age children.
Meet the Native Wisteria
Austrocallerya megasperma is a vigorous rainforest climber from south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales. It winds its way up into the canopy and then spills back down in generous sprays of mauve pea flowers, followed by big velvety seed pods.
We chose it for the OSHC Diary because a great OSHC service works the same way, wrapping itself around the school day and filling every gap with something worth turning up for.
Bring it into your program
Three simple experiences, each with a link to MTOP (My Time, Our Place) so you can drop it straight into your planning.
1. Race you to the top
Plant climbing beans around a bamboo teepee and measure the leaders every week. Whose bean wins the month? Graph the race on the wall and take bets (in jellybeans).
MTOP: Outcome 4 (children develop skills of measurement, prediction and comparison).
2. Inside a pea flower
Pea flowers have secret architecture: a big banner petal, two wings and a keel. Pick some garden pea or sweet pea flowers and let the children dissect them with tweezers to find all four parts.
MTOP: Outcome 4 (children investigate and use scientific vocabulary).
3. Weave a canopy
Give the group fabric strips, ribbon and rope and let them weave a shade canopy through a fence or frame, their own wisteria. A multi-afternoon project that belongs to everyone.
MTOP: Outcome 1 (children feel they belong) and Outcome 3 (collaboration and wellbeing).
Notice and document
As the children build and test, capture the running story of your service in the OSHC Diary. That is the Butler Method in action, planning from real interest and making the learning visible.
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