Grandparents - Primary Ethics

Barry: A highlight of my week

For Seniors Week 2026, we asked some of our over-70 volunteers to tell us about their experience with us. There is no age limit to ethics volunteering – we have volunteers in their late 80s. At 73, Barry Richardson is in his eighth year of volunteering with Primary Ethics.

Barry’s experience

Eight years ago, I was transitioning to retirement, moving from a five-day working week to three days. I saw an advert for ethics teachers in our local community Gazette, teaching at our local primary school, Artarmon, which my now very grown-up children had attended many years ago. What a great way to give something back to our wonderful community.

I thoroughly enjoyed the training and meeting an eclectic group of people of varying ages, backgrounds, experience and interests. The training introduced me to some great new skillsets.

My first ethics lessons were exciting, sometimes challenging, but always fun. It was like going back to school myself, with all that that brings.

I have been lucky enough to teach all ages and stages, at one time taking three classes a day. I’ve met some wonderful other volunteer teachers from our local area, as well as the school staff. It is both enjoyable and rewarding to be involved with young, active minds engaged in critical thinking and to learn about respectful discussion.

Without doubt, my classes have been a highlight of my week.

Barry

I am now retired and have moved to the inner west, where I have transitioned to teaching ethics at the local high school. More challenges, but always fun and certainly rewarding.

I also relief teach at the local primary school which three of my grandchildren attend or have attended. Having moved to a new area after 40 years in Artarmon, ethics volunteering has been a great way to meet many people in the community through the local school.

You’re never too old to be an ethics teacher!

Find out more about ethics

William: Ethics volunteering is meaningful, valuable and satisfying

For Seniors Week 2026, we asked some of our over-70 volunteers to tell us about their experience with us. There is no age limit to ethics volunteering – our oldest volunteer is currently 88. At 81, William Rodwell is in his ninth year of volunteering with Primary Ethics.

William’s experience

As an 81-year-old, I think it very worthwhile to let my fellow seniors into a secret. For those of you with an inquiring mind and an interest in our grandchildren’s and hence our society’s future, there is something for you that’s even better than the events of the NSW Seniors Festival. And you can enjoy it every week! That’s being a volunteer ethics teacher in a NSW school. I am now in my ninth year of volunteering and it is undoubtedly my most rewarding weekly activity.

My proximate motivation for volunteering to teach ethics was to ensure that my grandsons had access to the Primary Ethics programme at their primary school. To me it also felt important to find a way to contribute to society after I was no longer doing that through work. The ethics programme provided a meaningful and valuable way to do so. My grandsons are now well beyond primary school but teaching ethics is so satisfying that I continue to teach at their former school and now also at other schools.

We volunteer ethics teachers believe that the Primary Ethics curriculum provides a unique opportunity for school students. It develops their moral sensibilities, including the capacity to empathise with others, consider other peoples’ points of view, be aware of the relevance of intentions and circumstances to ethical decisions, and so on. The emphasis on the students providing reasoned arguments for their ethical standpoints also develops their capacity for critical thinking. To me critical thinking is as valuable as the ethics component, as it is especially important in this age of false information – it provides students with the tools to distinguish specious arguments from valid ones. The structure of our lessons as collaborative enquiry also develops the students’ ability to work together to reach a collective understanding of the ethical issues under discussion. Importantly this does not mean they have to agree with each other, but they should understand other students’ points of view, which is so important in our contemporary polarised society.

The most consistent advice I see given to seniors to maximise health and wellbeing is to maintain their social engagement and mental stimulation.

Being a volunteer ethics teacher provides both. The kids’ openness to ideas, joie de vie and capacity to think seriously about quite demanding concepts is a joy to behold. I think this interaction with children and seeing the value of the ethics program for students is very rewarding. In addition, I find the syllabus we teach stimulating and thought-provoking for me, which adds to my enjoyment of the role and has contributed to my own philosophical development.

Moreover, the social engagement does not end with the students. A group of people prepared to contribute their time to teaching ethics – ie the other volunteers at my schools – constitutes a lovely, supportive and interesting community. As an old person it’s a treat to be involved in a group covering an age range from parents of Kindy children to long-retired persons like me. Who wants to be confined to old peoples’ groups where the conversation inevitably turns to ailments, infirmities and funerals? Not me!

Why not join William as a volunteer in your local school?

When I suggest to retired people that they would enjoy becoming a Primary Ethics teacher they often say something like “I could never manage a group of primary school kids; it’s too daunting”. I was also anxious about this at first. I had been volunteering in several roles at my grandsons’ school, so I knew I enjoyed interacting with the pupils, but that’s not the same thing as controlling a class. However, the students are not generally little demons itching to cause trouble – most are delightful. In addition, in most primary schools a regular teacher sits in the class to help with any behaviour management issues. They don’t contribute to the teaching itself, but their mere presence is enough in most cases to ensure that the class behaves and they are there to help if some students don’t behave.

My only regret about embarking on volunteer ethics teaching is that my personal circumstances prevented me from becoming involved earlier!

William

Helen: Primary Ethics and ‘senior’ me

For Seniors Week 2026, we asked some of our over-70 volunteers to tell us about their experience as ethics volunteers. There is no age limit to ethics volunteering – our oldest volunteer is currently 88. In her later-70s, Helen Kerr-Roubicek is in her eighth year of volunteering with Primary Ethics.

Helen’s experience

When I took that Primary Ethics pamphlet at the Drummoyne Primary School fete, I opened the door to a very stimulating volunteering adventure. That was around eight years ago and I was approaching 70. I had three granddaughters at the school. After I began volunteering, while we only shared limited time in ethics classes together, I enjoyed the fact they now saw me in a broader role in their school context. They have all moved on to high school but I’m still here – loving being the coordinator for Primary Ethics of a brilliant team of nine volunteer teachers.

Over those years I have always found my PE journey stimulating, because I am challenged to think deeply about the philosophy and research behind contemporary issues. These form the background to the curriculum that is set out for we teachers to follow and facilitate in lessons.

When people ask me ‘so what do you tell the kids?’, I delight in explaining that it is not about ‘telling’. It is a community of enquiry approach that encourages students to think together about topics such as fairness, disagreeing respectfully, screen time and understanding diversity. They develop their own ideas and become more confident in expressing those to others and giving reasons for why they think what they think. They develop skills in reflecting and listening to what others think and say. PE is open to all faiths and belief systems. Mutual respect is a very important underpinning value for the classroom discussions.

People also ask ‘what’s involved as a volunteer?’ Then I can’t wait to explain that the setup has many amazing strengths:

It is very economical timewise and the time commitment is predictable – after training, a teacher typically needs to download and read over a lesson a few times and print copies of any pictures or activities in preparation for the average 35-minute lesson each week. There is a quick online feedback process after each lesson.
PE is an organisation that provides professional layers of user-friendly training and support. The technical support for the Internet materials is very effective and makes it easy to be involved with only basic skills (which are bound to improve as well). There is also good classroom support if issues arise and if all else fails there is a helpdesk at the end of the phone to clarify direction. All this is provided free – it is not expensive to become involved.
Undoubtedly the most exciting aspect is the opportunity to have regular contact with young people, exploring day to day issues with them, hearing their ideas and having the opportunity to support their personal growth.

After three to four years, I was offered the opportunity to become the PE team coordinator for the school. I was reluctant at first, lacking confidence. This is a liaison role with the school on all relevant matters including the setting up (online) and management of classes. Actually it has turned out to be a perfect extension of my favourite professional roles – resource linking, mentoring, recruiting, team building and with limited administration. There is also plenty of support for this role. And the best thing – it’s time limited too! Setting up at the beginning of each year is the busiest time.

Helen third from right with other Drummoyne volunteers.

Our team is made up of a balance of retired older people who have a range of rich professional and community experiences, and keen parents of current students who keep us in touch with school news. We manage our team organisation through a Whatsapp group and look forward to catching up at our end of term dinners.

Over the past four years I have been through some tough times personally as I journeyed with my husband in his experience of serious illness until his recent death. The care and support from my team and the school- from offering to take my classes or other tasks, to being available for ‘debrief’ coffees and messages – have made a real difference for me. And the regular classes with bright, lively faces each week ready for another discussion have provided a structure activity in my week that has also been helpful.

The camaraderie with my team and the wider PE community, including my regional manager, has been incredibly rewarding and uplifting. I realise as I look back over the eight years that this community building is at the heart of my PE experience and it is so good to feel that the lessons we provide are assisting students to do that in their own worlds.

Have I just been lucky with my school and team members? Would it be different somewhere else? There is no doubt that I have been fortunate and I know that there are many influences on how PE functions in different schools, including critical issues like when it is timetabled and how supportive the school executive is. But it is my belief now, that the community of enquiry approach as an underpinning of this program is right for this time and resonates with young people, parents, teachers and community members. Why else would we have growing numbers in our classes and more volunteers to teach in such a busy world?

Why not join Helen as an ethics volunteer in your local school?

Diana: Investing in future generations

For Seniors Week 2026, we asked some of our over-70 volunteers to tell us about their experience as ethics volunteers. There is no age limit to ethics volunteering – our oldest volunteer is currently 88. In her mid-70s, Diana Dagg is in her seventh year of volunteering with Primary Ethics.

Diana’s experience

I was drawn to this role because teaching ethics offered the chance to teach my grandchildren. Over the years I’ve taught ethics to two grandchildren at Arncliffe Public School (they’re now at high school) and currently two grandchildren at Marrickville West Public. But I discovered early on that this is much more than simply having an opportunity to spend time with my grandchildren.

Before I list the many benefits, it must be noted that ethics teaching is not just a cushy volunteering job. Without being too dramatic, becoming an ethics teacher is an investment of our time, our expertise and our belief in the importance of contributing to future generations.

To do the job properly, we as volunteers need to commit to preparing well for lessons, taking the time to learn our students’ names and to understand any of their particular needs. We must also be willing to ask for and accept advice from trainers and schoolteachers. There are lots of opportunities for continuous learning within the ethics teaching technique.

We don’t need to have been teachers before becoming ethics teachers. In fact, friends of mine who were schoolteachers before becoming ethics volunteers say they had to ‘unlearn’ the traditional teaching practice of rewarding ‘correct’ answers. This ethics teaching role is about helping our young students develop approaches to thinking for themselves.

Above all, to be authentic, we as volunteer ethics teachers must value and want to understand children.

Spending this teaching time with my grandchildren each week is rich with potential, including:

Hearing their opinions about issues that affect them
Meeting and hearing the opinions of their classmates as a group
Providing an intersection point for conversations with them outside of ethics
Meeting their teachers and understanding the school ‘culture’.

My relationship with my grandchildren has been strengthened by my ethics teaching role because:

we confidentially discuss (and I get to hear) what questions matter to them in our ethics class
their friends like and respect me as an ethics teacher using our humanitarian rules in class – that earns me points as a nanny!

There are many great things about this role apart from the strengthened bond with my grandchildren:

I have the opportunity to meet and work with students with disabilities, to help them learn
I have greater insight into the challenges teachers face each day
I’ve enjoyed some fun lunches and morning teas, sharing war stories with other ethics teachers.
I’m proud to be investing in future generations through rigorous teaching practice and a thoroughly researched ethics curriculum which reflects values similar to my own.

Are there rewards/benefits that I wasn’t expecting?

Hmm, probably it’s the opportunity to understand the needs of students with disabilities and to be mightily impressed by the skilled teachers who work with them. Also, the satisfaction of managing challenging situations well.

Any concerns about dealing with technology (EVIE) or coping with things like hearing impairment?

It’s been fine to use the technology but if there are problems, I know I can turn to the very helpful Primary Ethics staff on the Helpdesk or my ethics coordinator and/or school admin or teaching staff. I already have hearing aids (yikes!) so no probs with hearing in my classes.

Find out more about volunteering with us

My Journey as a Volunteer Ethics Teacher

COVID had an unexpected consequence for Lalita Kanetkar – it was the start of her journey to becoming an ethics teacher.

Lalita writes: During the COVID years, most parents had a very difficult and stressful time managing both their own jobs from home and the schoolwork of their children – particularly if the children were young. My younger daughter had a son in Year 1 and was dealing with her own job and home schooling. It got me wondering – could I be of any help with the home schooling?

When I put this to her, she was genuinely surprised … because, to be honest, I had never helped my girls with their schoolwork as they were growing up. Even so, my daughter accepted my offer. So the journey began, home schooling over Skype. I felt enormous relief and satisfaction when my grandson did really well that term, as evidenced by his school report. And so we continued with the home schooling and I had a sense of real success (in truth, the success belonged to my grandson!)

However, this success led to something quite unexpected. Around this time I started talking to a friend about Primary Ethics. She herself had been volunteering as an ethics teacher for a few years. My daughter’s encouragement and hearing about my friend’s experience got me really interested. I checked out the Primary Ethics website and registered my name. Following the interview, I undertook the training and so began my journey as a Primary Ethics teacher.

The intention of ethics education is to teach children the skills they need for critical thinking from a very young age - recognising that it is so important in life to listen to different opinions, learn to question and develop the confidence to express one’s own point of view. After all, there are so many occasions in life when it not only important but also difficult to make choices and decisions. For example, how do we know if the choices we make are ‘right’ or ‘wrong’? Have we considered how they might affect others?

Lalita Kanetkar

These are the sorts of dilemmas the ethics curriculum aims to help children consider by introducing simple and relatable stories about choices and decisions they must make in their daily lives. By asking many questions, the lessons try to get children to think about why they agree or disagree with the opinions and decisions made by different characters in the stories.

For example, for younger children from Kindergarten to Year 2, we use simple stories on issues such as hurt feelings, teasing, telling the truth, showing empathy or accepting an apology. Children are able to relate to the characters and talk about whether they agree or disagree with them and whether they themselves would behave differently in the same situation. Slightly older children, from Year 3 and above, will have developed the capacity to think and question more critically. Again using stories, we consider topics of a more complex nature – be it keeping animals in zoos, bragging, etc.

To assist in critical thinking, the curriculum also introduces logic – recognising that the skills for logical thinking are an essential ingredient of critical thinking.

Since 2021 ethics has also been taught in Years 7 and 8 of public high schools.

Of course this means there is a great need for volunteers. In order to volunteer as a teacher, you need to obtain a Child Protection Certificate and a Police clearance. You also need to undertake a short training course. However, there is no requirement to have teaching experience.

Of course, being a volunteer means there is no financial remuneration. So you may well ask, what have I personally gained through my ethics teaching experience?

Well, my class goes for 30 minutes and I can assure you it is the most enjoyable half hour spent in the company of young, inquiring minds. I started teaching this group of children when they were in Kindergarten. They are now entering Year 3. It has been so exciting for me to see how their thinking has developed, how well they are now able to express themselves, set out their views and listen to each other. They understand that it is important to respect the opinions of their classmates though they themselves may disagree with those opinions.

And then of course, there are some heartwarming incidents. When for example, a child impulsively says, “I like you!” And once when I told my class I was going to be away for a couple of weeks, they cried out, “We’ll miss you!” I found that so touching.

And finally, teaching ethics is influencing me to think critically about my own day to day activities. The other day after a hard morning of housework, I finally sat down to watch a movie on Netflix. When it finished I was considering whether to watch another. And then the critically thinking voice inside me started questioning whether this would me a just reward for all my hard work in the morning or was I perhaps succumbing to laziness?

What do you think? If you were to join me in an ethics class I would love to hear your views. Better still, why don’t you consider starting your own journey as a volunteer ethics teacher!

Find out about being an ethics volunteer

‘It’s a privilege’ – Kangaroo Valley ethics

Every Thursday in term time, three trained volunteers teach ethics at Kangaroo Valley Public School. In ethics classes, children from kindergarten onward are guided to develop their skills in critical thinking, ethical reasoning and respectful discussion. Ethics lessons explore everyday ethical issues such as truth and lying, getting even, being fair or unfair, cheating and friendship.

Michael Cox is entering his seventh year as an ethics volunteer. He started out teaching his grandchildren but they’ve moved on. Michael stayed because he wanted to keep contributing within his community and finds the course materials “excellent” and personally interesting.

“The course explores how we humans derive our sense of right and wrong and our principles such as honesty, fairness and equity, how we can live together in a way that facilitates human flourishing and wellbeing. We could do with a bit more of all that,” Michael says.

The capacity to evaluate

‘In these times where there is increasing blurring of what’s true and what’s not and lapses of ethical behaviour in some of our social institutions, I think children need to be equipped with the skills to reason out ethical dilemmas and to engage in respectful dialogue with others. And to develop the capacity to evaluate and make their own considered judgements about what they see, hear or read and to become proficient at spotting bias.”

Irene Dungey has also been volunteering for several years – in fact she taught ethics in Dapto and Port Kembla before moving to Kangaroo Valley.

“Initially, I was retired and searching for something to volunteer for in the community. When I heard about the ethics program, I was excited at the prospect of teaching something I believed in. I found my initial training excellent and we were given feedback that was very useful.

“When the fires went through the valley in 2020/21 our house was destroyed. By the time I was back on my feet I heard that ethics had started at our local school and here I am.”

Gai Halcrow also initially began teaching ethics outside of Kangaroo Valley. “I first volunteered for Berry Primary School when my child was in preschool. Then when he started at our local small school here in Kangaroo Valley, I joined Michael and started teaching my son as part of the kindergarten class. We are now up to Grade 4.”

Each of these volunteers greatly enjoys teaching ethics.

Says Michael, “I sometimes feel quite inspired by the ability of the children to address complex issues … when a child comes up with an insightful way of looking at a problem we’ve posed and others pick up on this and make a further contribution, even though there may be no clear black and white answer.

“I feel I’m making some humble contribution to the emerging generation of good citizens and community members. I would hope they feel that it has been of benefit to them in developing ways of figuring out what’s okay and why it is okay – or not. And we have a bit of fun.”

Irene echoes this. “The lessons constantly make me rethink some of the ideas I had about certain topics and hearing the children’s perspective is encouraging to me.

“I enjoy the interaction with the students. Giving them the space and time to think about the reasons for their decisions is, I believe, a big step towards them understanding and thinking more deeply about the question. Hearing what others think and say can guide their mind to thinking in another direction, other possibilities.”

What are Gai’s reasons for volunteering with Primary Ethics? “Firstly, volunteering with small schools is a really lovely way of being a part of this community. Secondly, I’m an aid worker by profession and I’ve always appreciated the values and ideas behind ethics and the types of discussions we have around social justice issues. Thirdly, the kids! Each ethics circle as the years have progressed, they bring their own perspectives and ways of thinking through topics.”

Pro-social behaviours

Michael explains how he came to be an ethics teacher. “I had never taught children before, but as a grandparent I have a personal interest in fostering the ability of children to think for themselves, solve problems in living and develop pro-social behaviours. Having retired from work I had the time available.

I undertook a two day in-person training course [there are also fully-online training courses]. I did not find the course material difficult, I think it is excellent and well thought out.”

Michael estimates that he spends 30 to 60 minutes in preparation each week, a bit of time printing out material [some people read the lesson scripts from a tablet], 20 minutes each way in travel. Kangaroo Valley’s class time is 50 minutes.

“The classes are discussion-based and follow a clear format provided in the lesson script each week. I don’t impose my own views but try to draw out ideas from the children using the course material provided. Questions are posed, stories read that raise issues for consideration within the group or sometimes in pairs.”

Irene feels that being an ethics teacher is a privilege. “To have the opportunity to teach children ethics is a fulfilling and rewarding experience.”

Gai agrees. “It’s a privilege and it’s great to have our little valley school be able to support this program and to have our numbers grow to the point we can offer three classes this year.”

In fact there is demand for a fourth ethics class at Kangaroo Valley Public School in 2024 but all ethics lessons require a volunteer to teach them. If you have a spare hour a week on Thursdays, find out more about what is required on our website. To chat about options, call the helpdesk between 9am-5pm on weekdays on (02) 8068 7752.

Jo: ‘Joy, amusement and the intangible benefits of volunteering’

Jo Gardner began volunteering as an ethics teacher at local schools on the Central Coast six years ago. She was motivated by a sense of wanting to give back, having a connection with the young generation and providing an option for parents who don’t want their children to participate in religious education. Jo says she has found “joy, amusement and all the intangible benefits of volunteering” along the way.

“Initially I saw an article about ethics classes in the local newspaper”, Jo said. “I’ve always had an interest in ethics and heard Simon Longstaff of the Ethics Centre speak on a number of occasions. The free training workshop with Primary Ethics was a wonderful experience and I’ve now learnt so much for myself about ethics and philosophy. I believe that critical thinking is an important skill for us all and being able to, in some small way, help kids develop these skills is a privilege.”

Jo teaches two classes a week and says it takes her about an hour to prepare for each, reading carefully through the lesson script which is supplied to her by Primary Ethics.

The best part of being an ethics teacher is the children. I am exposed to their wonder in life.

Jo Gardner – Volunteer Ethics Teacher

“I like seeing the kids thinking and then coming up with ideas… Their talkative natures with great explaining of their thoughts, sometimes a bit convoluted but always considered and revealing their willingness to think about ethical issues. Watching them have ‘aha’ moments and learning how to build on other children’s point of view. Also their willingness to disagree.”

Jo’s grandson has been in her ethics classes for the past two years. “I have been rewarded seeing him mature into a thinking, empathetic young boy. We’ve been able to discuss things in the lessons that would not normally come up in conversations between a grandparent and child.”

Jo says she would encourage anyone with a spare hour or two in their week to volunteer as an ethics teacher. No previous teaching experience is needed. Like Jo, you will get a lot out of it yourself, as well as contributing to the richness of your students’ lives.

Ethics @Home bulletin for parents Term 1 2023

Our @Home bulletin aims to let you know what your children are discussing in their ethics lessons this term. We hope they’re talking about it with you at home too!

Subscribe here to our @Home email bulletin.

Schools can take weeks to get organised and start their ethics programs for the year, so some won’t have commenced yet. However, we expect all schools which have enough volunteers to provide ethics to be underway by mid-March. Please contact us if you have any questions about your child and ethics.

Ethics Term 1 2023

Kindergarten: Questions and what is okay

The first topic of the year introduces students to asking questions. They think about and discuss: Why do we ask questions? Why might someone feel reluctant to ask questions? Is it okay to say that someone’s answer is silly or bad?

Later in the year, kindy students will consider topics on sharing, including others and causing harm without meaning to.

Stage 1 – Years 1 & 2: Empathy
The first topic of the year invites students to consider the importance of empathy. Students think about and discuss: Is it important to reflect on how others are feeling? How do you work out how someone else might be feeling? And is it possible to imagine how someone else feels if you’ve never been in a similar situation?

Later in the year, Stage 1 students will consider whether being fair means giving everyone an equal share and whether it’s okay to treat people differently because they are your friends.

Stage 2 – Years 3 & 4: Being greedy
The first topic of the year invites students to consider being greedy. Students think about and discuss: What does it mean to be greedy? Is there anything wrong with wanting more money or toys than you can use? Is it okay to want to be the richest person in the world?

Later in the year, Stage 2 students will consider whether lying is always wrong and whether it’s okay for advertisers to use tricks to persuade people to buy their products.

Stage 3 – Years 5 & 6: Voting
The first topic of the year invites students to consider voting. Students think about and discuss: Is it okay to vote for someone just because they’re your friend? How should we balance self-interest and the needs of others when choosing who to vote for? For example, is it okay to vote for someone whose policies would benefit me but are not in the best interests of everyone? Should voting be compulsory or voluntary?

Later in the year, Stage 3 students will consider whether punishment is necessary to stop people from doing wrong and whether it’s okay to be vain.

Stage 4 – Years 7 & 8: You’re not the boss of me
The first topic of the year invites students to consider how much control they should have over their own lives. Students think about and discuss: What right do parents, adults and governments have to limit teenagers’ freedoms? Why do we have age limits in Australia? And is it okay to stop people from doing things because they might get hurt?

Later in the year, Stage 4 students will consider whether hoarding food and medical supplies is wrong and what makes a good apology.

@Home bulletin for parents Term 4 2022

Our @Home bulletin aims to let you know what your children are discussing in their ethics lessons this term. We hope they’re talking about it with you at home too!

You can subscribe to our @Home email bulletin here.

Below we outline the topics that classes would be up to if they started at the beginning of the year. However, not every school started their ethics program then – some started in Term 2, some in Term 3, even some this term!

So if your child says they aren’t talking about the topics below, please take a look for what they are discussing in the Curriculum section of our website.

What they’re talking about in ethics – Term 4

Here’s a brief look at what your children are exploring in their ethics lessons this term.

Kindergarten: Owning up
Is it important to own up to a mistake if we do something wrong – like breaking a window? Why can it be difficult to own up? Why might we feel reluctant to own up? Can avoiding owning up mean we lose an opportunity to reflect and learn – and does that matter?

Stage 1 – Years 1 & 2: Ownership
What sorts of things can we own? Can we own a shell we find on the beach or a sandcastle? Can we own a picture of someone else? Can we own animals – like pets and wild lizards? If we make something, do we own it? And what about the smell of food – can we own that too?

Stage 2 – Years 3 & 4: Breaking a promise
What is a promise – and is it different from simply saying you’ll do something? Is it ever okay to break a promise? How important is trust in friendships?

Stage 3 – Years 5 & 6: Are some things just wrong?
How important is it to have consistent moral values? Are some things just wrong (regardless of whether some cultures think they’re okay)? If so, how can we tell what’s right or wrong in a way that’s independent of culture?

Stage 4 – Years 7 & 8: From moon trash to migrant horses
Is it always wrong to litter? What about leaving rubbish on the moon – is there anything wrong with that? Should we always try to remove introduced species like wild horses? Does it matter how long ago they were introduced? What does it mean to be a custodian of the land – and is it compatible with owning land?