Waitohi Teachers Dive Into Seashore Learning With Marine Metre Squared
Waitohi Primary and Kindergarten teachers recently gathered for a hands-on workshop exploring how their local seashore and estuary could become a place of learning for their tamariki. Angela and Annie invited Glenis Paul from the NZ Marine Studies Centre to guide the session and introduce the Marine Metre Squared (Mm²) citizen-science programme.
A great poster to understand the lifecycle of a shore crab.
Mm² fits perfectly within the Nature of Science strand of the curriculum. No matter the shoreline – muddy, sandy, a river mouth or an estuary – there are endless links to the living, material, and physical world. And because these environments are always changing, there’s always something new to discover. Even when you visit the same spot regularly new surprises await.
Teachers loved how adaptable and easy the activities were. They were simple to set up, suited to every year level, and best of all no one needed to be an expert to run them confidently.
One of the highlights was Mudflat Mysteries, where tamariki use laminated clue cards to find out what lives in and under the mud by spotting the signs creatures leave behind such as tracks, burrows and shells.
Mudflat Mysteries – one of the cards used to identify creatures living in the mud
Another activity focused on the growth rings of shells. We found out that the ridges on a shellfish’s shell can act like tree rings. They show its age and tell stories of the environmental conditions it has lived through.
A drop of water can tell you how much salt is in the water
Teachers then tried out a refractometer (the same tool grape growers use to measure sugar) to find out how salty the water was. This quick test helps us understand how far the tide pushes saltwater inland and which plants and animals can survive in different parts of an estuary.
Everyone left buzzing with ideas, inspired and ready to help their tamariki explore the Waitohi shoreline.
Watch this space! A kit of these activities (and more) will soon be available to borrow for your next excursion or school camp.