Enviroschools stories Archives - Page 2 of 15

September 4, 2025

Solar Ovens and Renewable Energy at St Mary’s School

What does melting chocolate over marshmallows and biscuits have to do with renewable energy? At St Mary’s School, the answer is: everything! The Year 7 and 8 class recently built solar ovens out of shoeboxes, using tinfoil and plastic wrap to harness the power of the sun. Their ovens demonstrated how the sun’s energy can be used for everyday needs like cooking, while reducing the use of fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. Tamariki learned that renewable energy isn’t just a big idea for power stations, it can be simple, creative, and fun. Their tasty experiment was part of the class’s climate change learning programme, where they’ve been exploring ways renewable energy can help...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

September 4, 2025

Enviroschools stories General

Rapaura’s Gifford Room – Turning Climate Learning into Climate Action

The Year 7 and 8 ākonga in Gifford Room at Rapaura School were among the first to take part in the Climate Change Learning Programme Angela has been facilitating in Term 2 and 3. They recently welcomed her back for the final step, bringing together everything they had learned to create an action that will share their climate knowledge with others, raise awareness of climate change and kaitiakitanga and make a positive difference at school. Actions to take now and into the future During the programme, they had explored the value of different perspectives, showing manaakitanga for other people’s views, and working together with nature to find solutions. They also recognised that...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

tepapa kumara at NMIT enjoying the warmth of their propagation house

September 3, 2025

Enviroschools stories General

Kūmara – Kai from the Atua Rongomātāne

Kūmara is a treasure gifted to us by Rongomātene, atua of cultivated crops as well as peace and manaakitanga. It sustained the first Polynesian explorers when they arrived in Aotearoa. They adapted their growing methods to a cooler climate, carefully storing kūmara through winter and planting again in spring. This season, rangitahi from Redwoodtown and Rapaura Schools were given the opportunity to make tepapa kūmara (seed beds). They’ve joined a growing group of rangatahi who are connecting to the whenua raising kūmara tipu and growing kai. Making sure the kūmara are planted the right way at Redwoodtown School. The idea came from Reuben Molnar, who visited as part of the Climate Change...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

August 30, 2025

Enviroschools stories General

Riverlands School – Rediscovering Te Taiao in Their Own Backyard

Riverlands School have reignited their Envirogroup. A small group of keen Enviroleaders have been rediscovering their school environment through small nature connection activities. Small changes in the environment are hard to notice when you are playing in the same space every day. Some familiar and special places are taken for granted. That’s where nature connection activities come in - helping tamariki pause, observe, and notice what is happening… and sometimes more importantly, what’s not happening. The Enviroleaders have been busy; becoming plant detectives, identifying native plants and learning their names. Also exploring where they might find atua in the playground, investigating the different habitats that exist within their school grounds and going on insect hunts...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

June 22, 2025

Enviroschools stories General

Adaptation in Action – Learning Through Play

One of the modules in the new Climate Change Learning Programme focuses on Adaptation — the ways in which humans and nature adjust to changes in the environment. To introduce the concept of adaptation, we started by looking at examples from nature. Students were surprised to learn that giraffes didn’t always have long necks! Over many generations, they adapted so they could reach leaves higher in the trees. Even more fascinating — some trees have adapted too, sending out chemical signals to warn other trees when giraffes are nearby munching their leaves. We then linked the concept to climate change by discussing rising sea levels, one of the key impacts of climate change we face...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

June 18, 2025

Enviroschools stories General

Nature Walk

When we think about Nature Connection most of us would instantly think of being in the bush somewhere. But in term 4 last year Seymour Kindergarten tamariki discovered that a walk around the block can tie in all the Pathways to Nature Connection. What are the Pathways to Nature Connection? A deepened nature connection experience is achieved through the 5 pathways - sense, emotion, meaning, beauty and compassion. Hill rolling at Lansdowne Park Seymour Kindergarten tamariki have been exploring these by using their senses - smelling the flowers and touching the lambs ears. Experiencing the enjoyment (Emotions) of rolling down a grassy mound in Horton Park or the excitement of watching a bumble bee...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

June 18, 2025

Enviroschools stories General

Student participation event

This year our Environmental Education team have taken a focus on the Enviroschools key area of People and Participation. As part of this focus they held a student participation afternoon. They held the event earlier this term with over 60 students from Marlborough schools taking part. It was aimed at primary school student Envirogroup leaders. With World Environment Day coming up, activities were developed and then set up to get students thinking about what activities they could do in their schools to highlight World Environment Day as well as have a bit of fun doing them.

: Water Race

: Making newspaper bags

: Making bags from old t-shirts

The activities consisted of making seed bombs, recycled t-shirt bags, a recycling relay and a water race....

by Enviroschools Marlborough

June 13, 2025

Enviroschools stories General

Identifying Hazards at Sheps’ Park

Springlands Kindergarten students identify park hazards on their Nature Connection excursion and take action to get changes made. The students at Springlands Kindergarten regularly use Sheps' Park as part of their Nature Connection programme. When they arrive the teachers and students do a walk about and check for hazards on every visit. On one of their walkabouts they noticed some things that could be dangerous for them and others. The students and teachers contacted the Parks and Open Spaces team at Marlborough District Council (MDC) to see if they knew of these and could help. Rachel Hutchinson for the Parks and Open Spaces team met with some of the students, teachers and part of...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

June 11, 2025

Enviroschools stories General

Climate Change Learning Programme (CCLP) – Marlborough Pilot

Angela from our education team has been piloting the Climate Change Learning Programme (CCLP) with Year 7–8 students at Redwoodtown and Rapaura Schools this term. Originally developed with support from the Ministry of Education and now delivered through the New Zealand Association for Environmental Education (NZAEE) in partnership with Future Curious, the CCLP is being run in regions across Aotearoa by council environmental educators.

: Redwoodtown school students brainstorming ideas of how scientists and engineers could help mitigate climate change

: Redwoodtown school students sorting examples of adaptions into avoid, protect, accommodate, retreat

: Redwoodtown school students mapping biodiverstity in their school

Our team has adapted the eight-module programme to reflect Marlborough’s unique climate, challenges, and ecosystems. The content blends curriculum-linked science and social science learning with hands-on experiments, critical thinking challenges, and collaborative group activities. Students explore the complexities of climate change and identify positive, practical actions that individuals and...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

June 11, 2025

Enviroschools stories General

Discovering Stream Secrets: Marlborough Children Investigate the Taylor River

Earlier this term, ākonga from four Marlborough schools rolled up their sleeves, and trousers, taking part in a hands-on freshwater education event along the Taylor River. With guidance from Angela, Wendy (Junior Landcare), and volunteers from Forest & Bird, students explored the world of freshwater invertebrates and how these tiny creatures can tell us about stream health. The afternoon began with a visual habitat assessment. Ākonga learned to observe the features of a waterway—such as gravel beds, shaded banks, riffles, pools and runs. They used this information to make an assessment of the health of the awa. Tamariki then rotated between two hands-on, creative activities: designing and making their own bug bags, and building bathy...

by Enviroschools Marlborough