learning for sustainability Archives - Page 2 of 3

November 29, 2021

‘Save the fantail’ project

Grovetown School’s Waihi class has embarked on a special project this year to save the fantails in their school forest. Identify The project came about as part of an inquiry: ‘How is our place unique?’. The class began by exploring and learning about the native, endemic and introduced animals and plants in their school. During this exploration, some of the children found empty fantail nests which prompted thinking about why the nests might be empty. Some of the students’ ideas were: “rats have eaten them" - "it is too cold for the eggs and chicks so birds don't lay eggs in winter" - "the fantails think it’s too dangerous because of the rats and possibly stoats so they won't...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

October 1, 2021

Enviroschools stories

Kids’ Edible Gardens: benefits beyond gardening

We know that being outside connecting to nature in a green space is good for us: we feel refreshed and energised, but relaxed. Is the same true for children when participating in the Kids’ Edible Gardens (KEGs) programme? Absolutely! This is why, in a time when our children’s hauora (wellbeing) and mental health is so important, KEGs is a great resource for schools to have available for their students to participate in. Te Whare Tapa Whā model Te Whare Tapa Whā is a wonderful model that many of you will know of and have perhaps used in your classroom as a way of explaining what hauora means. Each part of a person’s hauora - their emotional, mental,...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

September 30, 2021

Enviroschools stories

Butterfly house a special space

Seymour Kindergarten's new butterfly house has become a cherished space, with tamariki and kaiako benefiting from the opportunities it provides. The different life stages of monarch butterflies have long been an area of fascination for tamariki at Seymour Kindergarten, and kaiako have supported their learning in a variety of ways over the years. Their latest innovation has been the construction of an impressive butterfly house. Tamariki have experimented with different methods to find the best way to capture caterpillar eggs and transfer them into the butterfly house. They tried taking eggs from the swan plants outside and raising them inside before transferring them. Sometimes this was successful, however, it took a lot of work as...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

July 6, 2021

Enviroschools stories

Redwoodtown School flying high

It was hard to miss the enormous hot air balloon bobbing up and down above Redwoodtown School last month. The school was visited by the Flying High Charitable Trust, which aims to provide opportunities to inspire and guide young people towards a more sustainable future through its education programme and use of an innovative and positive approach. The hot air balloon created a real buzz and gave children a bird's eye view of their school and community, along with a broader perspective on some everyday problems. Students explored how they could use this different perspective to come up with innovative and practical solutions to problems such as our use of non-renewable energy and single-use plastics. What...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

Picton Kaitiaki group at Shakespeare estuary

July 6, 2021

Enviroschools stories

Kaitiaki group visit Shakespeare Bay

Picton School's Kaitiaki Group visited the Shakespeare Bay estuary for NZAEE Seaweek. Picton School's Kaitiaki group were invited by Port Marlborough in conjunction with Cawthron Institute to visit the Shakespeare Bay estuary as a focus for NZAEE Seaweek in March. The Kaitiaki group were smaller in stature and younger in age than usual as the group's senior students were away on camp. However, their levels of excitement and enthusiasm were just as high! The Kaitiaki group and Cawthron scientists, smiling in the rain! Despite the rainy day, scientists from Cawthron had set up a range of activities to help the group study the estuary. Anika, Dana and Robyn each took a group...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

July 6, 2021

Enviroschools stories

Kindergarten powered by Tama-nui-te-rā!

This term, Renwick Kindergarten staff, students and whānau celebrated the installation of their new solar panels. After Renwick Kindergarten reflected at Green-Gold in 2019, the kindergarten community was inspired to investigate renewable energy sources: both as a way of future-proofing for generations to come, and minimizing their environmental impact. After lots of meetings and discussions, the decision was made to go solar. Making use of Tama-nui-te-rā (the sun) - who nearly always shines on Marlborough - seemed such a natural option. The kindergarten partnered with Harrisons Solar to install the panels. As a local, family-owned business, Harrisons are a past whānau for the kindergarten, and they were actively involved in raising the funds well before...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

June 17, 2021

Enviroschools stories

The Taylor River: Feeling the Love!

Blenheim students have been loving their river lately: learning about it, connecting with its natural spaces and raising awareness about how we can all take care of it. Whether you visit it as a way to get safely from A to B, to exercise your dog, to enjoy the sunshine during your lunch break or to teach your child to ride their bike: the Taylor River is a much-used and enjoyed part of Blenheim. As well as being a popular spot for recreation, the river is valued for its important role in flood protection, serving as a conduit for stormwater during rainfall events. It is home to a variety of native and introduced freshwater...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

April 12, 2021

General

Summer Stream Studies

Term 1 has seen plenty of students getting out of the classroom and into a nearby river or stream to learn about healthy waterways. Students from the Home School Co-operative Learners group investigated Pukatea Stream as part of a day out at White’s Bay. They were impressed with the amount of life in the stream, especially the large banded kōkopu found in a shady pool. They got to see the kōkopu’s jumping ability first hand as it leapt from the container and wriggled back to its watery home. Tamariki were concerned that they didn't find any kōura - the group has found lots of them in this stream in the past. Maybe they were...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

February 16, 2021

Resources

Education for Sustainability Padlets

Take a look at our menu of Education for Sustainability padlets: created specifically for Marlborough teachers and learners. padlet.com/EnviroschoolsMarlborough/MarlboroughMenu Our aim is to inspire and facilitate the inclusion of a wide range of sustainability themes and topics in everyday learning at Marlborough schools and kindergartens. This menu will help you to leap off into resource collections about themes and topics (e.g. Climate Change; Living Landscapes), to enhance your mahi (e.g. working with Envirogroups; Explore Marlborough), or to explore our living planet (e.g. All About Plants; Freshwater Critters). We regularly add to our collections: please contact us if you have a resource that you think should be included....

by Enviroschools Marlborough

February 3, 2021

News-and-funding

Freshwater Education Programme for schools

Explore and learn about Marlborough's freshwater habitats with Marlborough District Council's Freshwater Education Programme. Take a look at the sessions on offer through MDC's Freshwater Education Programme. These sessions are available free-of-charge to Marlborough schools and can be tailored to meet your needs. Contact Anna Crowe to discuss your requirements or to make a booking. ...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

learning for sustainability Tag