Kia ora e te whānau
Spring is in the air, the days are getting longer and the weather warmer! It's a great time to get outside and enjoy nature.
This edition of Pitopito Kōrero highlights some of the fantastic learning schools were involved in during Term 3 and Conservation Week. We hope these snapshots provide ideas on how to incorporate your local nature and conservation into your classroom programmes and school curriculum.
As always, please don't hesitate to contact us if you require any advice or have any feedback about this newsletter or our resources.
Mā te taiao, kia whakapakari tōu oranga. Let nature in, strengthen your wellbeing.
Stay safe! Kia kaha!
DOC Outreach and Education team
Term 3 highlights
Conservation Week 2020 encouraged everyone to see nature through new eyes.
As we work together to defeat COVID-19, many of us are looking at life and our world differently. During lockdown we were encouraged to enjoy a fresh perspective on nature and boost our wellbeing in local nature spaces.
Students at Te Atatū Intermediate in Auckland used the virtual wildlife visits to support their research about kākāpō and the Antipodes Islands. They also used various other activities on our website to connect with nature in their backyards during Level 3 lockdown. Below are some examples of their learning.
Thanks for sharing your students’ learning Georgia! We hope you enjoy your teacher prize pack.
Share your nature stories with us and be in to win!
Win a teacher prize pack by simply sharing your moments of teaching and learning outdoors with us! The prize pack includes Gillian Candler's Nature Heroes book, DOC trivia card pack, 50 things posters, hut tickets and more!!
Connecting with nature through photography
Imagen8’s photography workshops provide young people with the opportunity to spend time exploring and connecting with their local nature. Through the workshops, students also learn digital photography skills, expand their creative writing and enhance their ability to see the wonders of the natural world all around them. They love seeing their photographs printed, enjoy writing captions and are thrilled when they see their work published in an inspirational book at the end of the workshop series.
Here are some beautiful photographs by students at Epsom Normal, Remuera Intermediate and Roscommon schools, taken during the Imagen8 workshops in June-July.
Photo credits from top left: ‘Purple’ by Ngawini, Roscommon School; ‘Lavender’ by Edeline, Epsom Normal Primary School; ‘Flower’ by Jai and Michael, Epsom Normal Primary School; ‘Magnolia’ by Mikaere, Roscommon School;
‘A Drop’ by Leo, Remuera Intermediate School; ‘Waiting for spring’ by Eve, Remuera Intermediate School; ‘Blue and White’ by Maria and Harper, Remuera Intermediate School; ‘Balanced’ by Nicholas, Remuera Intermediate School; ‘Patterns’ by Kate, Remuera Intermediate School
'Joy' by William, Remuera Intermediate School; ‘Winter’ by Aamna, Epsom Normal Primary School; ‘Lines Enchant’ by Maria, Epsom Normal Primary School; ‘Wairua Reserve’ by Toby, Remuera Intermediate School. ©
Check out the larger images in Issue 5: Compassionate Nature magazine
“I hope these glimpses of nature from the students’ eyes bring you peace, and inspire you to explore your local wild places” – Tushar Sharma, Founder and Director of Imagen8
Teachers are most welcome to contact Tushar to organise workshops in Auckland and/or share ideas with us.
If you’re interested in doing some nature photography with your students, check out the photo story of nature activity.
Upcoming events
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 14-20 September
This Māori Language Week we are inviting New Zealanders to join us in an unprecedented Māori Language Moment: We want 1 million of us speaking, singing and celebrating te reo at the same time.
Check out the Kia Kaha te Reo Taiao booklet to help you become familiar with te reo Māori words and phrases you can use while you are out enjoying Te Taiao, the unique environment of Aotearoa.
Outlook for Someday
Sustainability Film Challenge deadline extended to Friday September 18th!
Are our young people engaged in caring for our world? Are they creative storytellers?
If you, or someone you know, has something to say, have a crack at making a short film and entering into the Someday Challenge! But get moving because entries now close on Friday September 18th!
Check out the website for more information and the entry form.
View the past winning films to learn about current sustainability issues and use them as inspiration to create your own!
Great Kererū Count 18-27 September
This is New Zealand's biggest citizen science project to help gather information about the abundance and distribution of the New Zealand pigeon — also known as kererū, kūkū or kūkupa.
Kererū are the only bird left in New Zealand that are able to swallow and disperse the seeds from our largest native trees such as tawa, taraire, pūriri and matai. Kererū can live for 21+ years and are essential for native bush regeneration. Their disappearance would be a disaster for our native forests.
You can learn more about the role that kererū play in our environment from our very own ranger Dave, in the ‘What is biodiversity?’ episode of Ranger Kōrero - the big picture
