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Kia ora koutou katoa
We hope that your teaching and learning is starting to get back on track a few weeks into reduced restrictions.
We've been busy creating digital resources, working with our colleagues at the Taupō Environmental Education Collaborative, and planning for your future visits. We're particularly excited (and nervous!) for our virtual PLD next week - the theme is Zero Waste in Nature. Please join us if you can!
We hope to see you, and your students, soon (see Trout Centre Updates for the details on how we're getting back to normal).
Krysia, Ardy and Naomi
Taupō for Tomorrow Educators
Trout Centre Updates
Bookings, fishing: what COVID-19 means for school visits
Firstly, and most importantly, we are open for bookings! However, there are a few changes around how we operate the programme:
- Kids' fishing for schools will not be available until after the July school holidays; assuming the alert levels remain low.
- If you wish to book a visit for before or after the school holidays we'd love to see you. We will look at the number of students on a case-by-case basis to ensure everyone is kept safe.
- We will follow government procedures with regard to sanitizing and distancing.
- We anticipate schools will have guidelines for school trips as a result of COVID-19, we ask that you share these with us if possible to ensure we are on the same page when you visit.
We are looking forward to seeing students at the Trout Centre again soon!
Taupō for Tomorrow Updates
What on earth is a Padlet?
A Padlet is an online virtual bulletin board with some super-cool features, more importantly it's what we've been using to quickly curate tons of resources around freshwater education.
You'll find videos (like the unflattering freeze to the left!), activities, and links to many more resources on each Padlet. Start with our Virtual Tour of the Trout Centre and you might end up in the Water Cycle, the Lake Taupō Foodweb, or exploring how the Hatchery works.
Are they all finished? Absolutely not! But have a poke around while we keep adding things, and if there's some freshwater learning you'd especially love to see in them please let us know at educator@doc.govt.nz.
Eli the Mayfly
If you didn't see it on our Facebook page, it's worth taking a look at this freshwater tale. Written and narrated by Taupō for Tomorrow educators, and illustrated by 5-year-old Anahera, we admit to being a little bit proud! Watch.
Professional Development
Zero waste in nature - online PLD
The Taupō Environmental Education Collaborative is excited to present our very first online PLD. We know that technically we could meet in person now, but we're pumped to try out a new format. Please join us from 3.30-5.30pm on June the 10th for this free PLD.
Choose from some great options including our freshwater stream (pun intended!) on 'a pond in a jar' and looking at the impact of plastics on Lake Taupō. Click the registration link below to see full session details.
In your classroom
Eurofishion
That's right, EUROFISHION.
An international online contest to sing your heart out to original love songs about fish and rivers!
This contest is part of World Fish Migration Day, a global event about raising awareness for migratory fish and free flowing rivers. This year World Fish Migration Day has been postponed to the 24th of October, so you have plenty of time to get creative.
Did you know that a large number of New Zealand native fish are diadromous, or need to migrate between ocean and freshwater for part of their lifecycle? Start here to begin learning, then create your love-song masterpiece for our ika (fish)!
Want some help with your learning? Get in touch.
Events
Nature art wall
No face-to-face during Lockdown? No problem, we (Taupō EEC) ran an online event instead, encouraging people to get out and be inspired by nature. We know that during Alert Levels 4 & 3 connecting with nature really helped us cope, so we hope that this event helped you to lean on nature as well.
Check out the full 'wall of nature art' here, and follow the new EEC Facebook Page here.
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educator@doc.govt.nz