Message from the Educator

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING?

Seaweek 2017

Seaweek ran from 25 February – 5 March and we were involved in a few events across the Region. Horizons, along with the Enviroschools Facilitator for Whanganui, the Department of Conservation, Whanganui Regional Museum, Sarjeant Gallery and Castlecliff Coast Care, ran a range of beach and stream related activities at Kai Iwi Beach for six local schools. Students spent the day rotating around a variety of workshops learning about migratory fish and how macroinvertebrates can be used to help assess stream health on the Mowhanau Stream, through to exploring coastal minibeasts, creating beach art and learning about coastal plants. Approximately 500 students participated throughout the week. 

We also ran two public beach clean-up events. The first at Foxton Beach, and the other in conjunction with the Department of Conservation at South Beach, Whanganui. Samples of rubbish collected at each site were examined to determine where it may have originated. Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre’s mobile recycling truck was also present at South Beach to recycle as much glass and plastics as possible. Attendees did a fantastic job collecting a huge amount of rubbish; about 30 bags from Foxton Beach alone. However, the amount of rubbish found was a little disheartening. Conducting litter surveys after a beach clean is a great exercise to do and adds an education aspect to waste disposal. Check out how long until its gone for decomposition rates of common types of marine litter.      

Waiora Stream Studies 

Many schools throughout our Region have taken up the offer of a free, facilitated stream study this term. But what you might not know is that you can borrow the kits from a number of locations across the Horizons Region to run your own stream study. Dannevirke High School was one of the schools to take this offer up. They used the Waiora kits in their NCEA Level 2 assessments. Each year, students collect data from the Manawatū River to look at the pattern (or lack of pattern) in the distribution of macroinvertebrates, and how abiotic data, such as pH and temperature, explains the pattern. If your school is interested in designing your own stream study similar to Dannevirke’s and would like some help, please contact me here.

Results of Horizons' Summer Swim Spot Competitions

Although we haven’t had much sun, you might have noticed that Horizons ran a couple swim spot competitions over the summer holidays. 

The first, a #swiminourregion photo competition, asked the public to share photos of themselves enjoying the Region’s waterways. By tagging the location and using the hashtag they were in to win a water themed adventure package worth up to $1,500. Di Simpson’s winning photo was a perfectly timed shot of a Halcombe School student taking a dip in Cone Creek while her class was on camp. She will be spending her prize by taking her whole class whitewater rafting in Term Four. How lucky are her students?!

Our second competition, ‘Spruce up your Swim Spot’, invited the public to vote for their favourite swimming location from a selection of 12. The most popular site to win a spruce up in the coming year was at Mosquito Point on the Lower Whanganui River, who came out on top with 31 per cent of the votes. Watch this space for what will happen!

Biological Control for Tradescantia (Wandering Willie)

Green Gold Enviroschool, Kimbolton School, have been active in caring for the native bush remnant, Kimbolton Reserve, for a number of years. However, this site is threatened by numerous weeds such as Tradescantia, commonly known as Wandering Willie, or Wandering Jew. The students know this weed very well as they are involved in numerous weed related activities, including a whole school weeding exercise in the bush remnant numerous times a year.

Excitedly, Kimbolton School have just become involved in a new fledgling programme in conjunction with Horizons’ Biodiversity team. There is now a biocontrol beetle available which targets only the Tradescantia plant and can control it to a low level. Over the summer Neil Gallagher, Horizons Biodiversity Adviser, worked with the students to set up suitable facilities to hold and breed up a small colony of beetles, ready to be released into the native bush remnant. The beetles are nearly ready to be released into Kimbolton Reserve. The plan is to create self sustaining populations of Tradescantia beetles that will become established at Kimbolton Reserve where they will help control Wandering Jew. Being involved in this project allows the children to learn about an alternative method of controlling weeds in New Zealand and they will experience some of the challenges surrounding this exciting environmentally friendly method of weed control.

Dynex Sleeves 

Tokirimi School have been earning themselves extra money by collecting dynex sleeves and returning them to Horizons for recycling. Dynex sleeves are the sleeves that go around poplar poles to protect them as they grow. As the poplar poles grow the sleeves split in half and fall on the ground. This can lead to them blowing around the environment – something we’d rather avoid. So far they have collected about 1000! Contact the Educator if you would like your school to become involved. This initiative is open to rural schools only. 

101 Things to do with Old Pallets – an Enviroschools
Eco-Building Workshop

Recently, teachers from Enviroschools in Whanganui and Rangitikei were invited to attend a workshop on eco-building techniques in the form of up-cycling old pallets. Enviroschools Facilitator Ron Fisher got the idea for the workshop from visiting Roslyn Kindergarten in Palmerston North where he sat down on a sturdy stool at a nice table and realised it was all made from recycled pallets. With many amazing and innovative ways to use pallets he suggested a workshop was required. 

It didn’t take long before the teachers were getting stuck into taking the pallets apart and preparing the timber to transform into something completely different. But there was one rule and that was that they weren’t allowed to use power tools! They were only allowed to use basic hand tools so they could practice the skills they would transfer when working with children.  Teachers could choose from a number of simple objects to construct in a short time. They even had to remove, straighten and reuse the nails. Some made bug hotels, others made bench seats.

Thanks to the Menzshed in Whanganui and to Marton Childcare in Rangitikei for hosting the respective district workshops.   

Worm Farming at Nga Tawa Diocesan School

Students in the Envirogroup at Nga Tawa Diocesan School have been busy with their latest Enviroschools action project – setting up some worm farms by re-purposing some old baths. They have been collecting food scraps from students lunches to keep them well fed. 

Spotlight On: Linton Kindergarten – The Journey towards a Bronze Reflection

Linton Kindergarten, part of the Ruahine Kindergarten Association (RKA), recently held a bronze reflection. Here are some insights from Linton on their journey towards the reflection. 

The reflection process started long before the actual day itself with a group of teachers attending a Reflections Workshop to understand what is involved. Members of the Envirogroup spent time talking about what the kindergarten was like before becoming an Enviroschools, and how far they have travelled on their Enviroschools journey to date. Reflecting on what Linton Kindergarten was like before they began their Enviroschools journey was an interesting discussion. They reflected that they were able to see the increase in connectedness of what happens now. They could also see the strengthening of practices and processes to enable them to continue meeting their aim of embedding the principles of sustainability as part of the kindergarten kaupapa. They felt that practices now were more connected i.e. had supporting ideas and processes as a part of their implementation, they did not just exist in isolation. For example, the pots on the table for kai scraps that then go into the wormery, which then makes leachate, which can then be mixed with rainwater from the tank and directly added to the garden to nourish plants that they have planted. As Quinn (4) put it “worms feed the gardens...we give them food so we can make the wormshake”.  

Another interesting discovery through the reflection process was how interested and motivated the Envirogroup are to continue their journey. Throughout the reflection there were lots of discussions around next steps, such as growth in the area of Māori Perspectives, inspiring more families to be involved and continue to share what they doing with whānau. 

Congratulations to all of Linton Kindergarten on their Bronze Reflection and we look forward to their celebration event which they are in the middle of planning.