Hi Guys!

Is your bedroom a mess?  Can you see the bottom of your floor?  No?  Well time to clean, clean, clean!!

Cleaning can be great fun and exciting when you reuse and recycle your unwanted items.

Before you clean your room, why not get some ideas by playing this fun cleaning game first?  Anita needs help cleaning her room.  Can you put all Anita’s rubbish in the right bins?

We’d love to hear what you do with the unwanted items in your room, so let us know if you prefer to recycle or reuse.  Either way, you’re helping the planet AND keeping your parents happy!

Every creature has a story to tell…

Head to the Marine Science Centre in Portobello these school holidays to hear tales of daring deeds, find out why the spotty lost its spot, and how the sea cucumber got its name! Be thrilled by a spine-chilling story from the deep, and be spired to craft a tale of your own!

Click here to find out more information about the Aquarium, or pop your headphones on and listen to this great podcast about the awesome things you can get up to when you go for a visit!

Parents – listen up!

Recycling electronic waste (computers, televisions, old cellphones etc) enables the recovery and re-use of valuable materials, and ensures toxic materials are not buried in our landfills – so its better for our environment. The podcast below contains vital information about how you can dispose of e-waste, and what to expect at an e-day event!

Additional music:

“Black Ants in Sound Dust” by Stereolab

“Telephasic Workshop” by Boards of Canada

Adopt a Tree

While taking a walk or hiking, have your child to pick out a favorite tree in a  park or forest and “adopt” it. Essentially, your child will take on the role of being   the tree’s caretaker. Do bark rubbings with crayons and paper; leaf collection and pressing in the fall; and look for flowers and fruit in the summer. Each year, take pictures of your child standing beside the tree. You can even bring   along measuring tape to track the tree’s growth. Kids can also research the tree on the internet: where the tree is commonly found, usual life span, height, etc.

Clean Up the Earth

A good way to teach our children about taking care of our planet, and get some exercise at the same time, is to take bags with you go for a walk. While doing so, “clean up” along the way. You can pick up stray bottles, newspapers and discarded food containers. You can organize an “Environment Club” in the neighborhood or through your child’s school. Make it a contest to see who can get the most items. Choose different days to clean up a wide area. Use the time to talk to your children about recycling and reducing waste. (kids can wear rubber gloves or bring a pointed stick if they don’t want to touch any garbage.)

Keep a Wildlife Journal

Have your child make daily notes of all the wildlife living in your neighborhood. They can even take photos, or draw pictures, and write down the times of sighting, habitats and behavioral patters. It is amazing how many different species are living in your own backyard! Some examples are: birds, wetas, snails, worms, geckos, etc.

Be creative and enjoy this time with children, environmental education for kids is more important than ever.

For more information visit this site http://www.PlanetEcoChick.blogspot.com from Stephanie Browning.

On this day in Dunedin, head down to the Railway Station and taste some yummy treats (and get in on some great gardening freebies / advice) for the Spring Food Festival (email dunedin350@gmail.com if you, your family or friends are keen to help out)!

However, the day before this is the 350 Aotearoa Schools action day – yes, thats right, a separate day JUST for you guys to come up with something awesome to blow everyone in the country (and the world) away!! Youve still got heaps of time to get going, so go to the site now and download the action guide and poster and make sure you email schools@350.org.nz to register your schools action!!

If your school has already planned something, add it here as a comment so other people can see your ideas!

(Gosh we’ve added a lot of exclamation marks on this post, but we’re just so excited about this!!!!)

Check out this great film made by 3 Dunedin girls in 2007, and see how young people like YOU in New Zealand can start to tackle issues of climate change.

Contact lessonsfilm@gmail.com with any questions or enquiries about how you and your school can get a copy of this amazing documentary!!

Hopefully you’ve got a garden at home or at school – if you dont there are heaps of great places to play, like the Botanic Gardens, or even taking a trip out to the beach with your friends and family.

If you are out in the garden, see what different types of plants are beginning to appear. New flowers will be coming through, and its a GREAT time to plant new things!

If you, your family, your teachers or school mates are wondering where you can find information about gardening around Dunedin, check out the Otepoti Urban Organics Network. Its a place for everyone to go and check out what kind of gardening events are happening, and if youve got questions there are heaps of other people from the network that can help you out.

So get outside and get gardening today!

Come on in and explore the Southern ocean with this interactive game, get to know which creatures lives in different depths of the ocean. Click on the image to start to play!

If you want to know about the Colossal Squid visit the Te Papa museum web site at : http://squid.tepapa.govt.nz/the-deep

Created by Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.