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!
Kids living in urban centers, or even suburbs, are often disconnected from the nature. Here are some activities you can do with kids with nature and our environment:
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.
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.
Help save sharks like the Great White Shark with this game! Click on the image to play Predator Protector!
From Jean-Michel Cousteau, Ocean Adventures is a web site where you can find cool underwater videos, marine screen savers, ocean adventure wallpaper and much more.
Talk about the coolest competition EVER! Two winners get to choose to be one of the following for a day: skink ranger, freshwater fish ranger, coastal ranger, threatened plant ranger or recreation and historic ranger!
All you need to do is explain in your own way how you can get involved with conservation in your neighbourhood. The way you explain is completely up to you – you can write a song, draw a picture, construct a sculpture or photograph, or just write a letter!
Find out more here – youve got until Monday 14th of September to enter!!!
Would you like to help to conserve our Yellow Eyed Penguins?
You can get involved and design a penguin-friendly habitat restoration!
Have a look at YEP’s web site to register and get more information.
Hey guys – as promised here are our audio podcasts from our trip to the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre in Portobello! The first one follows feeding the seahorses, as well as a number of other cool things you can do & see at this awesome location.
Additional Music:
“Spring 2008” by Architecture in Helsinki
“Skeletons” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Click here to Download and play the mp3 file from UniTube.
The next clip is a poem called One Less Fish. This story creates an awareness of how we are losing our precious friends in the sea, and is read out by Tahu Mackenzie from the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre.
Adapted from Toff, K.M. and A. Sheather. 1997. One Less Fish. University of Queensland Press, Australia.
Additional Music:
“Nemo Egg” & “Field Trip” by Thomas Newman
Click here to Download and play the mp3 file from UniTube.
To subscribe to these podcasts in iTunes, choose “Subscribe to Podcast” in the “Advanced” menu and paste in the following url:
Want to go on an audio journey of Discovery World and the Tropical Forest at the Otago Museum? Click here to listen!
Click here to Download and play the mp3 file (1.9 MB) from UniTube.
To subscribe to this podcast in iTunes, choose “Subscribe to Podcast” in the “Advanced” menu and paste in the following url:
http://unitube.otago.ac.nz/feed.do?topic=album&a=QRAFazqGQS
Music “Loch Raven” by Animal Collective
Did you know, Monarch butterflies are poisonous? That’s right! To predators, the toxins from the monarch’s diet (Milkweed) has made it a poisonous snack to other insects! The Monarch can show off its beautiful orange and black wings, because it doesn’t need camouflage to keep safe! The Monarch’s bright colour tells other insects to keep away!
Can you spot the difference between these two butterflies?
Still looking..?
Answer:
The butterfly on the left is called the Viceroy Butterfly. He has evolved to look like the poisonous Monarch on the right so that predators will avoid him too! Notice the black stripe towards the bottom of his wings?
Discover the great range of activities on offer at Otago Museum.
It is always a good alternative to spend those rainy and cold days in a great environment.
World tropical Forest, West Africa, tours, community events and much more!
Have a look at: http://www.otagomuseum.govt.nz/home.html
ENVIRO KIDS Games & Activities 