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
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.
From NZ to Greenland…and back!
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!!
Its finally spring-time! And you know what that means – way more time and sunshine for playing outside! Woohoo!
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!
Climate change is happening MUCH faster than anyone expected – and the world needs you guys now to take some action! We want to get our Prime Minister John Key to sign on later this year as a global agreement in Copenhagen to reduce New Zealand’s carbon emissions by 40% . Read here for further information about climate change and how YOU and your family can sign on!
Do you want to get rid of your old computer or broken mobile?
Recycling electronic waste (e-waste) enables the recovery and reuse of valuable materials and ensures toxic materials are not buried in our landfills.
This is a New Zealand wide activity and will be held on September 12, 2009
Have a look at the web site to check where you can take your e-waste and make the difference!
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
Last weekend we took a trip to the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre out in Portobello. We went there to film and record some sound so we could start making a really cool podcast just for you guys (stay tuned – well make sure you can listen to it soon)!
While we were there we saw and learnt about seahorses, heaps of different fish, and even got to go in a submarine!!! It’s a really great place to go and visit any time of the year, so check their website out here for details.
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 