The Woodlands School Kakapo class arrived at the Southland Community Nursery ready to learn and excited to be seeing another place where restoration has occurred. We spent some time in the education centre sharing what we do at the Southland Community Nursery (our place) and the school students telling us about their Outdoor Learning Area (their place) – what it has, what it’s like, what the plans are. Our bush walk around the pond saw us noticing different NZ native plants, and experiencing first hand an area that has been restored from a paddock to a forest. We talked about the different species of NZ native plants that have been used at the nursery for the restoration and how many of the species planted have attracted birds to the area. By providing habitat we can create ecosystems. Exploring how a forest works – the different layers of a forest, colonising/nursery species and mature tree canopy species was a lot of fun with the school students becoming trees and acting out the growing of a forest story! Over lunch the paddock and lizard homes were explored and lots of thinking questions asked. We focused on the kind of conditions different plants like and how this has to be considered when carrying out restoration planting. We then planted out finding a higher area to dig after all the rain. The need for pest weed and pest animal protection was noted and with Woodlands looking at starting a pest control programme it was great to hear that Dave from ES is speaking to them later this week. A busy day was finished with some expert potting up of some manuka seedlings. It is great to hear that this class is immersed in learning in their place – doing mathematics, writing and everything in their Outdoor Learning Area. Awesome!
Lots of links we could make…..
Restoring your patch https://www.southlandcommunitynursery.org.nz/restoring-your-patch/
Attracting birds https://www.southlandcommunitynursery.org.nz/restoring-your-patch/planning-your-project/attracting-birds/
Creating a school garden https://www.southlandcommunitynursery.org.nz/restoring-your-patch/planning-your-project/creating-a-school-garden/
How a forest works https://www.southlandcommunitynursery.org.nz/how-forests-work/
Posted: 2 September 2019
We dug holes, lifted logs, dipped in the pond and rummaged about the forest. We found worms, grubs, beetles, an ant colony and a fly. We saw the evidence of caterpillars and moths on the harakeke. We were told stories about bugs – how the nursery web spider has at least 6 different types of silk that it spins from nozzles in its butt, and how the caterpillar looking thing we found is actually the young of the black beetle!! Amazing. We got to have Ruud’s friends the weta and spider climb up our arms and sit in our hands. It was awesome!! Big thanks to Ruud and his friends.
Bronwyn
Posted: 20 August 2019
Ruud’s straight to the point summary of the state of our earth as an ecosystem switched to the wonder of biodiversity on earth and how this biodiversity provides us with ecosystem services that means we (as humans) can live on earth! Many ecosystem services are provided by insects and bugs, such as pollination and seed dispersal, dung clean up (just imagine if there were no bugs cleaning up the dung of this world!), predator and other roles. Insects and bugs have been on this earth for 3.8 billion years and have been doing a fine job of not destroying the planet!
Ruud then very honestly outlined how disconnected we as humans have become from nature in our relatively short stay on earth, his statements and graphics giving us all something to ponder. So as teachers we have to help humans rediscover the operations manual of planet earth…to become nature literate again. If teachers are nature literate, children will be nature literate and New Zealanders will be nature literate.
Ruud very easily outlined how nature literacy infuses all curriculum subjects – numeracy, science ecology, chemistry, literacy, social studies, art, music, dance, design and technology and more! Learning about nature, learning in nature and learning from nature were all aspects that Ruud covered in an inspiring way.
We then did what he thought is most important and we went outside into nature. We noticed algae on harakeke, fungi up tree trunks, spider webs, notches and scrapes up harakeke, and so much more…insects and bugs at work everywhere. Afterwards Ruud shared his friends with us – getting to hold weta and look up close at insects and what insects build. What amazing creatures bugs are! A great morning learning about bugs!
Check out https://www.southlandcommunitynursery.org.nz/education-centre/activities/school-activities/ for Beaut Bugs and Who Did That?
Posted: 20 August 2019
The Nursery will be open for volunteers from this Friday - 16 August 2019. Lots of jobs to be done to give the nursery a good spring clean and prepare for the coming season. See you there, with food for morning tea! regards
Chris
Posted: 15 August 2019
The Teachers workshop with renowned environmental education advocate and entomologist Ruud (“The Bugman”) Kleinpaste on Sunday 18 August 2019 is fully booked.
If you would like your name added to the waiting list Contact Bronwyn Graham for the nursery: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content] – please put Ruud Workshop in subject line
Details and other workshops at https://www.southlandcommunitynursery.org.nz/education-centre/activities/workshops/
Posted: 19 July 2019
