Honorlea held a Christmas workshop at the nursery on Saturday 25 November 2017. The aim was for participants to learn about and then make various products to take away including soaps, lip scrubs, body scrubs. As previously, Honorlea imparts lots of useful information and help with the hands on activity and everyone went away well satisfied with their efforts (and with lots of personally made Christmas gifts!).
An added bonus was the pop-up shop where Honorlea brought lots of extra products with her “Kakariki Natural Beauty” brand. They included many different soaps, perfumes, lip balms, body scrubs, moisturisers and then handy packs so people can make up products themselves.
Honorlea will have a pop-up shop at the Community Nursery on Friday 15 December from 10am-2pm for anyone wanting to purchase Christmas gifts for family and friends, please bring cash.
Chris
Posted: 30 November 2017
The Waverley Keas and leaders went to the Southland Community Nursery. They potted up 54 kowhai seedlings. The Keas did this to help the community nursery add to the 10,000 native plants that the volunteers at the nursery grow every year, which is helping the environment. The community nursery helps supply the plants for projects. Plants have been used for example at Bushy Point, Otatara and the planting of the scooter track at Otatara School. The Keas went on a scavenger hunt in the bush. Some of the things they had to find was something with an unpleasant smell, something sticky, something with a pleasant smell and something that made a noise. That one was easy because the Keas talked like a bunch of birds! The Keas had a great fantastic time and I heard Kiwi (one of the Kea Leaders) say that this place is amazing.
Reported by Liam Graham. Photos by Liam Graham
Posted: 30 November 2017
Waverley Cubs 22 November 2017 (second visit this term)
The Waverley Cubs returned for another jam packed night of outdoors fun.
After looking at what special NZ birds are found on our $1, $2, $5, $10, $20 and $50 coins and notes, groups rotated around 3 activities: identifying native trees and learning three things about them; looking at what native birds are found locally around Otatara/Invercargill; and using track and trail signs and signals to create or follow a track around the nursery environs. We then wandered down to the pond to look at pond life - the trees and plants that grow around a wetland, the birds that feed, fly and swim (the mother and her 5 ducklings were the cutest!), and what kind of living things live in the pond water - boatman, mayflies, damsel fly larvae and other bugs! Bronwyn
Waverley Scouting Cubs 18 November 2017
Just over 20 Waverley Scouting Cubs came to the nursery, and the wild weather that we had been having held off (well the rain and hail did anyway, it still blew though). After an overview of what happens at the Southland Community Nursery, and an introduction to what man can do to both damage and improve nature (for Conservation Badge) we started a nature scavenger hunt on the walk through towards Bushy Point. The Cubs then contributed to what man can do to improve nature by planting around 40 trees and protecting them with combi guards. As we headed back to the education centre we noted how the Rances pond area had once been a grass paddock - a great example of how man can improve nature, and wondered how long it would take for the trees just planted to be that big…! There were some interesting guesses! We look forward to seeing the a Cubs back in a couple of weeks. Bronwyn
Posted: 26 November 2017
On Wednesday 1 November 2017, students of Te Kura Correspondence School and their families came to visit the Community Nursery as the venue for their annual get-together with their teachers from Wellington.
Jane Robertson and her colleague met Chris at the Community Nursery bus park and then met parents and students and walked through the orchard and gardens, following the signs to the Education Centre. Katrina and Marie from REAP also accompanied the group and helped with various activities.
After a welcome, morning tea and some introductions Chris led a scavenger hunt around the pond track using all the senses to touch, hear, see and smell the nature all around. Then a close examination of the wormfarm bath the veggie gardens, chickens and fruit cages.
Back in the Education Centre a range of self-guided activities were enjoyed from reading nature books, to big jigsaws, to opening all the doors on the wetland tunnel to playing matching games all the while getting to know eachother.
Te Kura is a nationwide service “We provide distance education from early childhood level to Year 13. Our learning advisors, teachers and in-region staff work with students, their whanau and communities to help our students achieve their potential”. If you want to know more visit their website at http://www.tekura.school.nz
Chris
Posted: 5 November 2017
We were rather pleased to have the Education Centre at the Southland Community Nursery to shelter us from the horizontal hail, sleet and rain that began right on our event start time! At the education centre we identified pests that we don’t want to see in our forest and bush areas - ferrets, possums, weasels and stoats, and used ‘beaut bug ID cards’ to name the bugs we had examples of. It was great to have close up looks at these important creatures in our forests.
Then the weather eased and we headed out to the Bushy Point Reserve to the tune of fernbirds singing and rolling thunder! Along the track we had to spot 10 things that were not supposed to be there (including a spoon and a toothbrush!!). This got us really looking at what is around us. Then we got to the tree planting area where we planted some new trees. We measured both the height of the trees and the tamariki, and re-measured the heights of those trees planted over the last two years that we have been holding the ECO Fun Day event. One makomako (wineberry), which was planted in December 2015, is now over 2 1/2 metres tall!! (Measuring it was difficult!).
By the time we got to the pond the sun was out. A few made a boat to float, and we looked for different pond critters. We found water boatman, tadpoles, damsel fly larvae and other insect life. There were fun games and a scavenger hunt around the pond area, as well as the simple enjoyment of being in the outdoors. On the way back to the Southland Community Nursery we viewed a freshwater koura netted from the pond there. A great day.
A big thanks to all the helpers (especially those out at activities at Bushy Point when the hail etc pelted down!) and the families who contributed to this being a great event. Bronwyn
Posted: 5 November 2017
