Rockdale Kindergarten – 13 June 2016
Rockdale Kindy were well prepared in gumboots and overtrousers – all set to “go bush” – Rockdale teacher and grandparent helper were joined by Nature Discovery teacher Wendy and Chris and Bronwyn. First job was apple picking – the huge “Monty’s Surprise” apples were plucked from the tree so that they didn’t get damaged by frosts. Monty’s Surprise is an eating/cooking apple, bred in New Zealand, which has very high medicinal properties (it’s one you could graft at the grafting workshops to be held in October at the Community Nursery). Next was Nature Centre discovery time followed by kai time. Then, exploring the bush – Wendy taking the lead through the dark, muddy and secretive tall bush – following the orange triangle trackmarker. A few mushrooms, some tangly vines, the seed collector, smelly plants and interesting patterns were found. The underfoot conditions made it like an adventure course – climbing over and under trees and through the deep mud of the kahikatea swamp forest. Chris
Roslyn Bush Playcentre – 6 June 2016
A bitterly cold frost added an extra layer of wonder as the Roslyn Bush Playcentre explored the community nursery. The children followed the signs through the orchard and stopped to watch a tui singing in one of the apple trees. Some apples were picked up and carried back to the education centre, and the children helped clear the autumn leaves off the track to better show the way through the trees. The worm farm was met with wonder and compared to their worm farm at Playcentre. After a puzzle and some kai in the education centre the group walked with Bronwyn partway around the pond, noticing the pest traps and tracking tunnels and using senses to explore the native tree species - smelling, feeling, and looking at the different leaves. We finished off by feeding the nursery ducks. There was a great sense of wonder as the children explored. Bronwyn
Otatara Preschool – 29 May 2016
A small group of energetic children came well dressed for the weather on Monday 29 May 2016 accompanied by two teachers. Eager to get ahead, they enjoyed the hide and the moa before racing around the track back to feed the ducks. In the Education Centre they did the big bug jigsaws before a song with Bronwyn. Chris
YMCA Early Learning Centre 23 May 2016
All weather gear was the order of the day on Tuesday 23 May 2016 – activities included the wormfarm, scavenger hunt, duck feeding. Inside the Education Centre the wetland tunnel with its hidden doors was a big hit with the children. Chris
Posted: 16 June 2016
The first “Natural Body Products” workshop was held at the weekend with Honorlea. All booked up well in advance, participants arrived at 9.30am at the Education Centre for a full day of activity.
Honorlea has recently qualified as a “Formulation Chemist” but that formal title adds to many years of experience in using natural materials and running community initiatives in the Northern Territories, Australia.
This workshop was a good mix of technical information, hands on work involving every participant, choices of many essential oils and “botanicals” – Honorlea’s own collected and dried herbs and other plants. Each person chose their own scents for the moisture bars, lip balm, salt scrubs and bath salts they made to take home. The smells coming out of the Education Centre were lovely, as was the chatter over a shared lunch which everyone contributed to, all adding to a very relaxed, information rich and enjoyable day.
Honorlea is a now a Southland treasure! Originally from north east England like myself, she moved to Ohai three years ago from Australia with husband Chris and children Tekoa and Malachai. They are people who make a real difference to their community, whichever community that is. We are very fortunate to be part of their community and everyone who attended the workshop commented on Honorlea’s infectious enthusiasm, her generosity in sharing information and experience, her fun and relaxed style.
There are two other workshops planned – the 11 June workshop is booked up but another will be held on 15 October 2016. I am sure Honorlea would consider holding other workshops if there is demand so even if you can’t make any of the dates currently available if you email your interest to me we can look at organising another workshop.
Thanks to ILT Foundation for helping to fund this workshop.
Posted: 23 May 2016
A full day of activity was held on Sunday 15 May 2016. In the morning a teacher’s workshop was held with Ruud giving a presentation to 30 teachers on all the different ways the environment could be brought into many curriculum subjects - art, literacy, technology, maths and stats, science, chemistry, culture, history. He emphasised the vital need to re-connect children with nature and then demonstrated how to do it – classroom tuition, outside demonstrations, as well as using his collection of unusual “critters”. Ruud also promoted the “Naturewatch” website http://naturewatch.org.nz/ as a place to get answers on species you find and also a place to record the finds for your school site, garden or reserve.
In the afternoon a group of over 20 Kiwi Conservation Club (KCC) children enjoyed a slide show of insects and their useful roles for pollination, recycling, food and many other purposes! Then, seeing some unusual and large insects close-up – giant centipede, giant weta, praying mantis, katydid (bush cricket), spiders and beetles. This, along with his display case with numerous insect examples were a big hit with the fascinated children. A walk outside produced some very interesting insect facts and some new information (even for Ruud) – mites and ladybirds inside a nursery spider web. It just shows you can discover something new every time you go out and look – discovery learning at its best! Thanks Bronwyn for organising this event.
Thanks to Ruud for making time in his extremely busy schedule to visit us, for his passion and energy – he even did his radio show at 7.30am from our lounge! And thanks to Mark Oster for helping to organise the event and for giving up a Sunday to help.
Posted: 15 May 2016
On 9th May 2016, seven environment students from Heddon Bush School came to the nursery to learn all about growing their own native plants. They came with a plan – to learn all about propagating their own plants from seed for their own restoration project “the Donut”. The children came with lots of questions and enthusiasm and we started with a plant matching activity, leaves, seedlings and plants, examined lots of different seeds – their shape, colour, form, how and what distributed them. Then we went out to collect seeds – a trip through the old growth kahikatea forest – and compared it to the kahikatea remnant at the Donut. Lots of red kahikatea fruit and pokaka seeds were on the ground and lots of fungi also observed.
When we got back to the Education Centre the students were given the task of “building” a model of the Donut – out of natural materials, with all the features existing and hoped for – plants, tracks, fences, birds, insects, lizards.
Then we went back to the nursery where Chris explained what to do with the seeds before she gave out 12 packets of different seeds for the students to take away to sow themselves as well as examples of all the plants they had seed for
Posted: 15 May 2016
It’s been a good season for apples - so good we didn’t even go scumping this year. Malcolm brought his ciderpress along and a group of enthusiastic people set to chipping and crushing their apples. The pre-frozen apples produce about 30% more juice and a juice that is much clearer than fresh apples. We estimate that in total we pressed near to 200 litres of juice during the afternoon and as always it’s a fun thing to do with friends and aquaintances.
Posted: 15 May 2016
