General Archives - Enviroschools Marlborough

November 8, 2024

Richmond View School explore the three R’s

In term three, the Year 0-6 students at Richmond View School dove into exploring the three R's of recycling and how they can help protect our environment. Three groups of students were set up, each focusing on one aspect of recycling using different materials. One group, working alongside their teacher Marion van der Berg, used the Enviroschools Beeswax Wrap Kit to understand how recycling, reusing, and reducing can help our buzzing bee friends. The wraps also help us protect nature through littering less. Before they began, their Richmond View School community was invited to bring in items that they would normally throw away or recycle. Such as newspapers, plastic bottles, cotton fabric scraps, unused...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

November 8, 2024

Enviroschools stories General

Montessori Keep New Zealand Beautiful

Keep New Zealand Beautiful is a nationwide not-for-profit organisation that encourages communities to engage in activities promoting environmental stewardship. It focuses on reducing waste, recycling, planting trees, and beautifying local areas. The initiative helps foster a sense of pride in New Zealand’s natural environment and encourages everyone, especially young tamariki, to participate in actions that create a more sustainable future. Through hands-on projects, children can learn the importance of environmental care, laying the foundation for them to become kaitiaki (guardians) of the land. During Keep New Zealand Beautiful Clean Up week, the tamariki at Montessori explored ways to care for Papatūānuku by making their very own beeswax wraps. The tamariki were fascinated as the...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

September 18, 2024

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Kahikatea Reserve

Earlier in the year, Tua Marina and Springcreek Schools teamed up to replant a section of the Kahikatea Reserve. This amazing restoration project was started 20 years ago. The aim being to return the land to original ngahere and water ways. A group sitting quietly counting birds When planting the damaged section, we could hear numerous birds in the maturing ngahere beside us. Of course we also had piwakawaka ducking and diving around us as we disturbed the insects that piwakawaka love to eat. We came up with the idea of returning each year to do a bird count. Both in the 20-year-old section and the newly planted section. This would measure...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

September 13, 2024

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Knowledge of Tānemahuta grows at Springlands School

If you haven’t been to Mckendry Park in Spring, it is something that you must do. Golden and white Daffodils dot the park, whilst spring blossom gently falls to the ground from the breeze of Tāwhirimātea, as if snow is falling. The students of Springlands school got to experience this magic as part of their learning about Tānemahuta. This term Ramona and Angela from our Environmental Education Team worked alongside Springlands School to put together a plan to learn about Tānemahuta and his presence within their school and surrounding areas. Tānemahuta is the guardian of all the forests and all the birds and plants that live there.

The plan that was put...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

September 12, 2024

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Ward School Nature Connection

After an introduction to Nature Connection at a workshop held by Ramona and Angela earlier this year, the idea of utilising an unused and wild area at Ward School grew in Nicole Cochranes mind. It came to fruition at the beginning of this term when she led a group of excited children beyond the normal school boundary. This was the first of weekly visits to explore and connect with nature. Each visit begins with setting up their ‘base camp’. Then they walk the perimeter to look for hazards that may have cropped up since their last visit. During their walk children pick up treasures – leaves, flowers, sticks, anything that takes their interest – to...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

July 26, 2024

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Matariki at Montessori

Matariki - a time of reflection, coming together, celebration and looking to the future. Earlier this month Montessori celebrated Matariki with their whānau and community. It was also a time to acknowledge 30 years of Montessori operating in Blenheim and the unveiling of their Enviroschools sign. A very special event that was marked with whānau and friends coming together, sharing kai and a heartfelt performance from the tamariki. Ramona Millen from the MDC Environmental Education team was invited to their event to present the community with their sign. She also shared some information about the Enviroschools kaupapa. The Enviroschools kaupapa is about creating a healthy, peaceful, sustainable world through learning and taking action together. Montessori signed up...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

July 1, 2024

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Redwoodtown Kindergarten take action

With a new team of teachers at Redwoodtown Kindergarten and a passion to do more for Te Taiao they invited Ramona in to re engage the Kindergarten with the Enviroschools Kaupapa. They started with getting familiar with the Enviroschools Guiding Principles. They then identified all that they were already doing as well as some areas that they would like to strengthen. This then led them to looking at their environment and brainstorming how they would like the place to look, feel and sound. The combination of this information supported the team to develop and identify areas to take action. Some of the key areas were Strengthening community relationships Growing their cultural awareness Growing/providing kai for...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

June 26, 2024

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Montessori tamariki connect to nature

At Montessori Blenheim, children live and breathe the guiding principle, Kaitiakitanga - Guardianship. Children see themselves as active global citizens who are responsible for their actions. They engage in sustainable practices and show aroha for Papatūānuku. This means the children are finding ways to connect with the local community, step into their role as a kaitiaki and recognise themselves as part of the natural world. As they build their sense of belonging and connect with their natural environment, they are learning to show respect for Tāne Māhuta and the Mauri of his ngāhere. "Just enough people to give it a cuddle" - Cameron Last month, a group of little Montessori explorers embarked on...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

June 21, 2024

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Wetland Warriors

Every Wednesday morning a volunteer team calling themselves the Wetland Warriors meet at Grovetown Lagoon to plant natives, weed, clear paths, raise plants and trap pests to protect the beautiful environment around the Lagoon. This term on partnership with Junior Landcare, Envirogroup’s have the opportunity to work alongside the Wetland Warriors (WW) volunteers while learning about the wetlands and why its restoration is so important. Unfortunately the first session was called off due to wet weather, and so in the first week of June Tua Marina and Waikawa Bay Schools became the first groups of students to join the WW team. Their job for the morning was to plant grasses and trees on the banks of...

by Enviroschools Marlborough

June 9, 2024

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Tai Tōrua workshop – Nature Connection

On a clear crisp Marlborough Autumn morning Ramona and Angela invited a group of ECE and Primary teachers to join them outside for an introduction to Nature Connection. The Marlborough District Council Environmental Education team had been invited to present at the Tai Tōrua workshop. The focus for this workshop was to "support teachers to move from traditional views and practices in Health & PE to more inclusive, culturally responsive and innovative initiatives within the curriculum and its delivery". Nature Connection was the perfect fit to this brief. With substantial research highlighting the benefits that nature has on our Hauora, Ramona and Angela were able to introduce a variety of activities and ideas under the...

by Enviroschools Marlborough