Check out these great media articles featuring Nelson Enviroschools. Tumeke!

A Nelson Heritage Festival event inspired Nelson Enviroschool students to develop their ideas about active travel and link them to how their grandparents and great-grandparents may have travelled to and from school. Click here to read the full story.

Student organising committee at Nelson Central School

Hampden Street School.....

Hampden Street School’s Enviroschools lead teacher was inspired by Wellington’s Writers Walk and the way a local school had brought the concept to life in their school. Here is their story

Nelson Tasman Enviroschools had the privilege of hosting the workshop lead by Artist Janet de Wagt exploring "my piece of nature" as part of the Tamatea "art and conservation in the Dusky Sounds" 

https://blog.doc.govt.nz/…/art-and-conservation-dusky-sound/

This opportunity for teachers to explore sustainability and the environment in a different way was funded by DOC and Creative NZ. 
https://blog.doc.govt.nz/…/art-and-conservation-dusky-sound/

Teachers created not only wonderful art in its own right but pathways for future learning at their school. 

  During the workshop, Enviroschools Facilitator in Nelson, Heather Graham, was reminded by fellow Enviroschools Facilitator Adie Leng, of the wonderful books by Peter Reynolds. His books The Dot and Ish are a great launch pad for finding everyone's creative flair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5mGeR4AQdM

This workshop coincided with the Nelson Art Festival of which the masked parade, again highlighted art as an important medium for communicating what is current and important in peoples minds.

Click here to read more about the masked parade.

Nelson Central School is giving a helping hand to their local weta by building prime real estate for them. Students teamed up with the handy folks from the Menzshed to build nine weta homes on September 21.  Earlier in the year, the school was successful in winning a $500 grant to support environmental projects. 

Nelson Central Enviroschools coordinator Lynley Walters said a visit from "Bugman" Ruud Kleinpaste had drummed up excitement amongst the students about insects. "We thought we would foster the children's interest in the bugs and develop our garden areas to make them healthier habitats for insects. The children have learnt a lot about healthy eco-systems and the importance of these."

The funding grant encouraged the school to work with a community group "so we approached the local Menzshed to support us in building the weta houses". "It's fantastic ... the men are so enthusiastic, they get a lot of enjoyment working with the children."

Insects may be able to sleep rough, but having shelter protects them from predators, including birds, while the houses also let the children view a weta up close.  "They like dark, cool places. They crawl into the hole in the wooden structures and get quite cosy and because it's dark, they love it."

Walters said the students could open one side of the house and look at the weta's body parts without being intrusive as part of the weta house was clear perspex. "The children were absolutely amazed that it was an ancient animal.  It's been around since the time of dinosaurs so that was a very important fact that the children were greatly excited about."

Along with the wooden structures for the nocturnal insects, new greenery will be planted to attract more bugs to the weta house area. The house will be attached to poles or trees on the embankment area around the playground. 

See the Nelson Mail newspaper article here

Nelson College for Girls petition for a plastic bag levy

Nelson College for Girls campaign around plastic bags started as a class project and has continued and grown into an online petition due to the momentum it is gathering! The girls have also decided to work towards a film which they will then present to the public. 

Link into their campaign face book page at 'Time's Up Nick: Plastic Bag Levy’.

Sign the petition

Congratulations Golden Bay Kindergarten on achieving Green-Gold reflection!! 

Reforestation, edible gardens, embedded Māori perspectives and "reduce, reuse and recycle" have all been a part of daily-life for the Golden Bay Kindergarten since it opened eight years ago. The celebration was a great time to acknowledge the work that goes on day after day with the children.

See more here!

George Harwood, left, Mayor Rachel Reese, Dawttha Kung, Alfaraz Shah, Sterling Cathman (Mr Science), and Klara Bare amongst the herb garden which is part of the Silver Award Enviro project at Victory School in Nelson.

A recycling shed, community vegetable garden and rubbish-free stream all contributed to Victory Primary School being the deserving recipients of a silver enviroschools recognition. Alfarax Shah, George Harwwod, Dawttha Kung and Klara Bare proudly showed Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese around their school before being presented with the award. Speaking to the children Reese congratulated them what they had created.

"I love food, I particularly love vegetables and I'm very impressed that you have such a lot of things growing in that garden. I really like that the schools in Nelson are growing vegetables and fruit from the garden to the table," she said. 

Enviroschools encourage self-motivated learning which means the children are the driving force behind changes to their school. A silver recognition takes six years to achieve and only three Nelson primary schools have been awarded one so far. Science teacher Sterling Cathman (Mr. Science) said the programme has been great for the students. 

"With enviroschools, the more you learn the more you want to do it. It's great because the kids are proud of themselves," he said.

Reese commended Cathman and the students on their work.

"We're very lucky to have wonderful teachers like Sterling. We have brilliant teacher role models. What I love about these programs is that the children are the leaders. It's founded on kids being enthused and interested. I'm very impressed," she said. 

Soil and garden rejuvenation

Simon Ashby along with a team of students have been busy re-creating their school garden.  Watch their video here!

Tahunanui School Green Ninjas undertook a great project called 'Project Water Saver'.
They followed the Enviroschools action learning cycle approach to identify the current situation, explore alternatives, take action and reflect on change. The result is a fabulous new water system that can collect up to 1000 litres of rain water for their school gardens. Click here for the full report.

Water Conservation

Nayland Kindergarten also undertook a fabulous and comprehensive investigation around water conservation, which resulted in a great new water tank for the kindergarten. See here for the full report.