As part of the Zero Carbon Act movement, Generation Zero want to help students, teachers, and schools to participate in the climate issues conversation! 

What is the Zero Carbon Act?

The Zero Carbon Act is Aotearoa’s best plan for climate change. The Act addresses long term climate issues through short- and long-term goals. For the Zero Carbon Act to effectively hold present and future governments accountable, everybody needs to unite under its vision. This means that cross-party support is incredibly important!

It’s worth noting that the UK’s 2008 Climate Change Act, which inspired the Zero Carbon Act, was supported by 463 out of 466 UK parliamentarians. We would love to see a similar margin in our own parliament.

How can Schools get involved?

• Participating in the consultation process by submitting on the Zero Carbon Act
• Sharing their support for the Zero Carbon Act on social media, or through school newsletters
• Contacting local MPs to talk to students about the Zero Carbon Act

There is plenty of room for schools to be creative with their consultation submissions and public support; photos and videos can go a long way! Below are a few snapshots of our campaigners using the 0 symbol - the symbol of the Act - as a bit of inspiration.

It’s important to note that the consultation period opens on the 31st of May, and runs for six weeks. Your support for the movement would send a powerful message to the government, and to the wider New Zealand public.

Find out more about the Zero Carbon Act at www.generationzero.org/zero_carbon_act

Young Ocean Explorers is an interactive website aiming to engage children with entertaining education. Their aim is to put tools in teachers tool belts, so they have the confidence to confidently teach about the marine environment and science.

Young Ocean Explorers want to inspire generational change in the way NZ views and treats our ocean … starting with this generation of kids :-) 

They believe the underwater story of NZ is our best kept secret and this will only enhance the way people will see our beautiful country.

Check out their great website here: 
http://www.youngoceanexplorers.com

And here’s the link to show how teachers can use it:
http://www.youngoceanexplorers.com/teacher

“This is an excellent interactive resource for children and teachers.  It is stimulating and engaging and Riley is a fabulous role model to young people.  The largely New Zealand content is authentic and trustworthy. The message that each one of us, no matter how young or old, can make a difference, is a powerful and relevant one. 

The Young Ocean Explorers Interactive Documentary website is a strong science resource.  Science for primary school children should be about hooking into children’s curiosity, the awe and wonder they have about the world around them.  This website does that with quirky facts and videos which make the experience come alive for the user.  It is also a visual language and reading resource – children love quizzes and polls and there are plenty of these.  The website is a scaffold for writing too, with examples of different types of writing.  Some of our reluctant writers love facts and are happy to create quizzes and polls of their own or write reports.

The kaupapa of Young Ocean Explorers aligns well with Education for Sustainability.  Woodlands Park School is a strong Enviroschool, with a commitment that stretches back over 15 years.  This website has obvious relevance in this context”.
Liz Manley (Principal of Woodlands Park Primary School) 

from the University of Otago....

The Marine Studies Centre at the University of Otago have a set of great resources available to download from their website. The resources, which include teacher guides, identification and fact sheets, games and activities, are grouped according to the topics and programmes they support.

http://www.otago.ac.nz/marine-studies/resources/download/index.html#maori

The staff do outreach work and will travel – Tessa Mills, the manager of the Marine Studies Centre, is very happy to talk to people about what they have on offer or to supply any of the resources. Contact her at:  tessa.mills@otago.ac.nz

The University of Waikato offers a Master in Education degree focussing in environmental and sustainability education. You can study for one paper alone, or work towards several papers and research for the full Master’s degree. The next paper offering begins in February 2018 with STER513-18C(HAM) Environmental and Sustainability Education. This paper involves two days on campus in Hamilton, February 23/24, followed by online supported learning at your place until early June 2018. This is a great introduction into academic study in this area. For more information visit https://education.waikato.ac.nz/tems/ or email Chris Eames at c.eames@waikato.ac.nz.  

Game designer Jill Hemming is releasing a new boardgame 

Be amongst the first to wath the final testing, see the feedback, and have the option to pre-purchase.

For more information click here

Some great reviews from the Game testers:

“Calculating, tactical and strategical” Lochie, 12 yrs
“Awesome and exciting” Finn, 14 yrs
“Thriller” Ya’akov, 9 yrs + his dad
“includes teamwork” Rakaia, 11 yrs
“Challenging” Aston, 9 yrs

April 2017

Wild Eyes is a new website aiming to get Kiwi kids off screens and connected with NZ nature, conservation and science … using screens! Wild Eyes provides awesome digital incentives to kids for completing fun nature missions. Wild Eyes missions are curriculum-friendly, designed to be completed in or outside the classroom or at home, and are perfect for individual or group inquiry learning, particularly with a focus on environment, science or sustainability topics. 

To launch the site Wild Eyes is running competitions throughout April in partnership with What Now and Forest and Bird’s Kiwi Conservation Club for kids. 

For details check out the website here

Check out the 'Backyard Spy' mission (and make sure you watch the instructional video):

https://www.wildeyes.co.nz/missions/backyard-spy

 Help change Kiwi kids’ square eyes into wild eyes!

Exciting things are happening in Finland. With an education system already considered one of the best in the world, Finland is carrying through a real revolution in their school system by 2020.

Finnish officials want to remove school subjects from the curriculum. Instead of individual subjects such as physics, math, literature, history, or geography, students will study events and phenomena in an interdisciplinary format. For example, the Second World War will be examined from the perspective of history, geography, and math. Students will no longer sit behind school desks and be called upon to answer a question - instead, they will work together in small groups to discuss problems. 

The school reform will require a great deal of cooperation between teachers of different subjects. Around 70% of teachers in Helsinki have already undertaken preparatory work in line with the new system. 

>> Read more here

Helping young children do science

Check out this awesome new resource for ECE and Junior Primary students. Co created with students and teachers from ECE centres in Wellington. It is also a comprehensive guide for teachers on how to facilitate science learning in their programmes.

Creative Woodcraft Limited has developed and launched an exciting initiative “BeeGAP” (Gardeners Adding Pollinators) programme to close the “bee gap” for pollination of the food supply threatened by the declining honey bee. Gardeners are one of the strongest voices for creating awareness and encouraging raising gentle natured leafcutter bees nationwide. This powerful group typically is quick to try new ways for growing healthy food and plants in their yards. Gardeners are starting to change the way they pollinate their gardens, and how they use chemicals.

BeeGAP supporters will have access to:

·      Education and support bee pollination and ways to protect the environment.

·      Presentation materials for the BeeGAP speaker’s bureau. Gardeners can increase awareness within their communities and within school systems.

·      Access to their online shop offering bee friendly products to raise leafcutter bees and also encourage bumble bees.

·      Discounts on bee products.

·      At the same time, Enviroschool participants can help one another and create awareness and publicity of their own.

·      Teach the community and children about the amazing pollination capabilities of summer leafcutter bees and bumble bees, and their vital importance to our food supply.

·      Raise and harvest leafcutter bees, then rehome excess bee cocoons with other schools, family and friends.

·      Adopt-A-Bee program – raising awareness.

For more information check out http://beegap.co.nz