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Activities & Resources

Through action-packed events, hands-on activities and engaging lessons, Eye on Nature encourages tamariki and their whānau to connect with the environment and learn how to be more sustainable in everyday life.

 

Check out these fun learning activities and resources for tamariki at school and at home.

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Jar of saved seeds reads Crock Nest Squash

200m Urban Garden Project - Koanga Institute NZ

For Greenies

Video - Koanga Institute has the largest collection of heritage seeds in Aotearoa. They help teach regenerative and sustainable ways of living in urban places.

Type

Video

Topics

Kai, Sustainability, Circular Economy

Anika Moa playing guitar in kitchen

Anika's Go-To Boil Up

New World

Recipe - This classic kiwi boil up is easy to make, delicious to eat, and is sure to please even the fussiest eaters.

Type

Video

Topics

Kai, Māori

Wheelbarrow full of local produce

Auckland Teaching Gardens - What does a community garden look like?

Auckland Teaching Garden

Video - What does a local community garden look like? What sorts of things can you see at different times of the year?

Type

Video

Topics

Kai

Gardener holds vegetable crops in garden

Climate Change and the future of production in NZ

Plant & Food

Video - Farmers and researchers are protecting our food security from the effects of climate change in Aotearoa and across the globe.

Type

Video

Topics

Kai, Sustainability, Circular Economy

Logo and image of Garden to Table

Garden to Table Recipes

Garden to Table

Here is a small selection of Garden to Table recipes, developed and written specifically with young readers in mind.

Type

Website

Topics

Kai

Mushrooms gathered on black background

How to make a Mushroom Kit

Mushroomate

Video - Learn how to make a GIY (Grow It Yourself) mushroom farm from scratch in less than 30 minutes.

Type

Video

Topics

Kai

Image of Edible Garden at Auckland Botanic Gardens

Incredible Edible Gardens

Auckland Botanic Gardens

Visit the edible garden at Auckland Botanic Gardens to get some tips around making your own home garden!

Type

Website

Topics

Kai

Webinar image

Kai Sovereignty - Lowering your carbon footprint through local Kai

Ngāti Whatua and Para Kore

Video - Panelists discuss the impacts of global food production and how Mātauranga Māori can guide us in restoring our taiao.

Type

Video

Topics

Kai, Māori

Auckland Council logo

Learning Experiences at Auckland Botanic Gardens

Auckland Council - Sustainable Schools

Book a school trip to the Auckland Botanic Gardens Experience Center with our Sustainable Schools team.

Type

Website

Topics

Sustainability

Cat and dog laying on grass

Make your own - Behaviour Enrichment for Pets

Auckland Zoo

Video - Auckland Zoo educator Laura demonstrates how you can make your very own behavioural enrichment for your pets at home.

Type

Video

Topics

Kai

Ngā hekaheka o Aotearoa

Ngā Hekaheka o Aotearoa - Mushrooms of Aotearoa

Huia

Teachers resource (pdf) - A bi-lingual science/mātauranga māori guide to mushrooms of Aotearoa.

Type

pdf

Topics

Kai

Fabric scraps with scissors

Recycling fashion: The town turning waste into clothes

BBC News

Video - Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world. But a small town in Italy called Prato has built its fortune on transforming old scraps into new clothes, particularly knitwear and wool.

Type

Video

Topics

Fast Fashion, Sustainability, Circular Economy

Stack of fabrics folded in a pile

Sustainability in the Fashion Industry

TKI - Te Kete Ipurangi

Teachers resources - Clothing and associated textiles have had major impacts on both the natural and social worlds. What are the positive and negative impacts that technology has made on natural and social environments.

Type

Website

Topics

Sustainability, Fast Fashion

Close up of waves or water

Te Whakapapa o te Wai

Te Pu a nga Maara

Video - Remember the whakapapa of water using this waiata

Type

Video

Topics

Māori, Water, Kai

The Bee Lady with bee on nose

The Bee Lady - Video collection

The Bee Lady

Collection of short videos about the basics of keeping bees

Type

Video, Website

Topics

Kai

Fresh vegetables in a colander

The Water in our Food

Watercare

Printable activity - How much of our food contains water? Print and cut out to match the picture, name, and water percentage of natural foods. Answers included.

Type

pdf

Topics

Kai, Water

Te Pu-a-Nga Maara Rangatahi Innovators

Tūhono ki Taiao 2022 Registration

Te Pu-a-Nga Maara

TPNM are proud to present the first of our Tūhono ki Taiao Interactive Online and taiao based event series for 2022

This kaupapa is aimed at REVIVING our ancestral knowledge, to RECONNECT whānau to our natural environments, and build a movement of Taiao REGENERATING for the future

Type

Website

Topics

Māori, Sustainability, Rangatahi

Water pouring onto a pair of hands

Wainuiātea - Te whakapapa o te Wai

Te Pu a nga Maara

Video - Actions to help remember the whakapapa of Wai.

Type

Video

Topics

Kai, Māori, Rangatahi, Water

Fast food with soda and burger

What, where and how food is important in children’s lives?

University of Auckland

Pdf - What foods do children eat, what should we be eating, and how does advertising effect children? This slideshow shows the latest in child health research from Dr Victoria Egli and Dr Rajshri Roy.

Type

pdf

Topics

Kai

Scientist inside greenhouse

3 Ways We Could Transform the Future of Food

SciShow

Video - As the population grows, the demand for food is only going to increase, but luckily, scientists are already working to solve this problem.

Type

Video

Topics

Kai

GMO crops

Are GMOs Good or Bad? Genetic Engineering & Our Food

Kurzgesagt

Video - Are GMOs bad for your health? Or is this fear unfounded?

Type

Video

Topics

Kai

Child and adult hold vegetable from community garden

Auckland Teaching Gardens flyer

Auckland Teaching Gardens Trust

PDF - Flyer of Auckland Teaching Garden locations. Click here to see community gardens in your area which you can visit.

Type

pdf

Topics

Kai

Circular Economy

Explaining the Circular Economy and How Society Can Re-think Progress

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Video - How can we re-design the way our economy works - designing products that can be 'made to be made again' and powering the system with renewable energy.

Type

Video

Topics

Circular Economy, Sustainability

Close up of mint bunch

Helpful Herbs

Auckland Botanic Gardens

Printable pdf - Explore the Herb Garden to discover plants from around the world that are grown for different uses.

Type

pdf

Topics

Kai

Three beeswax candles on wooden background

How to make a beeswax candle

The Bee Lady

Video - Follow along to create a candle using locally sourced beeswax and wicks.

Type

Video

Topics

Kai

Plentiful stock of fruits and vegetables

Incredible Edibles

Auckland Botanic Gardens

Printable activity - Explore our Edible Garden using this activity sheet to gather ideas that will help you grow delicious food at home!

Type

pdf

Topics

Kai

Image of hen and chicken fern

Kai from the ngāhere

Auckland Council

Video - Join Anna, Kara, and Baxter as they walk through Totara Park highlighting some of Aotearoa's precious edible plants.

Type

Video

Topics

Kai

Red panda against an orange background

Learning at Home Resources - Auckland Zoo

Auckland Zoo

Lesson plans, resources, and much more to support learning from the Auckland Zoo.

Type

Website

Topics

Sustainability, Kai

A green container growing oyster mushrooms

Mushroom Kit instructions

The Mushroom Smith

Document - Instructions for how to grow your Phoenix Oyster mushroom kits. Please remember to weigh and record data for harvest and weight of mushrooms.

Type

pdf

Topics

Kai

Kai graphic Production Distribution Consumption

Principles of 'Mana to Mana' practice in Community Food Distribution

Kore HiaKai Zero Hunger Collective

Teachers resource (pdf) - Kore HiaKai supports the frontline work of community food organisations while also undertaking the slower, deeper work of addressing poverty related hunger’s root causes.

Type

Report, pdf

Topics

Kai, Māori, Sustainability, Circular Economy

Tray of ANZAC biscuits with poppies

See in the Dark ANZAC biscuits

Garden to Table

Recipe - How did food move around the world in times of war? ANZAC cookies were a popular item to send to soldiers across the sea.

Type

pdf

Topics

Kai

Te Pu-a-Nga Maara Rangatahi Innovators

Te Pu-a-Nga Maara facebook page

Te Pu-a-Nga Maara

Connect to the rangatahi at Te Pu-a-Nga Maara; Rangatahi Led Innovation, Indigenous Solutions for a Sustainable Future

Type

Video, Website

Topics

Māori, Sustainability, Rangatahi

White sweatshirt and shoes

Teaching about the Fast Fashion Industry and Sustainable Production

Educators for Social Change

Teachers resources - Links to resources, lesson plans, articles, and informational sites to help teach your students about the environmental and socio-economic pressures of a fast fashion industry.

Type

Website

Topics

Sustainability, Fast Fashion

The Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff Project

Video library - The Story of Stuff has produced dozens of animated shorts and documentaries that chart a path to a more just and sustainable future.

Type

Website, Video

Topics

Sustainability, Circular Economy

White tshirt on top of world map

The life cycle of a t-shirt - Angel Chang

TED-Ed

Video - How and where is the average t-shirt made, and what’s its environmental impact? Angel Chang traces the life cycle of a t-shirt.

Type

Video

Topics

Circular Economy, Sustainability

Vodafone Event Centre

VR Walkthrough of Vodafone Event Centre

Second Nature Charitable Trust

VR walkthrough of the Vodafone Event Centre

Type

VR

Topics

Economic model

What if we don't buy products, we buy service?

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Video - What if we didn't buy the goods we use, but instead favoured access and performance over ownership?

Type

Video

Topics

Sustainability, Circular Economy

Fruits and vegetable groceries arranged on an orange background

Who's up at 5am? - Food at the Zoo

Auckland Zoo

Video - Auckland Zoo's Stores Manager, Ian, shows us the fridges and pantries used for animals diets at Auckland Zoo.

Type

Video

Topics

Kai

Tomatillo plant on farm

APEC Food security Explained

APEC NZ

Video - Food security means that everyone has access to sufficient, safe, nutritious, and affordable food and food producers have sustainable livelihoods.

Type

Video

Topics

Kai, Sustainability

Outdoor clothes rack

Are fashion retailers honest with their customers?

DW Documentary

Video documentary - Fast fashion is cheap, worn briefly, then discarded, leaving behind mountains of used clothing. Producers and retailers promise sustainability and recycling, but how sincere is their promise to make new clothing from old?

Type

Video

Topics

Sustainability, Fast Fashion

Rolls of white fabric bound together

BBC: The Price of Fast Fashion

Assefeh Barrat

Video documentary - Fashion lover Assefeh Barrat follows every stage of the production process - from cotton growers in the USA, to factory owners in Turkey and designers in the West to see who is leading the way in reducing fashion's environmental impact. And she asks consumers if they are really willing to change their fast fashion habits.

Type

Video

Topics

Fast Fashion, Sustainability

Giraffe sticking tongue out towards children on platform

Food at the Zoo lesson packs

Auckland Zoo

Teachers pdf lessons - Resources and links to help children understand nutrition and enrichment for animals at the Zoo.

Type

pdf

Topics

Kai

Pesto in a bowl next to garlic

Herb and Sunflower Seed Pesto

Garden to Table

Recipe - Pesto is a great way to use a surplus of greens in the garden. Use your pesto on toast, crackers or spread on a pizza base.

Type

pdf

Topics

Kai