Enviroschool students learn through play in Timaru

Ākonga were tasked with finding answers to a scavenger hunt on the many information boards scattered around the playground – topics included Māori and European history of the area, the development of Timaru, and geological features. This teaches the importance of being kaitiaki/guardians of the environment.

Students were taught how to create a mōkihi (canoe) out of harakeke/flax and then race them in the playground’s paddling pool. Mōkihi is an example of a vessel that early Māori settlers would have used to explore the coast, so as well as being a fun challenge for the children, it was also a great learning opportunity.

The schools then learned about the life cycle of tuna/eels from Andrea Askin-Mills of South Canterbury Museum. The final activity was student-led: planting native seedlings in the dunes of Caroline Bay with the help of Gary Foster. This deep dive into history helped the children consider how lessons from the past can inform the sustainable actions we take today.

Kelly Martin, a teacher at Waimataitai Primary School, was delighted by the “range of different activities for the children – it has been a fabulous day.”

The ākonga now have more knowledge of the area they can take back to their schools. 12-year-old James from Waimataitai said he had “no idea that there were different types of eels – that was interesting to learn.”

Ākonga from St Joseph’s Fairlie highlighted the next steps they want to take in their learning journey: visit the eels at Opuha Dam and share what they learned with their classmates.

“The students we work with are our future decision makers,” said Debbie. “It’s great to get them learning about the environment that they will look after.”