Kōanga | Spring Inspiration

As Kōanga brings longer days and new growth, what are your ākonga noticing in nature?‍

Spend some time outside looking at plants, insects and birds and notice changes in your local waterways as the new season arrives. Note the tohu or signs of spring in your local area and discuss what these changes mean for people and other animals.

Ka tangi te pīpīwharauroa, ko te karere a Mahuru
If the shining cuckoo cries, it is the messenger of spring

Use the changing seasons as an opportunity to learn more about the maramataka, with resources from Te Papa and Science Learning Hub, or read this story from Enviroschools about how Parihaka Kindergarten are aligning the maramataka with their Enviroschools kaupapa.

For some beautiful images and information about native plants that are flowering in spring, read this article from Trees That Count.

We also love the Department of Conservation's nature connection seasonal slideshows, available in English and te reo Māori, exploring native animal behaviours, patterns and changes throughout the seasons. Students are encouraged to observe local nature and engage in sensory experiences to develop their connection with nature.

Celebrate Bees

Mahuru | September is Bee Aware month and is a great time of year to learn about and take action for bees. You can continue this learning throughout spring and into summer.

‍Bee Awesome He Pī Mīharo is a social enterprise passionate about the environment and bees. They work with schools in the Waitaha | Canterbury region and love teaching tamariki all about our precious little pollinators in a fun hands-on way.

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Taking part in the programme means tamariki will learn to make sugar syrup, pollen patties and even plant some bee friendly native seedlings. You’ll also put together some honey frames and even extract some honey at the end of the season. Learn why we have to protect the bees and what simple things you can do to help them. Find out more on their website here.

Bee Awesome have kindly shared this fun activity, the Nectar and Pollen game, and also have a great selection of articles on their website, such as this one about Bee-Friendly Native Plant Ideas.

Garden to Table have a range of pollination resources and have shared two activities on their website, Waggle Dance and Positive Pollen, which can be downloaded here.

For the Love of Bees aim to raise the level of public awareness of our unique NZ native bees, who are a keystone species and critical to our native flora’s health. On their website you can download posters of ngaro huruhuru, our native bees.

In 2019, students at Whareorino School were inspired to take action and made a downloadable poster to raise awareness about bees. You can read the full story and download their poster in this Enviroschools story.

Sow Seeds for Flowers and Food

Spring is a great time to sow wildflowers and herbs, including sunflowers, to provide diversity and beauty in your learning spaces throughout Term 4 and through the summer into Term 1.

Involve ākonga with the whole process by planning your spring and summer gardens and sowing seeds inside. Think about providing a range of food for people, bees, moths, butterflies, birds and lizards. If you're planting trees or shrubs, try to get these in the ground as soon as possible and before the end of September, while the ground is still wet.

Moths and Butterflies of NZ Trust has a range of resources, including advice about what to plant to provide food and habitat for moths and butterflies.

Sunflowers are easy for students to grow, they help regenerate the soil and provide a fun way to integrate numeracy (measuring height, counting seeds), art and science. Read about Porirua School's outdoor classroom project and sunflower garden in this Enviroschools story.
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Start a conversation with whānau and your local community to find out about local seed sources, or consider organising a seed swapping event. We also love the idea of selling seeds as a healthy, low waste fundraiser for school projects and programmes.  

Help Nesting Birds

Birdsong is one of the best things about the start of spring and you will start to hear and see birds that have been gone over the colder months. Listen for the call of the secretive Pīpīwharauroa | Shining Cuckoo, as a sign that kōanga has arrived.

Watch birds collecting things to make their nests and resist the urge to tidy up loose twigs, leaves and other natural items in your garden and school grounds. Instead focus on collecting any litter around your neighbourhood, so birds don't end up using plastic in their nests. You could organise or take part in a local clean up event, such as those organised by Keep NZ Beautiful or Sustainable Coastlines.

An important way to protect birds and their eggs is by controlling introduced predators in your school or kura. You can find helpful resources on the Predator Free NZ website, along with information and learning programmes on the Zealandia website.

Spring Events

Click on the event titles to visit each website and find out more, including resources and local event details.

Bee Aware Month in September

Conservation Week from Sept 2 - 8 with the theme 'Take Action for Nature'

Bird of the Year runs from Sept 2 - 16 this year - get voting!

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori from September 14 - 21

Keep NZ Beautiful Clean Up Week from September 20 - 27

Spring Equinox is on Monday September 23 - the day and night length are equal on this day.

Mental Health Awareness Week from September 23 - 29. Sparklers have lots of activities on their website that use nature to help improve wellbeing for ākonga.

Recycling Week is from October 21 - 27 and offers fun activities each day to help with waste minimisation.

Outdoor Classroom Day is on Thursday November 7. Join the global movement to make time outdoors part of every child’s day.

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Thank you to Lesley Hurst, Bee Awesome He Pī Mīharo, for providing the beehive images for this Spotlight and for contributing your resources and ideas.