Riverdale School in Palmerston North is undertaking a range of conservation projects to improve biodiversity and help to protect native insects and birds in the school’s local area.

Ruud “The Bugman” Kleinpaste and Shark Scientist Dr Riley Elliott visited Riverdale School to talk to students and teachers about the importance of sustainability and how they can help to look after the environment.

Riverdale School’s Science Lead Teacher, Janine McIntyre, says providing an outdoor learning space is important for children to explore and make connections to the natural world.

“We want to inspire our students to learn more about their natural environment. A key focus of these projects is to increase the biodiversity in our local area and to help protect native insects and birds from predators.”

Whanganui Intermediate is expanding its existing forest school programme and hopes to inspire younger generations to incorporate knowledge of the natural environment in their everyday life.

With the overall theme that Nature is Everywhere, Whanganui Intermediate is embarking on a journey to extend its “forest school” programme. This will be achieved by starting an ongoing BioBlitz where all organisms found will be identified and reported on through iNaturalist – an online platform. This reporting will include assigning each organism to their “role” in nature, known as “ecosystem services”.

Ruud Kleinpaste – the Bugman and Dr Riley Elliott, Shark Scientist visited Whanganui Intermediate to talk to students and teachers about the importance of sustainability how they can help to look after the environment and its living organisms.

Dani Lebo, Whanganui Intermediate Forest School teacher says “The learnings from this Forest School project can be used as a template to enhance the school ground’s environment through native planting. We are passionate about expanding our existing forest school programme, which takes students off-site to explore the local bush area and embrace the outdoors. We hope to inspire the younger generation to incorporate knowledge of the natural environment in everyday life.”

Taranaki based bilingual primary school, Waitara East, has embarked on a sustainability journey with the TREEmendous Education Programme and ways they can help look after the environment by restoring our Biodiversity.

The school will be developing a programme to increase their student’s nature-literacy by learning about inter-connected ecosystems – learning how animals, plants, fungi, bacteria and slime-moulds can all live in harmony.

Denise Tutaki, Waitara East School Junior Syndicate leader says “We are beyond thrilled to have the support of the Mazda Foundation. We can’t speak enough about the excitement for our tamariki to have Ruud and Riley in our school, and the messages they gave to our tamariki are invaluable.

Our kura has Te Atiawatanga at the forefront of all our curriculum and inquiry planning. Sustainable practises are essential to our very being. We see our tamariki as being ngā kaitiaki mō āpōpō – they are the future caretakers of our planet. Their care and concern for our whenua, awa and moana is innate, and the children are passionate about reducing their impact on our environment.

Karetu School in Northland, have a passion for exploring their local, natural environment. Together with TREEmendous Education Programme they are developing a programme to connect students with the biodiversity they share the area with

This scientific project will enable students to record and log all of the organisms that can be found on their school grounds.  iNaturalist will be one of the major, on-line tools that they can use to discover and identify the plants, trees, fungi, mosses lichens, birds, invertebrates, skulls, bones, droppings, tracks, spiders, and all other life-forms they encounter.

Kenneth Timperley, Karetu School’s Principal, said “I had heard about what Riley does through the media and television but didn’t know much at all. To walk into his session and notice how quiet the kids were, to see how they were hanging off his every word, was amazing. When I stepped into Ruud’s session, I was instantly at ease because once again the children had been “captured” by a man who was passionate, spoke to the kids in their language, and just knew how to impart awesome knowledge through humour.

The children that attend Karetu School are from families that are passionate about the ocean and the bush. The visit from Ruud and Riley has lifted the children out of their winter “blues” and has injected a level of excitement to get out and explore every tree, every piece of bark, and to create mayhem for their teachers!”

With a commitment to environmental education, Wainui Beach School in Gisborne provides its students with knowledge and tools to help develop their understanding of how the outdoors can influence plants and animals, specifically the Little Blue Penguin.

Ruud Kleinpaste – the Bugman and Dr Riley Elliott – Shark Scientist visited the school to talk to students and teachers about how they can learn from nature and the important role that living organisms play in our ecosystem and their impact on our environment. 

Wainui Beach School was the first ever TREEmendous recipient in 2008, planting many different species of native trees for an outdoor classroom. The school is continuing to further their environmental goals this year with the programme by developing, The Penguin Project – Little Blues, an initiative first started in 2018 when Wainui Beach residents discovered Little Blue Penguins nesting under their houses.

The Penguin Project aims to further the students understanding around how they share the environment with other species. The goal is also to increase their knowledge on how the Little Blue Penguin is suited to its habitat and their response to environmental changes.

With a passion for environmental education, Riverina School in Pakuranga provides its students with knowledge and tools to help develop their understanding of the natural ecosystem. The school encourages students to connect to the wider community and understand the role every individual plays in building an eco-friendly lifestyle.

Ruud Kleinpaste – the Bugman and Dr Riley Elliott, Shark Scientist visited Riverina School to inspire students and show them how we can all learn from nature and the important role that bugs and sharks play in our ecosystem and how they all impact our environment.

Principal, Carol Dickinson and her enthusiastic teachers are looking forward to further developing their outdoor learning space for students to learn in nature following Ruud’s session with the teaching staff.  Their environmental project will see an area of their school grounds transformed into a vibrant learning space where fruit and vegetables will be grown and native trees planted.