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.