Explore the fascinating connections between what we eat and the world around us. In this workshop, we’ll delve into how nutrition impacts our bodies and the environment, uncovering sustainable food choices and the role of plants in our diets. Through hands-on activities and discussions, you’ll gain a new appreciation for the intricate ties between health, our brains, ecosystems, and the foods we love
In this hands-on workshop, we’ll explore how to enhance learning in the classroom with Micro:bits.
These small, programmable devices make coding and electronics accessible and fun for students of all ages. We’ll cover the basics, including simple coding projects and interactive activities that can be easily integrated into various subjects.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll have practical ideas and resources to inspire your students and bring their creativity to life through hands-on technology.
The “A” in STEAM represents the Arts, encompassing creativity, design, and critical thinking, which are essential for driving innovation across all disciplines.
Including the Arts in STEAM encourages students to explore new ways of problem-solving, enhances their communication skills, and fosters a deeper connection between scientific inquiry and creative expression. Look at ways to incorporate the A through a 6 step STEAM process.
Dive into computer-based simulations to explore the scientific basis to climate change as well as solutions. Highlights: Learn about the greenhouse effect and earth’s energy budget through inquiry based activities. Investigate actionable climate strategies and learn how to incorporate these tools into your teaching. Takeaways: Accessible digital tools and methods for addressing complex climate topics in the classroom.
Heading out and understanding what makes a rock pool tick. Measure rock pools (including depth), taking percent covers of algae, using quadrats to measure biodiversity and abiotic factors such as temperature and oxygen, pH. Includes tallies, measurements, observations, photos and fair testing. Using this information to infer what depends on what, and what we might expect if an abiotic factor were to change. Summing up back at base, comparing information, brainstorming report.
Looking at how schools can investigate/discover what’s going on below the surface. Exploring the undersea world can be problematic. That can either put you off trying or it can create a worthy challenge to try and come up with simple solutions to find out what is going on down there. Low-tech answers can lie in using inexpensive action cameras in smart ways, taking bottom samples, video transects, light traps, plankton sampling, water sampling (temp/salinity/pH etc), sediment deposition and using ROVs. Much of this gear can be designed by students and built in a school’s technology suite. Getting real-world data from the real world, is life experience stuff and its value cannot be underestimated.
An exciting, hands-on workshop that brings the art of a bioblitz to life. Participants will learn how to organize and conduct a bioblitz, with a special focus on catching and observing the incredible variety of critters that take to the skies. From delicate insects to dazzling winged wonders, you’ll uncover the secrets of the flying world. Perfect for educators, students, and nature enthusiasts, this workshop promises to inspire curiosity and a deeper appreciation for the creatures that share our skies.
Antarctica is a unique natural laboratory that helps us understand the Earth’s climate, ocean systems, and the impact of human activity. This remote and hostile environment directly affects Aotearoa. Demystify climate science and oceanography through engaging practical activities and see how scientists work and live in Antarctica. Let Antarctica inspire you and your students to take action to reduce climate change.
A Hands-On Learning Experience for Educators In survival scenarios, you’re rarely alone, and this creates both unique challenges and valuable opportunities for growth. Join us for an immersive team-building experience where you’ll collaborate to create a shelter using only the natural resources provided (a perfect way to bring your local curriculum to life!). This challenge will spark your creativity, deepen your collaboration, and add a fun, slightly competitive edge! Protection is a top priority in wilderness survival, but it’s not as simple as it sounds. While people are naturally inclined to work together, identifying your role within a team dynamic can be tricky. In this experience, you’ll discover how to leverage everyone’s strengths, navigate differences, and find common ground to achieve your goals—skills that are just as valuable in the classroom. The key competencies of Managing Self, Relating to Others, and Participating and Contributing will be at the forefront of this experiential learning activity. This experience will not only help you build practical survival skills, but will also strengthen your resilience, communication, and problem-solving abilities as kaiako — skills that are essential for supporting your ākonga in developing their own teamwork and resilience, both in and out of the classroom. As you reflect on how to work together effectively, you’ll gain strategies to help your students: Enhance their ability to collaborate and work with others Notice, recognize, and respond to the diverse needs and learning styles of ākonga Foster whanaungatanga—the building and maintaining of meaningful relationships that create a sense of belonging, shared responsibility, and support within the learning community. By the end of this experience, you’ll walk away with practical skills and valuable insights you can immediately apply to your teaching practice, helping your students not only survive, but thrive, both in school and in life.
Identifying the use of entomology & palynology and environmental factors within a crime scene and how this assists in the investigation of a serious crime scene. The attributes of the specialist examining the crime scene and the unique science skills they use to obtain critical information to the investigating team.
In this workshop, we will look at how observing celestial occurrences has helped us build an understanding of the universe. Using scientific investigative approaches and examining scientific methods, we will look closely at the moons of Jupiter to determine the mass of Jupiter. This workshop will look at how we can measure distances in space, angular distances using telescopes and calculating basic relationships. To finish the workshop we will have a session in the planetarium to view both Jupiter and Saturn and try and measure the distance from one of the moons to the planet.
