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.
Looking at ways of integrating your classes unique cultural diversity into your STEAM planning. Through personal experience and years working in a culturally diverse classroom, this workshop explores ways to help engage learners from different cultural backgrounds and fosters diverse ways of thinking.
Using a STEAM framework that plans for cultural diversity, educators can create more inclusive and holistic learning environments that empower students to innovate responsibly.
Working collaboratively through out the session, attendees have the opportunity to discuss techniques that have worked for them and to build ideas around how we can be a inclusive group of learners.
Part of a series of immersive workshops based on the theme “Science in the Kitchen’, combining exploration, observation, and discussion to bring Nature of Science concepts to life. Transform jam-making into a hands-on exploration of chemical and biological phenomena. Highlights: Conduct investigations into the roles of osmosis, pectin interactions, and microbial spoilage in food preservation. Design and test hypotheses in a culinary context, linking everyday processes to core scientific concepts. Takeaways: Tools for creating inquiry-based experiments that integrate the scientific method into biology and chemistry curricula. Practical activities that engage students in data collection, analysis, and presentation while fostering curiosity about everyday science.
This simple and enjoyable field trip takes us to locations along a local river. We will observe and compare the size and shape of boulders and pebbles that are eroding as they make their passage from mountains to sea. This is a great activity as it is conceptually easy to grasp but leads to many questions about landscapes, erosion, river flow, weather, different rock types and the rock cycle.
Understanding river health using a SHMAK kit (or similar) and visual health assessment, and the implications for the environment. Workshop would be undertaken on-site, with a reflection back inside at the end, to summarise findings.
We will consider abiotic factors (temperature, reach dimensions, clarity, nitrogen), and biotic factors (invertebrates). This incorporates fair testing, as well as photos, measurements and tallies.
Aotearoa/NZ is biologically the oldest place on this planet. A Dinosaur museum! Our native plants, insects, frogs, birds, lizards and many other creatures are the oldest in existence. Our native frogs make no noise because they are derived from the very first frogs to ever to evolve, and with only one species, they didn’t need to differentiate using sounds! In other countries Tuatara are known only as fossils but they still live here! It is an amazing heritage that dates back millions of years. The whole story is linked very closely to the Geology of NZ, Gondwanaland, the ice ages, sea level changes, volcanic activity, fault lines and of course fossils!
Explore the fascinating relationship between plants and their environment with Ruud Kleinpaste in his workshop, “How to Murder Your Plants More Slowly.” Perfect for schools with gardens or access to natural plant areas, this session dives into the challenges plants face from pests and diseases. Learn how these factors influence plant health and discover practical strategies to slow their impact. With Ruud’s signature wit and expertise, this workshop offers valuable insights for educators and students alike, fostering a deeper understanding of plant care and sustainable gardening practices.
The United Nations has declared 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation.
Understand the global and local significance of glaciers through this interactive workshop.
Our glaciers are disappearing due to climate change and receding glaciers are a major cause of sea level rise. Loss of glacial ice also threatens our water supplies and local communities.
Discover what’s unique about New Zealand’s glaciers and the landscapes they shape. Model glacial recession and uncover the importance of these giant rivers of ice.
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.
This workshop will introduce participants to identifying the use of science in the court of law. We will discuss the legal system’s reliance on forensic science evidence in criminal cases and the admissibility of forensic evidence including discussing stated cases like the Baines, Crewe and Sounds Murders. Using fingerprint and DNA science within the court system over the years.
This workshop will examine the atmospheric column on Venus, Earth and Mars and how energy is moved around the atmospheres of these planets and the impact this has on the surface. We will also look at the movement of energy in the Sun and how this radiates out to the planets. The workshop will cover concepts such as pressure, heat transfer, the electromagnetic spectrum and gravity. It will be mainly based inside but we will observe the Sun through a Solar Telescope and make observations of sunspots and other prominent solar features. We will also look at an experiment to measure total solar flux (depending on the weather).
