An exciting partnership between educators and Whoa! Studios has resulted in a new kea education programme, Kea for Kids! for South Island schools.
The Programme
Kea for Kids! was rolled out to primary age schools around the South Island in late September 2022. This free NZ curriculum-based project is aimed at students aged between 5 - 10 years old.
If your school would like to take advantage of this unique kea roadshow, please get in contact with us!
The programme consists of:
- An initial visit from our volunteer educators, who will deliver a fun interactive 40-45 minute lesson to your students. The program is flexible and can be delivered as a presentation or set up as interactive workstations depending on standalone resources and number of students and teachers.
- The aim is to tell the story of Kea, convey key messages and engage the next generation.
- Your class will be left with fun and informative resources which can be delivered throughout the rest of the term/year.
A few examples of what's in the programme
- Kea puzzles - find out how kea intelligence is measured using real life kea puzzles from Auckland Zoo and Willowbank.
- Who's poo is whose? With samples encased in resin and a magnifying glass, learn to identify what poo belongs to what predator and what they have been eating.
- Threats to kea - Lead poisoning - where is lead found, what does it look like and why is it dangerous to kea (and to us)? Safely sealed examples enable children to get up close and personal in a safe environment. Predators - learn to identify which predator is which using footprints from tracking tunnels and playing the "whose that on my back' game.
- Kea sightings - learn how to identify kea and send in your sightings! Learn how researchers find kea in the wild using transmitters and telemetry equipment.
Programme Educator
Helen Hamblin - NZCS, Diploma of Teaching (secondary)
Helen is a passionate educator with a background in science and education both inside and outside the classroom. Previously engaging with the community as an outreach educator then interpretive guide, she now enjoys linking her lifetime experiences of outdoor pursuits and remote travel to predator control and protection of our taonga.
Helen has created and is delivering the ‘Kea for Kids’ Road show to primary schools around the South Island, engaging the next generation with Kea and their plight.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us anytime.
2022 Roadshow outcomes
The KCT "Kids for Kea" roadshow was launched in September 2022.
September - Te Wai Pounamu
Seven interactive sessions were given at six primary schools, from Ross to Haast, over three days.
158 students participated in the program, with 21 adults in attendance.
Over 90 percent of the children had seen a kea before and were very keen to learn more about our taonga.
Learning objectives included Environment, Natural World, Kaitiaki, Science, Investigating, Interacting, Questioning.
Feedback forms were given to teachers at the beginning of each session and gathered from the teachers at the end - here's what they said...
- "Helen was very interactive and kept the tamariki engaged."
- "Helen's interaction with the tamariki - awesome! All tamariki and adults hooked.
- "The different types of poo were a hit!"
- "The kids were 100% interested the whole time!"
- " Super interactive and engaging. Well resourced."
October - Mt Somers School
Four roadshow presentations were delivered to 77 students with 4 adults in attendance.
Over 90 percent of the children had seen a kea before, have regular school ski trips to Mt Hutt and were very keen to learn more about our taonga.
The addition of two kea enrichment puzzles loaned from Auckland zoo, were a great hit!
- "Super relevant to our students as "kea are in our back yard". Hands on delivered in a clear concise, interesting way. Interactive/interesting/relevant. Excellent presentation, best Ive seen!"
- "Couldnt have asked for a better teacher than Helen. Thanks!"
November - McKenzie Country
Eight roadshow presentations were delivered to three schools (Carew Peel Forest School, Lake Tekapo School and Twizel Area School) during a three day road trip. A total of 170 students and 16 teachers were engaged.
- "Would like more of the same. Keep the visits happening. Good to build on this with more visits, not just one off."
- "Would like more of the same. Keep the visits happening. Good to build on this with more visits, not just one off."
2023 Roadshow Outcomes
The Roadshow resumed in March 2023 and will continue throughout the year.
March - Greymouth
Seven presentations were delivered to St Patricks School, reaching 165 students and 8 teachers.
- "Hands on video clips were great!"
- "I loved the cool things the kids could look at, especially the poo! This was brilliant, thank you so much!"
May - Te Anau and Whakatipu
Five schools were visited over seven days with 23 class presentations to 551 students and 30 adults, a total of 581 participants.
Three short relevant video clips used in the presentations were sent prior to the visits including a range of activity sheets to support the program. Class numbers ranged from 17 to 33 including new entrants to year 8 students.
- "Helen has an excellent presence in the class. Excellent knowledge/facts. Loved all the resources to see/touch."
- "Kinesthetic learning - sight, sound, touch. Stories/video/pictures/poo etc."
- " All activities were engaging and educational. The session was very well managed. Thank you for sharing this experience with our ākonga."