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1713 days ago

Kids Greening Taupō's online success

Chris Marshall Reporter from Taupō Times

The nationwide Covid-19 lockdown has provided an opportunity for innovation and creativity for Kids Greening Taupō, as demand surges for the organisation’s online materials.

The Kids Greening Taupō programme – initiated in 2014 - is based on the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) Collaborative Community Education Model and was the first programme to test and pilot this model.

The model which focuses on place-based education, student-led conservation change, and collaboration across communities has been rolled out across the country, said Taupō-based DOC Outreach and Education Co-ordinator Kerryn Penny.

The Kids Greening Taupō Nature Connectors series encourages parents or caregivers to get children outside and engaged with nature through a variety of simple activities and challenges. The Online Nature Classroom has different themes every week and a strong inquiry and observation aspect, such as identifying pests and making tracking tunnels, including information linked to DOC resources.

The lessons are designed to become permanent education resources.

Kids Greening Taupō Education Co-ordinator Rachel Thompson said the likelihood of a COVID-19 lockdown saw staff develop online materials for activities that children could do in their neighbourhood.

“We’ve been posting (online) right from day one of the lockdown. We believe connecting to nature for mental and physical well-being is more important than ever at a time like this.”

Kids Greening Taupō had done an amazing job of providing fun, practical activities to engage young people and their whānau with nature, said Penny.

Kids Greening Taupō is an offshoot of Greening Taupō, a non-profit group, and it is part of the local Taupō Environmental Education Collaborative which comprises a range of organisations providing Environmental Education programmes and support – including the Department of Conservation (DOC). The organisation has also received grants from DOC’s Community Conservation Fund to support its work.

For more information on Kids Greening Taupō visit www.kidsgreeningtaupo.org.nz...

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More messages from your neighbours
5 days ago

We're talking new year resolutions...

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Tidying the house before going to bed each night, meditating upon waking or taking the stairs at work.

What’s something quick, or easy, that you started doing that made a major positive change in your life?

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1 day ago

New Year, Same Brain Teasers!

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

A man was found dead with a cassette recorder in one hand and a gun in the other.

When the police pressed “play,” the tape said, “I can’t go on,” and then there was a gunshot.

Yet, the police knew it was a murder.

How?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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27 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

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