Connecting With Our Seas - Te Hono ki o Maatau Moana
The following are excerpts from a feature in the Starter's and Strategies Teacher's Magazine term four edition.
Seaweek is an annual celebration with a focus on inspiring Kiwis to renew our connections with the ocean – it's a time for all of us to get to know the sea, its habitats and inhabitants a little better. We want to draw attention to the ecosystem which makes up 93% of Aotearoa’s territory and covers 71% of the planet - and highlight how it is incredibly important to all our lives, no matter how near or far we are from it! This year we are celebrating Seaweek’s 30th birthday! Seaweek will take place from Saturday 5th March to Sunday 13th March 2022 with a wide range of events, activities, and opportunities to engage with the ocean nationwide.
Exploring the Deep Abyss of Ocean Education Resources
Ocean education connects with the curriculum in so many ways! Seaweek is an opportunity to begin an enquiry about ocean issues, celebrate success stories of marine restoration projects and protected areas. There are so many areas to explore from when it comes to learning about the ocean; a huge diversity of ecosystems, hundreds of interesting animals and many mysteries to delve into not to mention exploring our impact. We think it's important to start with the things that will inspire youth to love the ocean - beginning with the ‘bigger picture’ and building up to empowering citizens to take action.
There are endless opportunities for learning when you are diving in to the natural world. While it is not always possible to get your students out in or on the water, the experience of physically connecting of students with the marine environment can be a catalyst for place responsive learning and foster kaitiakitanga. Regardless, here's some of our favourite resources you can use to get things started.
Why should we care about the ocean? Often when asked this question the first thing children come up with is; because of all the creatures that live in it! How much do you know about New Zealand’s sea creatures? Incredible interactive web-based learning platform full of activities and videos from Young Ocean Explorers allows students to explore the underwater world. Young Ocean Explorers will be running another ’21 Day Challenge’ later in the year from November 7 to December 5. You can explore all their amazing (and free!) content on their website.
How can you see what lives in the sea? The New Zealand Marine Studies Centre has Fishy Webcams! So, you can check in on some of their animals and see inside some of their tanks! See crabs and triplefins feeding in the touch tank, our seahorses snapping up some plankton! Plus, you can check out the weather and boats out at the NZMSC Marine Lab wharf. There are a range of great activities and extra videos for each of the webcams plus they are also looking for detectives to help solve a murder mystery! Find the evidence in their touch tank cam, interview the suspects, and see if you can solve the case!
Interested in exploring scientific method and taking part in citizen science? Get to know the animals and plants living on your local shoreline through the Marine Metre Squared (Mm2) project! Check out the community stories and videos to learn about how schools have been investigating the impact of sediment on the rocky intertidal; monitoring changes in the biodiversity and abundance of species over time. Mm2 aims to promote guardianship of the marine environment so we can better protect it for future generations to come. There are lots of activities, guides, and resources on their website to help you both in the classroom and on the shore. Speaking of guardians, did you know your students can get rewarded for exploring! Check out the Kiwi Guardian Toa Kaipūtaiao – Citizen Scientist medal.
While surveying the seashore, keep an eye out for shark egg cases to contribute to ‘Shark Spy’ - a shark citizen science project. Any photos/videos of egg case (or shark) sightings can be submitted online via iNaturalist, Facebook or email: shark.spy.otago@gmail.com. And if you are lucky enough to spot a shark when you are out boating, then please take a photo and share it too. This information will contribute to our understanding of shark populations around New Zealand.
Learning about the ocean is fun. Have you ever tried eating like a seal? What about building your own plankton net? Join Nelson educator Richard de Hamel and his mischievous side-kick Soak as they explore everything from fish to plankton in a seven-part video series. Each video also has a hands-on activity worksheet to continue the learning! This video series is aimed at primary school levels but is fun for all ages!
Guiding a generation of Ocean Champions. Seaweek is an opportunity to inspire & foster year-round personal and social responsibility and collective action for a healthy marine environment. We want to make sure we give the youth of today the tools and the opportunity to influence change. This year we are ramping up our Ocean Champion Challenge, come back to check our website in January for the full details on how to participate.
Join forces with Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) - Te Kura Moana: This summer EMR will be on the lookout for the elusive crested weedfish! We think we will be more likely to spot them in the seaweed forests inside a marine protected area compared to outside, where we typically observe more kina barren areas. There is a great clip to watch about the weedfish and EMR has made a downloadable activity you’ll find via the QR code! EMR will be running Fish of the Year during Seaweek, raising awareness for our fishy friends and the troubles facing our moana. Who will knock the current winner, whai repo (eagle ray), off their throne? For guided snorkel tours on the lookout for your favourite fish visit www.emr.org.nz
Beginning with recreation in and on the ocean is a great start: Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre (MERC) are leaders in purposefully connecting recreation and education. Based on the edge of Tikapa Moana te Moana nui a toi, the Long Bay-Okura Marine Reserve provides an opportunity to explore in, on and around the ocean. We have ecosystems teeming with life in our ‘backyard.’ We are all about getting students out and exploring the marine environment, connecting them to the ocean, each other and themselves. Visit merc.org.nz to find out more!