Caretakers’ Workshop
Usually, we provide professional development for teachers, but this time we put on a session for the caretakers, as they are the ones supporting our mahi in the school grounds. We really do appreciate everything that they do.
Kids Greening Taupō, along with other Taupō EEC Environmental Educators, hosted a caretaker workshop.
Local caretakers were all invited to mix and mingle with each other, enjoy some kai, and learn alongside us. Shannon from Taupō District Council talked about composting. We learned what a great resource our organic waste can be and how you can take your green lawn clippings, brown cardboard, and leaves and layer them up like a lasagne. Jenni from Waikato Enviroschools discussed water collection and disposal. She told us simple ways that we can help look after our lake and rivers, for example washing our car on the grass rather than on concrete. Kids Greening Taupō coordinators talked about restoration planting and why our native plants are so good to have on school grounds.
We then got to see how Waipahihi school have been using water from the roof to water their gardens and collecting water so it can be used to play with in the sandpit. We got to visit the schools native plantings and pollinator garden. We learned what a wonderful habitat the old leaves on the Ti Kouka tree make for our native bugs and insects, we might think they look messy, but these leaves are home to an entire mini-ecosystem. We also got to taste tōtara berries, and learn about other special native plants such as pohuehue, host plant to our copper butterflies.
It was a fantastic day of collaborative learning. Thank you Waipahihi School for hosting and Taupo Community Gardens for showing us your site. Most of all a big 'Thank You!' to all of the amazing caretakers out there who keep our school grounds beautiful, and support us to involve tamariki in environmental projects on school grounds. You are awesome!
