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...