Water ed 6

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We hope term 2 has started well for you. Welcome to anexpanded newsletter that incorporates suggestions teachershave made. We hope you find it useful.

In this issue:

Our water is precious-he taonga te wai multi-media artcompetition (page1)Amazing water wise gardens (page 2)

New newsletter features (page 3)From the library (page 3 & 4 )Featured website: Education outside the classroomhttp://eotc.tki.org.nz (page 4)GreenGardenerMay in the Garden (page4 & 5).

Water is precious - he taonga te waimulti-media artcompetition

On the Kpiti Coast we all live near water and use it daily butmost of us take water for granted.

The Water is precious - he taonga te wai multi-media artcompetitionaims to have young people create artworks that make people stop and think about how theyvalue or use water.

This competition is open to young people aged 12 to18 with entries closing on 11 May 2012 and the winnersannounced on 19 may 2012. Winning entries will be on display throughout the region.

Entries can be a photograph, a painting or drawing, a print, a sculpture or a static or moving graphic image.

The competition is targeted to students who are taking art or graphics at Year 9 and 10 or at NCEA levels 1to 3 and the competition prizes reflect this. Harvey Norman Paraparaumu has donated a digital SLR camera

that all art students would value and use as they develop their art portfolios. Section winners will receivevouchers to purchase art supplies.

Thanks to the local colleges for leading this competition. We hope for some excellent artwork that we candisplay widely. Students can obtain entry forms from their local college art department or by [email protected]

WaterEd

Issue 6, March 2012

The Council newsletter on water efficiency forschools.

We want this newsletter to be useful. Ifyou have feedback, please contact uson [email protected]. If you donot wish to receive the newsletterplease email [email protected].

Anne Brun t

Water Education Advisor,Te piha Matauranga WaiP: 04 2992717E: [email protected]

Ha n n ah Zwa r t z

Green GardenerTe Kaitiaki MraP: 04 2964700

E:[email protected]

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Amazing water wise gardens

Raumati South School recently won the 2012Water Wise Garden Competition at the SustainableHome and Garden Show.

When presenting the award judge Te Radarcommented Everybody who visited the gardens

will agree with the judges that the five gardenscreated at the show are amazing and creative andvery individual. The students and groups obviouslyput a lot of work into their gardens and its greatthat they gardens are now going to be recreatedback in the school or early childhood centre.

Radar and fellow judges, Councillor HilaryWooding, Julia Milne and Ben Hoyle acknowledgedthat creating a show garden was a huge challengethat all the groups met with energy and creativeideas. They said it was not easy to select a winner

from the range of innovative and interestinggardens that each told their own story. The judgessaid what stood out was the energy andenthusiasm of the students from Raumati South

School. Thestudents werethere to explain theirgarden to visitors andwere knowledgeable about plants suited to local conditions.

The judges added that all the gardens were appealing, but quite different.They demonstrated the concept of sustainability as they were all low cost

environmental gardens that made excellent use of recycled products. All thegardens used water wisely and creatively and we were sold on pedal power.

Some of the visitors to the show enjoyed pizza or scones fromRaumati South Schools Pizza oven. Others were considering keepingchickens in a recycled henhouses, or building and planning a water featurewhere the water is captured in rain barrels and circulated by pedal power froma stationery bicycle. Some visitors left with ideas about companion planting,planting for health and well-being and being creative with unlikelyrecycled products.

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Raumati South Schools winning garden

Exploring the hand pump in theParaparaumu Playcentregarden.

The Otaki Kindergarten garden featuring theirrecycled hen house.

Our thanks to all those students, teachers andparents who created the gardens that were a keyfeature of the show.

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New newsletter featuresWe asked teachers what we could add to Water Edto make it more useful for schools. Over term two we aregoing to incorporate the following features into the newsletter:

case studies from schools that have been operating programmes that focus on water use and waterconservation. In term 1 a number of primary schools completed environmental programmes that had awater conservation focus and we want to feature their achievements

activities that can stimulate student thinking. Feedback from the World Water Day activities indicates

that it would be useful to include an activity or small group of focused activities that teachers can buildinto their learning programmes

a review of fiction and non-fiction books about water use and conservation held in the Kpiti Coast

District Council Library

the opportunity for schools or groups to promote water related, environmental or sustainability education

events or resources

a featured relevant educational website.

Not every feature will be included in each newsletter but we encourage you to contribute by sending Anne thefollowing:

activities that work well with your students

information about relevant websites

information about great books, especially fiction, that we can add to the reading list and review.

From the library

The library have assembled a list of book resources that relate to water use andconservation that can be borrowed using normal school loan systems. The listis attached as an appendix. Each month Rosemary McCarthy, from the library,will review some fiction and non-fiction books from this list. Here are her firstreviews.

FictionThis is the rain by Lola Schaefer, illustrated by Jane Wattenberg.

Suitable for up to 6 year-olds.

The book is a fun, simple way for young children to learn the basic steps in the water cycle through usingrhyme, rhythm and repetition in a style similar to The house that Jack built. Bold colourful illustrations make it

suitable for showing and telling in a group.

Sudden drop: 24 hours to save the world and clean the bathroom [ZacPower series] by H.I. Larry.Suitable for 8-10 year-olds.

Although the fast paced story and the excitement of unusual technology thatmoves it along quickly take up the bulk of the text the importance of a safe

supply of water for everyone is always the motivation for Zac the hero. Itcould be used as a starting point for a wider discussion on drought, climatechange and the importance of safe water storage and supply.

If your students did something exciting in term 1 that relates to water education and water conserva-tion lets hear about it. Contact Anne and we will find an efficient and painless way to create case stud-

ies that feature your students achievements.

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Non-fictionOur world of waterby Beatrice Hollyer. Suitable for 7-9 year olds.

Published in association with Oxfam the book contrasts the uses of water throughthe very different situations of six children from six different countries. Each childslifestyle is shown in terms of availability of water, technology, methods of storageand collection and how she/he uses water for dinks, food, washing recreation andcare of pets and farm animals.

Using quotes from the children themselves and their photographs in typicalactivities the book brings the impacts of different water resources to a personallevel and thus could easily stimulate projects to discuss taking action in waterconservation.

Water powerby Polly Goodman. Suitable for 7-12 year-oldsUsing clear explanations, diagrams and photographs, this gives a basic understand-ing of the water cycle, the history of water power use and the different technologiesavailable today. Interestingly, it does omit to mention the environmental impact of

large dams learning could be extended to look at how the different types oftechnology that are being used or could be used in New Zealand.

Featured website: Education outside the classroomhttp://eotc.tki.org.nz

The education outside the classroom website on TKI has been rewritten and now includes practical advice forteachers developing learning programmes that include experiences that occur outside the classroom.

The website links to EOTC guidelines - Bringing the Curriculum alive,

It has a range of case studies including Raumati South Schools

process to develop a water wise garden in 2011. ParaparaumuColleges approach to unit standards and achievement standardsrelating toacquiring outdoor education skills like abseiling and kayaking anddeveloping responsible leadership and participation isanother case study.

The case studies are from Year 1 to Year 13.The websitecontains case studies and related activities that focus onsustainability and environmental education that can be used, oradapted for use, in any water education programme.

May in the gardenThings are slowing down in the garden. Winter crops like carrots, beetroot, silver beet and the cabbage familyshould already be in (get them in pronto if not!)

Two crops can go in now; broad beans and garlic (see next page).

Otherwise, its all about compost and looking after the soil so its ready for next spring.

Beds that arent being used over winter can be cleared (avoid growing a winter weed crop) and sown withgreen manure like lupins or mustard.

Or make a compost heap on top of the bed - this means less barrowing in spring.

Plant: Garlic, lettuce, silver beet, beetroot, celery.Sow: Broad beans, carrots, beetroot, miners lettuce.

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Broad BeansBroad beans are pretty bombproof and make a greatbeginners crop from seed. Theyre also enriching the

soil by `fixing nitrogen from the air. When its time toplant spring crops, leave the roots in the ground formaximum benefit.

Add a light dusting of wood ash or potash to thebroad bean bed to encourage a good crop, whilehelping to keep away rust diseases like chocolatespot.

Plant seeds 5cm deep, 15-20cm apart, in rows 30cmapart.

Pinch tips out when plants are about knee high (to anadult).

They need some support like a tepee of canes, orstrong stakes at each corner of the bed around which

string can be wrapped. Add levels of string as the plants grow taller.Companion plants are carrots, brassicas, celery, calendula.

Leaf tips can also be pinched out and eaten over the winter (great steamed, in bean salad,or boiled and mashed into potatoes to give them a green hue).

I like to pick the beans while theyre still small and sweet enough not to need skinning.

Theyre lovely in salads, with pasta, or as a dip with plenty of lemon, olive oil and garlic. Oryou can leave them to grow full size and dry out (they can store this way for months) anduse them to make falafels.

GarlicPlanting in May means garlic should be ready before Christmas. As well as being used incooking around the world, garlic is a strong antibiotic and antiviral. If you feel you are gettinga cold, eating three cloves or so will stop it in its tracks (do this with an apple in the otherhand, alternating bites, to take away the sting!)

The better your soil, the better the crop. Add compost and a dusting of lime and potash.

Choose the fattest, healthiest bulbs you can find spindlyones will never come to much.

Space them at about 20cm apart. Poke a hole with a stick andpop in the bulb so its tip is just at the surface (make sure youget them the right way up).

Mulch with a light airy mulch like pea straw.

Liquid feed with seaweed once a month. Dont let the stalkscompletely dry off or your garlic will have separated off into

cloves and wont keep so well. Instead, feel around under thesoil to tell when they are fat enough to harvest.

Pick broad beans when young andtender for maximum appeal.

The fattest, healthiest

cloves will give the bestresults.

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