Embedded Files
What's living there?
What's living there?
Today we are going to be citizen scientists - working together to notice and record information about what's living in our local environment.
FIRST watch this video - Project Reef. Find out about work people in Taranaki are doing to keep track of the health of species in an area. What is citizen science? Here's a short quiz.
NEXT complete the challenge.
THEN explore your local area - your teacher will tell you more.
DAY 12 CHALLENGE / WERO
Go outside and see if you can find one piece of plastic rubbish each. Count the pieces of rubbish your class found, and ask your teacher to upload your tally to the Young Ocean Explorers website. Don't forget to put the rubbish in the bin.
Get outside and explore your natural area! Your teacher will organise a chance for you to take a closer look at nature with 'Marine Metre Squared MM2'. This will work on a sandy, muddy, or rocky shore, on a river bank, or a lake shore. Together we will find out more about what lives next to our waterway. This can tell us about the health of our area.
Before you go WATCH this video to find out what it's all about.
This video shows a rocky shore mm2 study.
This video shows a sandy shore mm2 study.
This video shows how to measure the health of mudflats in a mm2 study.
Here are some identification charts that might be useful to look at, so that you can name what you saw, when you get back. You can sketch them or take a photo while you are out, or your teacher might have some printed copies that you can take with you.
NZ Marine Studies Centre
Northern NZ rocky shore guide - te reo
NZ Marine Studies Centre
Northern NZ Sandy and muddy shore guide
NZ Marine Studies Centre
Northern NZ Sandy and muddy shore guide - te reo
NZ Marine Studies Centre
Southern NZ Rocky Shore guide - NZ Marine Studies Centre
Southern NZ Rocky Shore Guide - te reo - NZ Marine Studies Centre
Southern NZ sandy and muddy shore guide - NZ Marine Studies Centre
Southern NZ sandy and muddy shore guide - te reo - NZ Marine Studies Centre
Estuary and rocky shore creatures - National Aquarium of NZ
Cape Rodney - Okakari Point Marine Reserve (Goat Island)
Freshwater invertebrate ID guide - SHMAK
NZ Aquatic Insects - Science Learning Hub
Waikato Council / Science Learning Hub
Can't go on a trip? You can take a closer look at these rocky or sandy shore study areas. Which species can you see?
CLAIM A MEDAL FROM TOYOTA KIWI GUARDIANS! If you complete this work you can claim a Kiwi Guardians Toa Kaipūtaiao – Citizen Scientist medal. Go to Toyota Kiwi Guardians to find out how to claim it. Take a look at all the other medals you can earn - there are more than 100! It's a fantastic way to enjoy and care for nature in Aotearoa.
TAKE YOUR LEARNING FURTHER
Find out more about one of the species you saw today (or choose a species to research). Fill in the worksheet or create your own way of showing information you find out (poster, slide show etc).
You need to include:
Species name
Scientific name
Where it lives
How big it grows
What it eats
Threats (what eats it or is bad for it?)
How we can help protect it
A picture of it (sketch or photo)
You might like to print and fill in this recording sheet from the NZ Marine Studies Centre.
Page updated
Report abuse