KEEP had the amazing opportunity of working closely with ākonga (students) from Te Ranga School during 2024, delivering a hands-on environmental education programme in a peaceful and inspiring forest classroom.
Our two incredible environmental educators – Sky and Carmel, took the tamariki and their teachers on a year-long journey of learning, exploring, creating, and caring for their local environment.
A Warm Welcome to the Forest
The first few sessions at the Forest Classroom kicked off with a bang with a focus on introducing ākonga to the magic of forest ecosystems —learning about the layers of the forest (from the busy forest floor to the towering emergent layer) and the unique plants and creatures that call each one home.
Tamariki learned about trees like rimu, kohekohe, and kawakawa. They dug into pūrākau (stories) about them, and explored their roles in keeping the whole ngahere healthy. Drama, storytelling, and hands-on fun brought these lessons to life. One highlight? A night walk that revealed a māhoe tree bustling with cave wētā—now lovingly called “the wētā tree” by the kids.
Activities ranged from crayon rubbings to invertebrate monitoring, with tools like microscopes and magnifying glasses helping tamariki explore the tiny wonders of the bush. The goal? To spark curiosity and build confidence in this special space.
Rolling Up Our Sleeves
Once the students had a better understanding of the forest ecosystem as a whole, they were ready to get stuck into conservation in action! Tamariki learned about pests like possums—why they’re such a problem for our native species—and how to monitor them. A “pest hunt” (with soft-toy critters) helped the kids recognisze the usual suspects, and older ākonga even mixed up ‘blaze’ to lure pests to their monitoring stations.
Tree planting was another big feature throughout the Winter months. Small groups of students planted natives in a nearby retired paddock, expanding the KEEP corridor and helping restore precious kōkako habitat.
Watching the kids dig, learn proper planting techniques, and chat about the trees they were helping to grow, was pure magic. Many went home proudly sharing their newfound knowledge with their whanau.
Tying It All Together
Term 4 was about going deeper. Pest and invasive plant management became the focus, with tamariki learning to identify and tackle weeds that threaten regenerating forest areas. They got hands-on with activities like trapping, baiting, and clearing weeds—all while connecting these actions to the bigger picture of conservation in Aotearoa.
One of the best parts? The spontaneous discoveries that happened every time they stepped into the ngahere. A stick insect tumbling from the canopy, new fungi peeking out from a log, or a manu spotted flitting through the trees—each encounter sparked curiosity and conversations that often took lessons in exciting new directions. Those unplanned moments were just as powerful as learning opportunities for everyone involved.
A Community Effort
None of this would have been possible without the incredible support from the local community. Legends like Peter Mark and the Paraiti Catchment Care Group showed us what it means to care for the land, helping with planting days and pest control efforts. A massive thanks also to local business, Greenlea, who funded this education programme!
The incredible teachers at Te Ranga School were so supportive of the collaboration and carried on the learning from each session as they wove the lessons into their own classrooms, helping tamariki take their learning even further.
Looking Back (and Forward!)
This year has been an absolute joy. Watching tamariki grow in confidence and curiosity, seeing them connect with the ngahere, and knowing they’re taking those lessons into the future—it’s what KEEP is all about. And, after a fantastic year of working together with Te Ranga School, we are so stoked to leave them with a kete of resources so they can continue to explore, learn about and care for their beautiful forest classroom.
The kete contains a selection of reference books, magnifying glasses and microscopes - the tools we found most useful as we worked together during our forest classroom sessions. They provide learners with the ability to closely investigate interesting wildlife in the moment, to learn key observational skills and to grow their knowledge base.
We hope these ākonga will continue on their journey with an understanding that they have a huge capacity to learn about their natural surroundings and that it all starts with curiosity and observation... As our amazing educator Sky says, "It is our hope that the seeds of knowledge, which are fostered in the Paraiti community, will spread far and wide, like the berries in the bellies of our beautiful kerurū!"
Ngā mihi,
The KEEP Team
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