A 'think global, act local' environmental experience. Opportunities to both learn about and do something for the environment. Customised curriculum packages to met the learning needs of your class by a registered teacher. Environmental, Science and Maori perspectives.

Contact: Terry O'Connor Teacher/Ranger, Phone/fax 06 345 67897, email; terryoc@xtra.co.nz

Admission /gate fee: Year 1 -8 $1.00 , Year 9 -13 $2.00 , Adults $3.00 per head

Introduction
The focus of the programmes offered at Bushy Park are based on the Environmental Education Curriculum which is a cross curricular document with the intent of getting pupils out into the environment, and not only learning about the environment they are in, but also allows them to do something for the environment.

A visit to Bushy Park not only allows pupils to be in a unique Sanctuary and to learn about what happens there to save our native /indigenous/endemic species, it also allows them to be a part of the protection and recovery of these species. Because we are not running a zoo, but doing our best to manage a small piece of indigenous forest of ”High Value to the Manawatu Wanganui Region” we aim to get pupils thinking about their responsibilities and what they can do in the great big world outside of Bushy Park to help our indigenous species thrive there as well.

Class Programmes Offered:
Every class is slightly different, as while every teacher is working to the New Zealand Curriculum, every teacher works with a different group of pupils and covers a slightly different slice of the available content. This means that while there is an outline of the main themes delivered below, each class/teacher gets a unique customised, curriculum based package to match their classes needs.

The Main Themes of visits are:
1) The Natural Environment / the New Zealand Bush / Our rain forest

a) Indigenous birds - what they eat, how they are protected, species recovery.

b) Indigenous plants - identification, Maori medicines, bird food, layers, epiphytes, place in food chain.

c) Weeds - identification, control, spread by birds, hands on removal off.

d) Animals - location of and simple classification of in wetland and forest.

2) Biodiversity and Predators - our unique heritage, reasons for it, human history (Maui, Kupe, Tasman, Cook, etc).

3) Pioneers / Local history - why clear the land. Homestead and Moore family.

4) Weather, soils, erosion - data from weather station. Rainfall/weather and forest growth/ bird recovery are linked.
(This programme can be combined with a visit to Kai iwi / Mowhanau beach.)
5) Wetlands and Pond life - food chains in a pond. Vital role of Wetlands for our indigenous species.
(Use our nets, platforms and charts to investigate and classify)
7) Recycling and sustainability - natural and human. Who is responsible for ‘your’ rubbish ?

8) The beauty and fragility of our natural environment - forest walk and environmental bubbles.

9) Maori and the forest - how they ‘farmed it’ and managed its resources. The opportunity exits for a joint
programme with the Museums Maori Teacher - half of the day is a wide focus and the other is specifically on
things Maori in a Maori context.

10) Getting involved - pupils becoming part of an ongoing project to make this a better place.

11) The forest at night and the Dawn Chorus. The opportunity exists for school groups to stay overnight and observe what comes out at night and then get up early and listen to the dawn chorus but is not really suitable for year 1-3 classes

N.B. Two underlying themes are those of fitness and managing risks ‘in the bush’.