What’s new for 2023?

Our pānui for Huitanguru introduces new suites of resources: lake health – drawing on scientific and mātauranga Māori knowledge systems, and advances in carbon-14 dating to date Pacific migration.

Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by the recent severe weather events across Aotearoa.

What’s new for 2023?

There’s an old saying that good things take time and the Hub team is delighted to introduce two large suites of work, which are helping to answer big questions for science and society. Both are illustrated with rich multimedia resources and feature meaningful opportunities for cross-curricular learning.

Lakes380 – Our lakes’ health: past, present, future

Dive into the largest scientific study ever undertaken on lakes in Aotearoa. This mahi draws on both scientific and mātauranga Māori knowledge systems to understand how and why lakes have changed over millennia – to inform protection and restoration efforts.

Alta Tarn

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Alta Tarn is an alpine lake in the Otago region. It is surrounded by native tussock grasses. 

Image courtesy of Lakes380 – Our lakes’ health: past, present, future . 

Rights: Crown copyright, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Discover how eDNA and lake sediment cores provide clues to what’s living in and around lakes. Check out the stories this data tells us about te ao tuatahi – the land before human arrivals and what has happened since. Read about the diversity of lakes in Aotearoa and their unique geographic origins.

Activities make the learning fun and obtainable. Use a container of water and a magnet to go fishing for lake eDNA. Use beautifully crafted Lakes380 information sheets to develop literacy and numeracy skills. Build knowledge of local mātauranga and science concepts while exploring a local lake – either online or in person.

We’ve made planning easier by curating curriculum information, key concepts, and thoughts about local curriculum in this context for learning.

Human habitation in the South Pacific

Fiona Petchey and her team at the University of Waikato Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory want to help develop timelines that show the movements of early peoples – including Māori, and provide an understanding of natural and human impact on island ecosystems. They are working to refine the marine calibration curve used for converting carbon-14 values into calendar dates.

Chemistry meets archaeology, anthropology and art with the Lapita cultural complex. Ākonga can get hands-on and crafty with the activity Exploring Lapita pottery through observation and art.

Save the date – Primary Science Week

The New Zealand Association of Primary Science Educators is hosting its annual Primary Science Week during 8–12 May 2023. The theme is citizen science. The Hub curates numerous citizen science projects in one handy place. We also provide tips for planning your science programme and the recorded Getting started with citizen science and Online citizen science webinars.

Primary Science Week 2023

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The New Zealand Association of Primary Science Educators sponsors the annual Primary Science Week. The theme for 2023 is citizen science.

Rights: NZAPSE

The Hub team will be supporting Science in a Van’s Hive Mind webinar. Join us on 16 March 2023 from 4:00–4:45 pm for this lively event!

Follow us

We offer added value through our social media. Contact us about creating collections or boards tailored to your needs. We can help foster connections between the education and science communities.

• Facebook : www.facebook.com/nzsciencelearn

• Twitter : www.twitter.com/NZScienceLearn

• Pinterest : nz.pinterest.com/nzsciencelearn

• Instagram : www.instagram.com/sciencelearninghubnz

Your feedback

We hope you enjoy using the Science Learning Hub – Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao in your teaching in 2023 and we would love to hear from you. Your comments, ideas and feedback can be emailed to enquiries@sciencelearn.org.nz.

Noho ora mai

Science Learning Hub – Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao