How it works

Get in touch to kōrero about when we might be in your rohe, and what your term theme is. We'll plan a full day of discovery shaped around your tauira and your local environment. You hire a relief teacher and we deliver an unforgettable day of discovery.

What your tauira will experience

Each discovery theme explores an ecological system as a whole rather than its parts in isolation. For example, a forest discovery day includes the living and non-living components that form a forest, plus the scientific tools we use to assess its health. Learning weaves together science, social sciences, art, and mātauranga Māori, with a tangata Tiriti facilitator, and always with your local environment at the centre.

Discovery themes include:

• Forest systems; layers of a forest, soil health, organisms who live there

• Freshwater systems; the water cycle, pressures on our freshwater systems, organisms who live there

• Coastal systems; the water cycle, ocean health, organisms who live there

Interwoven through all is the science of ecosystem health.

Year levels and sessions

EcoEd Aotearoa's kaupapa works most effectively with Years 4 to 8, however we can easily adapt learning for younger and older tauira. Each visit is a full day, giving tauira and their faciliatator time to build genuine connection and go deep into their discovery theme. For kura with multiple classes in this range, we can return to work with each one, making EcoEd an accessible resource for your whole school.

"I believe the work we have done with Char has been inspirational and informative. Working to develop our tamariki to understand te taiao and our school native tree area has been important. Char is very knowledgeable about te taiao, professional in planning and a great teacher. Her resources and activities are pitched at the best level and allows our tamariki some challenges and fun in learning." 

Kaiako, Eastern BOP

From classroom to te taiao

Field Trip Experiences are designed to extend classroom learning into the real world. Tauira apply their knoweldge directly to te taiao, while experiencing the wonder and awe of Aotearoa's natural world firsthand. Get in touch even if you're not partaking in the classroom learning programmes; we'll be able to sort something out!

Where we go

Being on the move, we take time to get to know the local environment when arriving in a new place; finding the spaces that feel like te taiao at its most alive. We at EcoEd value the mahi done by local conservation organisations,  iwi, DOC, and community groups, and wherever possible will bring these voices to the table, making every field trip richer and more meaningful for everyone involved.

We will then collaborate with kaiako to select the most relevant place for your Field Trip Experience based on what your rohe has to offer.

What the day looks like

Tauira arrive at the site and are invited to slow down and notice. From there we take part in guided discovery while observing, identifying, questioning, and connecting what we find to what we already know. Tauira will also be given time to reflect on what our experiences mean for us, and what actions we can take to be active kaitiaki.

EcoEd Aotearoa supplies all specialist equipment and takes care of RAMS documentation, so kaiako can focus entirely on their tauira.

"On the walk, Charlotte could hardly walk a step without being asked a question, shown a bug or habitat - they were all so engaged with their learning! This was a fantastic experience! The kids loved it, and so did all of the adults who were involved. We would be very keen to do it again!"

Kaiako, Eastern BOP