Kids in Nature

What we’re doing

Kids in Nature, sponsored by Ebbett Toyota, is a programme designed for schools, to engage tamariki in nature and educate them about conservation and restoration. It is an opportunity for students to get outside, get their hands dirty and enjoy nature.

Each Kids in Nature group is responsible for their own restoration plot, which can be on the school grounds or provided by us. They will attend a planting event and two releasing events, where they’ll learn about native plants and how to plant and maintain them.

The minimum time requirement for this programme is three sessions, totalling approximately five hours.

Kids in Nature students will participate in a variety of conservation-based modules including learning about introduced predators, setting a trap line, seed collecting, rubbish clean-ups, insect discovery, bat education and much more.

Why we’re doing it

This programme is part of Nature in the City, Hamilton’s 30-year strategy for biodiversity. The goal of Nature in the City is to increase Hamilton’s vegetation cover from 2% to 10% by 2050, revitalising and transforming our gullies and reserves.

To achieve this, we need every Hamiltonian to be a passionate advocate for restoring nature. This is where Kids in Nature has an important role to play in educating and empowering future generations to care for our environment.

“The kids have been very enthusiastic along the way and always excited whenever they know they have a module coming up. When kids interact with nature in a conscious way, they develop a passion and care that gives us hope for our planet’s future.”

Ryan Jordan, Marian Catholic School