Aotearoa New Zealand is a unique place, which is reflected in our new resources.
Whakairo – wood carving
Whakairo is a brief introduction to wood carving – taonga tuku iho – a divine gift handed down from the atua to tūpuna. The article is supported by māramatanga Māori (insights) featuring pūrākau of pounamu.
Matua Wiremu Puke (Ngāti Wairere, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāpuhi), Carver and Historian, shares mātauranga whakairo in four videos:
- Designs and symbols from the taiao
- The whakapapa of trees
- Whakapapa of stone
- Becoming a Tohunga Whakairo
Magma Pop – gamifying volcano geology
Magma Pop is a serious game that takes users underneath Aotearoa to explore magma, mineral crystallisation and volcanic rock composition. It’s an engaging way to introduce geological and chemical concepts such as the composition and structure of the geosphere and the structure of matter. The accompanying activity includes student handouts for intermediate and senior students.
Magma Pop (and Magma Drillers Save Planet Earth) are collaborations with Professor Ben Kennedy – winner of the 2023 Prime Minister’s Science Communication Prize!
Free professional learning webinars
Join us for Animals of Aotearoa. Professor Georgina Tuari Stewart and Dr Sally Birdsall will introduce a new suite of classroom resources developed from research into Māori knowledge of animals.
Date: 19 September, 4:00–4:45 pm
In case you missed it, the webinar Exploring mātauranga in the classroom is now live. Chloe Stantiall (author of our recent kōwhai mātauranga resources) and Greta share their experiences of exploring mātauranga as pākehā educators in English medium classrooms.
Register here for Science in a Van’s next Hive Mind webinar on 12 September. See our electricity collection with a focus on current and static electricity, created to support this session.
Manu māra o Aotearoa
Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra o Aotearoa is now in te reo Māori! Use the resources year-round to learn about and care for manu in your kura or rohe.
- Manu – onamata, inamata, ānamata
- Ngā urutaunga me te tautohunga manu
- Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra – te tūhura raraunga
- Ngā tohe tū mā ō tātou manu
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
- X (previously Twitter): https://x.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 and 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
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