Nature invites us to connect
Year 2–3
Audience
Our whānau and local community — people who share in the care of our natural environment and can be inspired by our ideas for stewardship.
Statement
“Plants provide over 80% of the food we eat and 98% of the oxygen we breathe. Nature offers us invitations to connect, belong, and care. Our students explored how people, plants, and places are interconnected, and how caring for nature helps us care for ourselves and our communities. Drawing on mātauranga Māori, stories, and science, they asked: How can we act as kaitiaki to regenerate and protect the living world we rely on?”
The Challenge
How might we accept nature’s invitations and act as kaitiaki? What can we learn from science, stories, and indigenous knowledge that helps us look after our environment and strengthen our sense of belonging?
The Solution
Learners became artists, scientists, and storytellers of the natural world. Using natural and repurposed materials, they created sustainable artworks that expressed gratitude for Te Taiao (natural world) and carried the message: “Nature gives us beauty, and it is our job to protect it.” Their projects — from paper-making and leaf printing to eco-jewellery and photography — highlighted regeneration, interconnectedness, and the small details that sustain life. Together, their creations celebrated the role of young learners as kaitiaki, protecting and cherishing the living.
Student Voice
A short quote from a child “I didn’t know plants could heal people — now I want to grow my own rongoā garden.”