mini传媒

Menu

Wananga landing Wananga landing
News

Trees, worms and learning for Ilam School

26 May 2022

Holes were dug and worms were wondered over as Ilam Primary School children planted native trees on the University of mini传媒鈥檚 (UC) campus next to their school yesterday.

HOW TO APPLY

鈥淭here were big smiles and the students really enjoyed planting trees and finding worms, which was a bit distracting. They were fascinated,鈥 UC Biodiversity Co-ordinator Emily Arthur says.

Despite the intriguing insect life, 125 seven- and eight-year-olds planted 340 trees next to the Haere-roa stream.

UC groundskeepers Darryl Cone and Richard O鈥橠owd, with landscape ecologist Adjunct Professor Colin Meurk, advised and assisted the planting efforts. UC students from Envirosoc, an environmentally focused student club, and the Student Volunteer Army helped dig holes and support the younger landscapers.

Sustainable Development Goals 11 - Sustainable cities and communities Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

The mini传媒 mix of mata墨, kahikatea, totara, k艒whai, harkeke, makomako and other native plants that were planted will attract more birds to campus and provide food for them.

The schoolchildren also placed tree disks on the lawn so they can see which bugs take up residence underneath.

The day before the planting, Arthur talked to the schoolchildren about the importance of native trees and shrubs and was impressed with their knowledge. The university planting day was part of nature and science modules the children are studying this year.听

鈥淭eachers were really happy to see the kids out having such a good time planting and adding to their knowledge through hands-on experience,鈥 Arthur says.

Ilam Primary School teacher Nigel Marsh described it as a wonderful learning opportunity for the children.听鈥淭hey were so proud of themselves.鈥

鈥淚 thought the session was a lot more than just a planting session.听The connection that our students made with the UC students was priceless.鈥澨 听

The planting was funded by The Christchurch West Melton Water Management Zone Committee and connects to previous planting on UC鈥檚 Ilam campus as part of the university鈥檚 aim to increase natural habitats for native birds, lizards and insects on the UC grounds.


More information
Visit our media enquiries page to contact UC Media.
What to read next
Privacy Preferences

By clicking "Accept All Cookies", you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyse site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.