Nature rangers

Robin Mills from  Puketaha school has sent a message telling us the latest about her teaching in Mantle of the Expert. Children are in role as nature rangers running an island sanctuary for native animals off the shores of NZ.

The island sanctuary (imagined) where we are based as rangers is rather uncomfortably close to where the (real) container ship Rena has run aground this week….  but I chose to ignore that as we’re further out to sea and the rangers weren’t aware of the proximity before they went off for their two weeks break.

Being an environmental clean-up company could make an interesting topic. Actually this year we’ve had some substantial current event potential for Mantle scenarios! I hope 2012 isn’t as eventful in reality. We have had enough science-based learning ideas to last a long time!

I’ve attached two faves from our ranger’s photo album – the drama scenario was that we were out on the island in the dark counting tuatara eggs as part of our census. We had previously mapped the island to scale, drawn in its ‘height lines’ (don’t you love the language kids come up with), worked out the nature of the terrain we were working on, organised treams to search 1/4 of the island each, collected appropriate gear and had our driver drop us off at a point close to each search area. (Ideas courtesy of Luke’s demo at the conference.)

The diaries written after the search were classic, more ‘real’ than the writing that followed our trip to Waitomo. Says something for writing in role, doesn’t it?