Be There or Be Square!

Saturday week is coming fast. The place to be is our annual MSS Plant Sale. Be there for bargains that are beautifully grown and cared for by our students. There will also be market stalls with a variety of interesting things to buy! 

Saturday 28 November 9.30-12.30

How big are the Enviro Kid's footprints?

A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere from the things you do. The bigger our footprints the faster climate change will occur. 
To reduce our carbon footprints we need to use the world's natural resources as efficiently as possible. This includes land, energy, food and water. 

The Enviro Kids have some facts and ideas to share about this topic:

Kaea & Thornton: Plant some trees, absorb C02 in your own back or front garden. Compost food scraps and then a few months later empty it into your garden.

Sienna, Millie & Ella: About half of the sun's energy is reflected by clouds or the earth's surface.

Jonty & Diesel: The surface of the earth would be about 30 degrees celsius cooler and a very difficult place for us to live if we didn't have the greenhouse effect.

Kade & Kalani: Half of NZ's greenhouse gas emissions are produced by cows (bottoms!)

Cate & Holly: The heat rises back into the atmosphere where most of it is trapped by greenhouse gases.

Devon, Annika & Kiara: The greenhouse effect is needed for life on earth - but extra greenhouse gases upsets the natural balance.

Plant Sale 2015

It's coming up quickly. Make sure you tell everyone you know to be there for some amazing plant deals. The MSS annual plant sale will be on Saturday 28 November, 9.30-12.30.



There will also be market day stalls selling a variety of treats. Perfect for Christmas gifts! Come and have a look.

Conservation Week!

It's that time of the year again: Conservation Week! 1-8 November. The theme this year is 'Healthy Nature, Healthy People'.
Visit the D.O.C website: www.doc.govt.nz/conservationweek

Nature is everywhere. It has the power to not only invigorate, refresh, and amaze you, but it can also be beneficial to your body and mind.

Get outside, take your kids, and experience it for yourself.

The website has a daily quiz and lots of other fun interactive activities and information.

The Original Eco-warrior!

I speak for the trees

'The Lorax from Dr Seuss (1971) was the original eco-warrior and his message stills rings loud today'. Today during Enviro Kids we looked at this story and the clear message it delivers about looking after resources and what happens if we don't.

Enviro Kids visit Te Manawa

We had a wonderful trip to Te Manawa. We were involved in the water quality programme and learnt many new things. We got to be budding scientists and we tested the ph levels of a variety of water samples. We also found out the impact cattle urine and excrement is having on our water table and what scientists are currently researching to combat their environmental impact.

Enviro Action Day Term 3, 2015

It was an amazing day that had it all! Kaitiaki looking after our enviro school, free lunch, trips to clean up Feilding, gardening, art, youtube clips...  However you enjoyed your Enviro Day we know that your teacher put a lot of thought and effort into it. Thank you everyone for the enthusiasm and effort!

Odd Shoe Day 2015

A HHHUUUUGGGEEE thank you to all the wonderful MSS students who supported Odd Shoe Day on Friday. We will get back to you with a grand tally!

Reusing Old Tins to make Herb Pots

What you Could be Planting Now...

What you could be planting now...

As the soil warms up spring bulbs and plants begin to flower and sprout their fresh new spring growth. It’s time to get stuck in and plant all your favourite spring/summer flowers and get your vegetable garden underway.

• Sow summer flower seeds including Alyssum, Begonia, Californian Poppy, Celosia, Cosmos, Dahlia, Gazania, Gerbera, Impatiens, Petunia, Viscaria and Wallflower. 
• Plant your favourite seedlings of spring and summer flowering annuals including Calendula, Chrysanthemum, Delphinium, Forget-me-not, Hollyhock, Marigold, Polyanthus, Primula and Pansies directly into your garden.
• Now is the time to plant easy care, sure to grow Dahlia tubers and Gladioli corms for summer display.
• Plant new perennials like Lavender, Agapanthus, Canna lilies, Fuchsia and Geraniums. Take care with tender plants in cold districts and wait until the danger of frosts are over.
• Feed and mulch roses, trees, shrubs and flower beds.
• Complete pruning of Fuchsias, Hydrangeas, Hibiscus and other flowering shrubs by removing any diseased, dead or damaged branches
• Complete your vegetable garden preparation by digging in plenty of compost.
• Sow your favourite vege seeds including Carrots, Beetroot, Silverbeet and Peas, directly into your garden. 
• Sow Lettuces, Leeks, Cabbage, Tomato, Capsicum, Courgette, Cucumber and Eggplant into trays of seed raising mix ready for transplanting later.
• Transplant summer vege seedlings into the garden; Lettuce, Leeks, Cabbage, Onions and Silverbeet.
• Purchase your Seed Potatoes and place them in a tray in a sunny position for at least a month before planting. Plant out in the garden, a large plastic pot or in a planter in a warm and sheltered position when the sprouts on the seed potatoes are 2 to 4 cm long.
• Refresh your herb garden with new plants in your garden or pots. Herb seeds can also be sown for summer harvest.
• Prune Passionfruit vines and Feijoas to encourage new growth and fruiting.
• Plant Strawberries, Blueberries,  and Rhubarb.

No Smoking in our School!

Mr Wheeler liked our drain signage so much that he has asked us to design and paint 'No Smoking' signs at the entrances around the school.

We are currently designing the template and then we will be spray painting around the school again!

We love this design but it may be a little difficult!

This is more likely to be our design.

Enviro Kids and The Water Cycle

Hard at work writing cooperatively!

Today we drew the water cycle together on the white board. Then we individually made a water cycle collage in our own books. The 3 Key Words are precipitation, condensation and evaporation!
Kiara, Kaea, Millie, Annika, and Thornton.

New Food Scrap Bin Rules...

We just wanted to remind everyone that now we have no outside bins we are allowed to put ALL food scraps into the food bins. This includes bread, meat, citrus and other foods that used to be banned.

These bins get sorted by The Green Team. The food gets used for compost and our worm farm. The excess gets taken to the Salvation Army Community Garden for compost. 

Great Enviro Clips!

An Australian school with some great messages

A simple yet complex visual message for recycling...

Some very thought provoking images in this visual montage

Replanting

Some Green Teamers have been replanting feijoa trees to a better position. The ones they moved last term are looking very happy. 

What have they found?

The boys discovered about 10 little blue ladybugs curled up inside a dead leaf when they were gardening. They looked like they were asleep. Perhaps they were hibernating during the colder weather? 

Team Work

The Green Team students work together - juniors, middles and seniors. We have been learning to propagate succulent plants from leaf cuttings. 

Lilly, Monty and Alex say 'Cowabunga Dude'

On Enviro Day we put together a turtle made out of a plastic hat, a piece of cardboard shaped like a turtle and little shells to decorate the shell.
Sea turtles have flippers and tortoises have feet.

Holly and Jonty want to share their jelly...?

Our classroom Rm L decided to make a jelly fish. We used a hoop, crepe paper and recycled plastic bags. Some people say weeing on a sting helps heal the sting.

Hamish and Cate would like to introduce Tina!

Room R decided to make a sea turtle with blue painted card and green fizzy bottles cut in half to make the shell. We also used can tabs to make the face and flippers.
A fact about turtles is they live a long time! 

Kalani and Caitlin's Lions Mane Jelly!

This is our Lions Mane Jelly Fish. It is made with lots of plastic bags, spray paint, ice cream container and a huge plastic sheet. 
Did you know the Lions Mane Jelly Fish can grow up to 120 ft? Like other jelly fish it has no brain and it eats and expels waste through the same orifice. They eat small fish, shrimps and other jelly fish!