The Problem
We chose to do this event as one of the community issues we identified was that some young people have limited access to nature. We wanted to support children to connect with nature in a different way- we thought experiencing the bush at night was something that few people get the chance to do, and we wanted to tie it in with our local council's Parks Week. Their objectives also aligned closely with ours, particularly these two objectives:
•Highlight and celebrate the important role parks play - across people, communities, and the natural environment;
•Encourage greater use of parks.
Our Plan
Nature by Twilight- a Wellington Zoo Roots & Shoots event for Parks Week
Date: Saturday, 14 March, 2015
Time: 7:00- 9:00 pm
Meeting location: Otari Wilton’s Bush (meet at the North entrance car park, 20 metres down from Churchill Drive)
Brief description of event: Join Wellington Zoo’s Roots and Shoots group for a fun evening of glow worm viewing, gecko searching, eel spotting and much more! Suitable for the whole family
Please bring: A torch, sturdy footwear, warm clothes, a mug, and gold coins (a koha/donation for supper)
Postponement date: Saturday 21 March, 2015. If the weather is looking wet you can call the Wellington City Council Contact Centre on 499 4444 after 4pm to check if the event has been postponed
Cost: Free
Registrations: Just turn up!
For more information please contact: Lynn.allan@wellingtonzoo.com
The event will be broken into four sections:
1.Welcome - will include an introduction to Roots and Shoots (from our two youngest members), getting participants to put red cellophane over their torches, a health and safety briefing, and some icebreaker activities around nature.
2. Walk to Troup Lawn with a guided walk, called Come to Your Senses (focussing on using the five senses when looking at plants). At the lawn have some free play, looking at Birds and Eels.
3. Supper (hot choc and baking/biscuits), and activities at Troup lawn (quadrants, and story-telling)
4. Walk back from Troup Lawn with a focus on Geckos, Invertebrates and Glow worms.