SafetyPenguin

Gardening

Growing Plants in Ice Cream ConesIf you’re looking for a fun and easy way to get kids involved with gardening, consider this Ice Cream Cone Seedling Garden! Ice cream cones are completely biodegradable, which saves money when growing plants from seedlings and then transporting the to the ground or garden.

Materials• Ice cream cones – the cheapest cones you can find

• Soil

• Seedlings or tiny flowers

• Shovel

• Scissors

• (Optional) Fertilizer

Directions• Fill the cone with soil

• Cut the bottom 3/4 of the cone off

• Plant seeds of choice (make sure they’re covered with more soil)

• Place the cone in dirt or soil where it can drain

• Water

• Place in sunlight

• When the seedlings are ready to be planted in a garden bed or soil, the ice cream cone can be planted too because they are biodegradable

How to Create a Worm FarmPick the perfect container. A plastic bucket with lid makes the perfect container. You want something roomy as well as airtight. A cover will help keep the bucket dark which worms love. Once you find the perfect container, give kids some markers and let them personalize it with their drawings.

Make some worm beds. Explain to penguins how worms love a cozy bed just like they do. Shred up newspaper to place in the bucket. Black and white newspaper works best. You can then spray the bedding with a spray bottle to dampen it. As you can see, these are simple jobs for kids. Once the bedding is made, add some gardening soil and give it all a good mix.

Resourceful

Penguin

How to Create a Worm FarmPick the perfect container. A plastic bucket with lid makes the perfect container. You want something roomy as well as airtight. A cover will help keep the bucket dark which worms love. Once you find the perfect container, give kids some markers and let them personalize it with their drawings.

Make some worm beds. Explain to penguins how worms love a cozy bed just like they do. Shred up newspaper to place in the bucket. Black and white newspaper works best. You can then spray the bedding with a spray bottle to dampen it. As you can see, these are simple jobs for kids. Once the bedding is made, add some gardening soil and give it all a good mix.

Find your worms. Finding worms is the part that kids love. You can now go searching for worms to add to your bucket. This is also an excellent time to talk to the penguins about how to handle the worms. Talk about how important it is to be gentle and respectful of them. You don’t want to injure the worms or cause any stress or damage to them.

Feed the worms. Have the penguins save their fruit and veggie peels and scraps to feed the worms. This is a fun way for them to care for the worms while also finding a use for the scraps. Let kids add scraps to the worm farm daily, as a single worm can easily eat half its weight in a few days.

Circulate the farm. Give kids a garden trowel to turn the bedding over and around once per week. This will help add some air and oxygen to the farm which the worms will need. In time, the worms will turn the scraps and paper into rich soil perfect for your plants.

Hanging Tomato PlantersStarting with 2.5 litre bottles, remove the labels (you could also paint these to make them even prettier) and then use a pair of scissors to carefully cut off the bottoms.

In order too thread with twine, you’ll need to make a hole in each of the four sides, about an inch or so down from the now-missing bottom. Try hammering a nail to start the hole, and then use scissors to widen the hole.

Thread the twine through so that you have four loops of equal length, to evenly distribute the weight of the container.

You’ll need to slip your tomato plant, leaves and all, through the very small mouth of the bottle. I suggest using very small plants. Once they’re in, fill the rest of the bottle with potting soil. Hang them up and water well.

The Environment

Experiment ~ Can You Undo Water Pollution

Materials • A bucket of clean water

• Household rubbish (add a few things that dissolve)

• Vegetable oil (representing toxic spills)

• Tongs

• Strainer

DirectionsTake your bucket of clean water and let the penguins take turns adding rubbish. Once your water looks pretty bad, try to remove all of the pollution using the tongs and strainer.

You will be able to remove the solid pieces of rubbish, but the water will remain dirty and oily.

Sandwich Bag Compost ExperimentThe idea is very simple. Use a small sandwich bag with a zip top. Add items to be composted, including some vegetables and some egg cartons. You want your compost to be about 60% egg carton and 40% food waste (veggies are fastest). Chop everything up SUPER small to speed along the process.

Add a little drizzle of water (about two tablespoons or so, just so everything gets mushy).

Close the top, but put a little straw in for some air. Use a cardboard straw rather than plastic.

That’s it! Now, we just need to mush it around a little each day, add some water when needed, and be patient. In a few weeks we will have some (albeit not much!) gorgeous, rich compost.

Beeswax Wraps

INGREDIENTS• A tight weave fabric of choice

• 2 tbsp beeswax (approx.)

• Pinking shears

• Baking paper – 2 large pieces

• Iron

METHODMeasure fabric and cut using pinking shears – this minimises fraying of edges.

Lay down a large sheet of baking paper and place fabric on top. Add beeswax to the centre of the fabric.

Place a second sheet of baking paper on top, and iron (on low setting) with gentle pressure, pushing melted wax towards the outer edges.

Continue until all of the fabric has been saturated with beeswax.

If required, lift baking paper and sprinkle on more beeswax, and continue ironing.

Before removing the baking paper, it is important to make sure the entire piece of fabric is evenly coated with beeswax and still hot. Quickly lift the top piece of baking paper off, then grab two corners of fabric and remove from the bottom sheet of baking paper.

Hold up the coated fabric for 5-10 seconds, or until dry.

TO USEFor food use, warm wrap between hands and mould over bowls of leftover food, sandwiches or cut fruit. Avoid using with raw meat, fish and chicken products. Wash in warm, soapy water and hang until completely dry, then store flat, rolled or gently folded, in a cool, dry place.

NOTESMake sure your baking paper is larger than your fabric square. The amount of beeswax in this recipe should cover fabric approximately 30 x 30 cm size.

These covers are not watertight or airtight. They are perfect for covering leftovers or pieces of cut fruit and veg.

DO NOT cover raw meat.

Properly cared for, these wraps will last 6-12 months. When the beeswax looks like it is starting to flake, it is time to make some more, or for an even more sustainable option, repeat the process above and bring them back to life!

No Sew Reusable Snack Bag

Materials• Small Piece of Cotton Fabric

• Small Piece of Vinyl Fabric

• Ruler

• Fabric Glue

• Scissors or Fabric Rotary Cutter

• Velcro

DirectionsCut your cotton fabric into a small rectangle. For the size snack bag we made, I cut the fabric into a 25 cm inch by 15 cm rectangle.

Next you are going to cut your vinyl fabric into a rectangle. Cut the vinyl approximately 2 cm smaller than your fabric.

Glue your cotton and vinyl pieces together. Place your cotton piece down with the pattern on the table. Set your vinyl piece on top of the cotton fabric, with the vinyl side facing up. The back side of each of the pieces should be together. Squeeze a line of glue along the outside piece of the cotton fabric and glue to the top of the vinyl piece. You will want to fold the corners like you are wrapping a present or something flat. Let that piece dry for about an hour.

While your fabric might not be fully dried after an hour, it is hardened enough for you to glue and fold the bottom. Remember you are only gluing the sides of the pouch together. Fold the bottom piece up. Then using clothes pins or any clamps you have, clamp the sides together and let dry overnight.

Attach your velcro to close the bag.

DIY Stamps

Materials • Cardboard or foam board

• Glue

• Small items to such as pasta, wool, buttons, straws etc

Directions Cut the board into small pieces that can be held easily in your hand.

Put glue on the board and let the penguins add an arrangement of small objects to create a relief on top of the board’s surface. Objects of similar size and shape that create an interesting texture or pattern work best. For example, you can make a grid using cut straws or a series of lines using yarn.

Let the stamps dry.

Protecting New Zealand

Toilet Roll Bird Feeder

Materials• Peanut Butter

• Craft/Popsicle Sticks

• Bird seed

• Toilet paper rolls

• Twine

DirectionsUsing a popsicle stick, cover outside of toilet paper roll with peanut butter.

Roll the peanut butter covered toilet paper roll in the bird seed until covered.

Thread a piece of twine through the toilet paper roll and knot.

Hang where birds can enjoy.

Yarn Wrapped Paper Cup Owls

Materials• Paper cups

• Wool

• Sellotape

• White and Yellow card

• Buttons

• Feathers

DirectionsTape the end of your wool into the inside of the paper cup at the back, by the seam. You can cut a long length of yarn or just use it straight from the ball. Rainbow wool looks great as it gives you lots of different colours without having to swap yarns.

Wrap your wool around the paper cup as many times as you like. Secure the end by taping it inside the cup as you did in step 1.

To make the owl’s beak cut a triangle of yellow cardstock and glue it on.

We made the owls eyes out of craft buttons stuck onto rounds of white cardstock. Together they give a lovely wide eyed appearance.

Finally finish off your paper cup yarn wrapped owls by tucking some craft feather wings under the yarn.

Marshmallow Penguins

Ingredients• 200g bag marshmallows

• 200g dark chocolate

• Yellow and orange smarties/pebbles or dried apricots

• Edible candy eyes

DirectionsLine a baking tray with grease proof paper.

Melt your chocolate either in the microwave or stove top.

Hold a marshmallow by an end edge between finger and thumb and carefully dip into the chocolate, leaving a patch of uncovered marshmallow for the penguins tummy.

Hold it upside down over the bowl of chocolate to allow any excess chocolate to drip off, then stand the marshmallow up on the backing tray. You’ll find it easier to manoeuvre if you hold a teaspoon or cocktail stick in your other hand to help guide it into place.

Don’t worry if some of the chocolate puddles behind the marshmallow - it forms a little tail.

Once you’ve dipped all your marshmallows place in the fridge until the chocolate is hardened. This should take around 10 to 15 minutes.

While the chocolate is setting cut your smarties/pebbles in half, these will be your beak. If using dried apricots, cut into small triangles.

Remelt your chocolate and use it to attach the eyes and beaks onto each penguin.

Return to the fridge until the chocolate has set. Store in an airtight container.

Possum Picnic Activity

Equipment• Playing field/tennis court/gym

• 4 cones (boundary markers)

• 10+ ice cream container lids

• 2+ sponge balls

• 2 Processing cards

Activity Part 1Brainstorm introduced species in New Zealand with students – what are they, characteristics, different impacts they have, major problems etc. Explain that you will be running an activity that looks at these issues.

Define the playing area using the cones (1/2 a netball court for approx 20 students).

All students are trees (they can choose a native if they want to, a good way to test their knowledge of native trees). Trees are slow growing so can only walk.

Choose one student to be a possum. Possums chase and tag the trees. If they tag a tree the tree also becomes a possum. Possums must link arms/hold hands and chase other trees together.

Run the activity for 5-10mins until all the trees have become possums.

At the end of the game find out how many trees and possums are left.

ProcessingWhat happened to possum numbers during the activity?

What happened to tree numbers? Why?

What things could we do reduce the numbers of trees being caught?

• Introduce hunters

Activity Part 2Everyone in the class is a tree, except for one who is a possum and now also one who is a hunter.

The hunter uses the sponge balls to ‘shoot’ the possums.

If a possum is hit, it breaks from the chain and becomes a tree again.

The hunter then retrieves the ball and does one more lap before ‘shooting’ again.

Run the activity for 5-10 minutes. Find out how many trees and possums are left.

Processing:

What happened to possum numbers during the activity?

What happened to tree numbers? Why?

How did the hunter feel?

Why did the hunter have to do a lap before shooting?

• Tracking down prey again.

What other things should we consider?

• Possum numbers, hunter numbers, tree numbers, area size, hunter technique

continued on next page

Activity Part 3Depending on student feedback, the activity could be run by varying different factors. For example:

Using a larger areaWhat happened to possum numbers?

How hard was it for possums to get food?

Why was it harder? - Resource distribution.

How was it different for the hunter? Why?

Introduce more huntersWhat happened to possum numbers?

How hard was it for hunters?

What did the hunters have to do to kill possums effectively? - Co-operative strategies.

What other possum control techniques are there? Poisoning, trapping.

Introduce poison: Introduce ice cream container lids as the poison bait stations. Hunters can drop this in the playing area. If a possum steps over it they die and become a tree. The hunter can collect poison and redistribute it but only by dropping.

Introduce two possum populations: What happened to possum numbers?

How hard was it for the hunters?

Did possums or hunters have to alter their strategies? Why/why not?

ProcessingWhy are possums so successful at this activity in real life?

• Possums are well adapted for browsing on a range of plants; have no natural predators; and are good breeders.

Why are possums so harmful to native New Zealand species?

• Because they eat the best new plant growth (shoots, tips); seriously damage native forests – in some areas they have eaten whole canopies of rata, tötara, tïtoki, köwhai and kohekohe; they compete with native birds for habitat and for food such as insects and berries; they also disturb nesting birds, eat their eggs and chicks and may impact on native land snails; possums spread bovine tuberculosis to cattle and deer – a problem for farmers; they are a nuisance in home suburban gardens.

Are there any other introduced pests that pose a similar problem?

• Many – plant (broom, wilding pines, old man’s beard) and animal (cat, rat, ferret, weasel, stoat)

Are there any ways that you and I contribute to this problem?

• Yes – planting problem exotic species in our gardens, not controlling our pets etc.

Is there anything we can do to reduce this problem?

• Yes – find out about problem exotic plants, don’t buy them in the future and remove them from our gardens; plant local native plants in our gardens;, help re-plant other neighbourhood areas with natives; put a bell on our cats, keep them indoors at night; take our dogs only to public areas where they are allowed; keep our dogs on a leash when required; minimise resource use in general to reduce habitat destruction etc.

How to build a Bee GardenMore and more gardeners are anxious to plant a bee garden. By planting a bee garden, you too can do your part to help the bees by adding to the shrinking inventory of flower-rich habitat in your area. In return, the bees will pollinate your flowers, providing a bountiful harvest of fruits, seeds and vegetables as well as the joy of watching them up close. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind as you grow your bee garden:

Rethink your lawn Replace part or all of your front lawn grass with flowering plants, which provides food and habitat for honey bees, bumble bees, solitary bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Please read the informative guest blog post by The Gardener’s Eden.

Select single flower tops for your bee garden …such as daisies and marigolds, rather than double flower tops such as double impatiens. Double headed flowers look showy but produce much less nectar and make it much more difficult for bees to access pollen.

Skip the highly hybridized plants …which have been bred not to seed and thus produce very little pollen for bees.

Plan for blooms season-round Plant at least three different types of flowers in your bee garden to ensure blooms through as many seasons as possible. This will provide bees and other pollinators with a constant source of food. For example:

• Crocus, hyacinth, borage, calendula, and wild lilac provide enticing spring blooms in a bee garden.

• Bees feast on bee balm, cosmos, echinacea, snapdragons foxglove, and hosta in the summer.

• For fall, zinnias, sedum, asters, witch hazel and goldenrod are late bloomers that will tempt foragers.

Only use natural pesticides and fertilizers Avoid using herbicides or pesticides in the bee garden. They not only can be toxic to bees but also are best not introduced to children or adults that visit your garden. Ladybugs, spiders, and praying mantises will naturally keep pest populations in check.

Create a “bee bath” Bees need a place to get fresh, clean water. Fill a shallow container of water with pebbles or twigs for the bees to land on while drinking. Make sure to maintain the container full of fresh water to ensure that they know they can return to the same spot every day in your bee garden.

Live in a home without a garden? You need only a small plot of land for a bee garden—it can even be a window container or rooftop—to create an inviting oasis for bees. Every little bit can help to nurture bees and other pollinators.

Simple Bug Hotel

Materials• 2l plastic bottle

• Garden twine

• Garden waste - wood, sticks, twigs, pinecones etc

DirectionsCut both ends off the bottle, then cut the middle section in half so you have two tubes.

If you wish to hang your bug hotel in a tree, loop some garden twine around the tube. You may want to leave one on the ground and hang the other to see if you attract different bugs.

Stuff the tube tightly with your wood and twigs.

Then either hang it from a tree or place in the garden.

Make a Bee BathWhen we think about the many ways that we can help bees in our own green spaces, we often think of planting attractive flowers. However, bees have another need – water.

Yes, like every living thing on Earth bees need water to survive. Beyond drinking water to keep hydrated, bees need water for their bee hives. The water keeps the humidity levels under control, cools the hive and helps in the production of honey. Clever little bees!

Materials • Shallow dish

• Pebbles/rocks

• Water

DirectionsBegin with selecting a shallow dish for your bee bath. It is important that the dish is shallow as bees don’t need a lot of water. If the vessel is too deep the bees can drown in the water. Some options that would work are a pot saucer, a baking dish and even an old plate.

The next step is filling the dish with something that the bees can stand on and easily access the water. Use could use small pebbles and a few larger rocks, or marbles and beads. The pebbles give the bees something to stand on while they drink from the water.

When it comes to deciding where to place the bee bath, think about where bees will be hanging out in your garden.

The final step is perhaps the hardest step – remembering to fill the bee bath with water. The bath has such a small amount of water that it will evaporate incredibly quickly Don’t be afraid to overfill the bath, the excess water will evaporate in no time at all.

Resources in the community

Library Scavenger HuntIn consultation with your local librarian, create a scavenger hunt that fuels creativity and encourages the penguins to explore their library.

Below is a sample scavenger hunt, but you may want to remove or add items depending on the resources available in your library.

Find the following • A new arrival (book)

• A picture book

• A chapter book

• A holiday book

• A kids’ magazine

• A book in another language

• A book about science

• A music CD

• A movie

• A comic book/graphic novel

• The information desk