Observing the Natural World
14 April 2025 - 24 April 2025
Region(s): Canterbury
Type(s): presentations
Drop in to your local Christchurch library to see live stick insects, cool Museum natural history specimens and learn about the 2025 City Nature Challenge and iNaturalist.
In this free series, meet Canterbury Museum Science Communicator Dr Morgane Merien and hear how you can help observe the natural world around you.
Upcoming sessions:
Monday, 14 April, 11.00 am–2.00 pm at Fendalton Library
Wednesday, 16 April, 11.00 am–2.00 pm at Matatiki Hornby Centre
Tuesday, 22 April, 11.00 am–2.00 pm at Linwood Library
Thursday, 24 April, 11.00 am–2.00 pm at Papanui Library
Related content
This newsletter has lots of great ideas on how to encourgage learning through observation.
Want to know more about insects and some school holiday activities? This article has lots of information and vocabulary about insect body parts. The activity Label the insect has both online and paper and pencil challenges to complete, along with lots of discussion questions. Choose a favourite insect and create an insect mihi, wanted poster or funny poem. Work on numeracy skills (and family fun) with the dice game beetle – and see who is the first to notice where the game gets the science wrong! The Hub has lots more insect resources for primary students.
Citizen science projects offer a mix of outdoor and online observation opportunities and iNaturalist is a great palce to start.
We have extensive resources about Aotearoa New Zealand’s native flora, fauna and fungi and why conservation and restoration are important. Find out more about biodiversity, or check out the range of resources under these topics: estuaries, plants, birds, reptiles and amphibians, butterflies and moths, fungi and invertebrates.