Waitomo  Education Service

Contact Us: Ph: 07 878 7642 Fax: 07 878 6184 PO Box 12 Waitomo Caves New Zealand  education@waitomodiscovery.org  

WAITOMO  EDUCATION SERVICE

WAITOMO - A CONTEXT FOR LEARNING

PROGRAMMES AVAILABLE

ACTIVITIES FOR NZ SCHOOLS

ACCOMMODATION FOR NZ SCHOOLS

MEALS

TEACHING RESOURCES

PROGRAMMES AVAILABLE

Below is an outline of some of the programmes available through the Waitomo Education Service. The Education Service will tailor a programme, including related lessons and resources,  to meet the specific objectives and needs of your group. Please contact the Education Service for further information.

Select from the list of programmes below or scroll down to view all the programmes currently available.

• Journey into the Planet Earth (Y1 - Y13, Senior Chemistry)

• Meet the Natives (Y1 - Y13)

• Going Batty (Y1 - Y13)

• Living in the Dark (Y1 - Y4)

• Going Underground  (Y1 - Y13)

• Conserving Cave Life   (Senior Biology)

• Dissolving Rock  (Senior Geography)

• Tourism in Waitomo (Y1 - Y13, Senior Geography)

• The Waitomo Hotel  (Y4 - Y13, Senior History)

• Kiwiana   (Y1 - Y8)

 

Programmes:	Description	Learning Experiences	Appropriate Level
Journey into the Planet Earth	Science - Planet Earth & Beyond, Environmental Education. Changing Landscapes: Cave and crystal formation, sustainable management of caves.	Visit and lesson at the Waitomo Museum of Caves, guided tour through a cave or a caving adventure, guided walk to view the above ground landscape features.	Y1 - Y13 Programme  adapted to each curriculum level Appropriate for  Y13 Chemistry
Meet the Natives	Science - Living World, Environmental Education. Classification of animals, conservation of NZ's biodiversity.	Visit the Otorohanga Kiwi House: lesson followed by activities within the park. Possibility of senior students participating in 'kiwi listening' at night.	Y1 - Y13 Programme  adapted to each curriculum level
Going Batty	Science - Living World, Mathematics - measurement, Environmental Education. Adaptation of animals to living in the dark, conserving these creatures' environment.	Visit the Waitomo Museum of Caves: learn about long and short-tailed bats and monitoring techniques. At night, students carry out monitoring of a bat population in Waitomo.	Y1 - Y13 Programme  adapted to each curriculum level
Living in the Dark	Science - Living World, Environmental Education. Adaptation of animals to living in the dark, conserving these creatures' environment.	Visit the Waitomo Museum of Caves: meet 'George' the glowworm puppet, dress up in a weta costume, feed the cave eel. Guided tour to see glowworms and weta inside the caves.	Y1 -Y4
Going Underground	Technology, Mathematics - measurement and geometry. Discover the techniques and processes used to protect the environment and the people involved in cave exploration, mapping and surveying, and  cave search and rescue.	Visit the Waitomo Museum of Caves: view an SRT demonstration, learn about the equipment and technique. Interview experienced members of cave search and rescue teams. Carry out a mock cave mapping activity and learn about the 'real' techniques currently used in caves.	Y1 - Y13
Conserving Cave Life	Science - Senior Biology, Environmental Education.  Monitoring cave flora and fauna - identifying the  factors affecting these communities.	Visit the Waitomo Museum of Caves: learn about cave flora and fauna. Observe the on-going cave conservation programme at a tourist cave. Carry out monitoring of glowworm populations and cave flora.	Senior Biology
Dissolving Rock	Senior Geography - natural landscapes; or natural processes.	Visit the Waitomo Museum of Caves: learn about karst landscapes, the processes that form them and  ways humans impact on them. Carry out field observations of karst features and processes - above and below ground.	Senior  Geography
Tourism in Waitomo	Social Studies - Place and Environment, Resources and Economics. Senior Geography - Cultural Processes Tourism Classes Development of Tourism in Waitomo, sustainable management of a resource.	Visit the Waitomo Museum of Caves: discover the factors that have influenced the development of tourism in Waitomo.  Participate in the tourist experience. Interview tourists and tourist operators. See the social, cultural, economic and environmental effects of tourism.	Y1 - Y13 Programme  adapted to each curriculum level Appropriate for  Y13 Geography  and ATTTO programmes.
The Waitomo Hotel	Social Studies, History - Historic Places. Explore the historic building - The Waitomo Hotel. Investigate the role of the hotel in the development of tourism in Waitomo. Examine the social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts of the hotel on the Waitomo community.	Visit the Waitomo Museum of Caves: learn about the hotel - its role in tourism and the development of the Waitomo community. Visit The Waitomo Hotel - view the architecture and materials of the two wings of the building. Interview local residents about the effects of the hotel on the local community.	Y4 - Y13 Programme adapted to each curriculum level Appropriate for senior History students.
Kiwiana	Social Studies - Place and Environment, Resources and Economics. Discover the aspects of NZ culture that sets our nation apart and gives us a common sense of identity.	Visit the Otorohanga Kiwi House to look at NZ's unique natural history. Meet Wiki the Kiwi at the Otorohanga Information Centre (iSITE). Begin the Kiwiana Quizz throughout the main street of Otorohanga. View Woodlyn Park Pioneer Farm Show to see how the early settlers felled timber and cleared land for farming.	Y1-8

email us at: education@waitomodiscovery.org                 16/01/2008