“The majority of the class enjoyed completing this activity. It was exciting, they enjoyed getting out of the class and doing real world maths. It was fun. The topic was interesting, it was real data and a number of us are interested in ecosystems. We loved looking at the bugs. Some of the activities took a bit of time to complete and we needed to be patient. We definitely needed boots on. It took a long time to get through some of the activities. It definitely pays to do the dummy run, several times to avoid delays on location. The more practise the better.
Our stream did not have a lot of invertebrates, but at 9 degrees on a a winter morning that was expected. Using the kit has lead to lots of conversations on improving water quality.
Our stream appears to be in good health but we will revisit at another time of the year to confirm our assessment.”
“We personally felt that this Water Testing kit came with some great resources and the students enjoyed going down to the Waikato River to test the water. However, the students did find some of the activities quite challenging.”
“Room 8 at Lower Moutere measured the water quality in the Moutere River (Company Ditch) opposite Chambers and Jackett on the Moutere Highway. Overall they felt the river was in ";good condition using The Health of the STream survey. What the school kit resources made a deduce is that although clear and of good temperature (8 degrees) in winter there is little invertebrate life. This was a concern for the children as mayflies were spotted in the grass at the top of the ditch. We are looking to use this resource later in the year in the Abel Tasman National Park to compare the health of the Moutere with those in the Park.”
“My class of Year 8s loved this kit! We began the topic in term 2 but we had already done our pepehas at the start of the year so just looked at the importance of different aspect. On the day we were due to go down to the river to do our test the weather took a turn for the worst so it had to be postponed all the way to Term 3! We finally managed to go out and the kids loved it. They loved getting their hands dirty and actually being able to collect data themselves rather than getting it given to them. I've noticed while we were down there, they collected rubbish along the stream and brought it back to school to put in the bin so I think they've learnt something !”
“This kit was a wonderful addition to our class inquiry: Water- Our Most Precious Resource. Students went off on many different tangents and the kit provided the students with equipment and ideas they may may not have connected with otherwise.
A group of students presented their findings to the class about Water Visibility/ Clarity today, ( having travelled to the South Island over the holidays and comparing the lake in the South to those closer to home).
Here is how they gathered their data from Tekapo, Rotoroa ( Hamilton) and Karapiro:
In each lake we set up 3 test areas placed 6 metres apart to use as the testing spots.
We tested the water temperature by collecting a plastic box of water at each test area and then placed a thermometer into the water. After one minute I recorded the temperature and repeated for each test area to get an average temperature.
To test the clarity we used a black disk and a periscope which meant we only had to stand in the water instead of having to put my whole face in the water. I had a person helping me walk backwards with the black disc until it wasn’t visible to me. We then recorded the distance. Lake Tekapo was incredibly cold and very clear so to get out of the lake fast we estimated the result to be 15m as we could see the 3rd marker from the first
Then we tested the gravel to sediment ratio by using a milk bottle that had the bottom cut out to make it into a scoop to dig out a sample at each test area. Then we shoveled whatever was at the bottom of the lake and put it through the sieve and it gave us the gravel to sediment ratio”
