Mount Maunganui School students Front (from left) Kieran Boase, Charlie Mills, Liam Tihema, Jesse Warburton, Custom Peniata, Sabine Attrill, Lily Pearson and Harriet Daly. Photo/Stuart Whitaker
Mount Maunganui School students Front (from left) Kieran Boase, Charlie Mills, Liam Tihema, Jesse Warburton, Custom Peniata, Sabine Attrill, Lily Pearson and Harriet Daly. Photo/Stuart Whitaker
Little people from Mount Maunganui Primary School have helped little penguins from their mountain in a project focussing on the Mauao Wildlife Trust.
Pupils from three classrooms at the school have been fundraising to adopt some of Mauao's penguins and yesterday handed over a cheque for $500 to the trust.
They have now officially adopted five little blue penguins. According to the pupils, the hardest part now is deciding what to call them.
"As part of the future thinking aspect of inquiry learning, we collectively decided to raise money to adopt penguins through the Mauao Wildlife trust, and have sold caramel slices and written persuasive letters to family and businesses within the local area," says Room 10 teacher Amanda Gardener.
"Room 10 wrote letters to different companies and families asking for donations," says Custom Peniata. "It was a part of a study of me and my backyard," says Kieran Boase. "And our backyard is Mauao," says Liam Tihema.
Charlie Mills says he walked around Mauao after dark and saw the penguins heading to their burrows. "They live around the rocks around Mauao - it's fun to learn about them."
Amanda says the children have also been doing observational drawing and original works will be given to families who have helped in the project. Any businesses will receive a thank you card made from reproductions of the art.
For each of the five adopted penguins the school received an adoption certificate, a plush toy, a magnet pack and stickers. "Our aim is to promote the community spirit, as well as all the wonderful things the trust does for our local environment," says Amanda.
