We have just kicked off a new unit of inquiry, and were lucky enough to have Janet from Willowbank visit us last Thursday. Janet shared a lot of information with us about the Kiwi and how important it is for it to be protected. We got to feel real kiwi feathers and see the predators that harm them.

Janet brought with her a very special visitor...... a 14 year old Tuatara called Burk. We loved seeing him move around and eat and enjoyed finding out some really interesting facts about Tuatara.

We found out:

• Tuatara can live for hundreds of years and grow up to 60cm long

• Tuatara have been known to share nests with sea birds ( and munch on the odd egg while there!)

• Tuatara have a spiky back - but the spikes are soft.

• Tuatara are endangered and now only live on protected predator free islands around New Zealand (like Stephen's Island)

• Tuatara eggs are affected by the soil temperature. Warm soils produce males and cooler produce females. It takes over a year for them to hatch!
  

Transdisciplinary theme: How we share the planet

Central Idea: We are responsible for protecting animals and their habitats.