Ngā manu (birds) teaching and learning resources

TE KETE IPURANGI

TKI’s Instructional Series is full of great articles, stories and poems for engaging students on the topic of manu. Here’s some great examples to explore:

• Bringing Back the Birdsong
• How Kiwi Saved the Forest
• E Kō, E Kō - Morning Chorus (from Night is a Blanket)
• Bird of the Year
• The Takeaway Table
• Getting Closer

View the full Instructional Series search results for ‘birds’ here.

SCIENCE LEARNING HUB

Science Learning Hub is a great place to find New Zealand science education resources and there are lots to explore on the topic of birds. Here are some examples.

DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION

DoC provides lots of great resources for learning about manu, here are a few to explore:

• Experiencing birds in your green space
• Kākāpō Recovery education resources for teachers
• Tāiko/black petrel education resource

You can also find resources for local field trips and for exploring your local environment within the school grounds.

TALES FROM TE PAPA

Explore some of these bird or feather related videos form the excellent Tales from Te Papa series. There are also teaching resources for each video:

• Who Killed the Huia? - Tales from Te Papa
• Albatross - Tales from Te Papa
• Feather Signatures - Tales from Te Papa
• The Tale of the Hakawai - Tales from Te Papa
• The Feathered Face of War - Tales from Te Papa
• A Captain’s Chiefly Gift - Tales from Te Papa 

POSTERS

These bright and colourful posters are full of interesting facts about manu:

• Fabulous facts poster series – Department of Conservation
• Posters – Hauraki Gulf Forum

MORE RESOURCES

Here are some more excellent resources to check out: 

• Schools toolkit – Predator Free NZ Trust
• Educational Resources – Royal Albatross Centre
• Education – Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre
• For Kids – Southern Seabird Solutions 

This story was curated and compiled by Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa | National Library of New Zealand, Services to Schools staff, July 2022.