The House of Science Tauranga has released another science resource kit for use in local primary and intermediate schools – this time focusing on local shellfish.

Sponsored by the Regional Aquaculture Organization (RAO), ‘The Sea and Me' kit is aimed at helping students understand more about the various species that populate the Bay of Plenty coastline.

House of Science students Victor Limmer, 9, Poroaki McDonald, 10, and Sayuni Weerasiri, 9. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

Activities include classification of sea shells, modelling how shellfish eat by filtering sea water and testing sea water samples to determine which location is better suited to setting up a mussel farm.

The kit was developed by Katrina Stephenson, from Otumoetai Primary School and Aquinas College's Ange McManaway, who collaborated to use contexts relevant to the scientists at the University of Waikato's Coastal Marine Field station where they are based.

The pair of local teachers, who are currently on the Science Teacher Leadership Programme (STLP), have been working alongside scientists.

'It has been fantastic to have the opportunity to utilise our recent classroom experience and combine this with our current learning on the STLP,” explains Ange.

'We were delighted to support the forward thinking initiatives of the House of Science by creating a hands-on marine science resource box.”

House of Science director Chris Duggan is impressed with the resource, which was trialed with students from Omanu primary school last term, and says it fills an obvious gap in the growing library of resources available.

'We were lacking a marine science resource,” admits Chris, 'which is ironic really as we are surrounded by the sea and it is an integral part of our local culture”.

'The Regional Aquaculture Organisation takes great pleasure in supporting the marine science resource kit put together by The House of Science. Previously our education initiatives have been with the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and regional High Schools.”

The kit will be available to teachers that are members of the House of Science Tauranga to book online this week.

Other House of Science branches around the country will also be able to order this kit to add to their science resource libraries.