A collection of resources produced by Museum staff for use in the classroom or in a home school environment. Check out our online exhibitions for further resources.
Spectacular Spiders
Aotearoa New Zealand is home to an estimated 2,000 spider species, and most of them are found nowhere else on earth.
This short interactive PowerPoint explores our spectacular spiders and answers some simple questions that children might have. Download the resource and press F5 to get started.
Make Your Own Pātaka
As the cluster of Matariki stars disappear in autumn it marks the time to harvest and preserve kai (food) ready for the cold winter months ahead.
Kai was preserved for trade with other iwi (tribes), for long journeys or for when kai was in short supply.
Māori had many ways of preserving kai including smoking over fire, sun drying on racks and potting in containers with fat. Birds were preserved in pōhā (kelp bags) or in hue (gourds).
The pātaka (food storehouse) was used to keep the kai safe and away from scavengers.
At the time of Matariki the pātaka was full of mahinga kai – food gathered ready for the feast.
Download the PDF below to make your own model pātaka.
Ancient New Zealand
Top Fossil Colouring Book
Palaeontologists use fossils to work out what the skeletons and muscles of these ancient animals looked like. However they can't usually tell what their skin or feathers were like. Illustrations of extinct animals or restorations are known as paleo art and artists have to use their imaginations when colouring them.
Were these animals camouflaged to hide? Were they bright to attract mates? Use your imagination to decide!