Wednesday 7 December 2011

Surfing at Camp



On a nice sunny Thursday we went biking to the beach to learn how to Surf and a reminder on how to Boogy Board. Some kind instructors Ambrose and Leathy showed us the ropes. We learnt how to stand up on a Surf board and how to get good waves. The key is to move down the beach if there’s a rip.
Ambrose talked and showed us about the tide and if the waves were messy or not. On the day we surfed, it was messy and that was good. It meant there were more waves to catch.
My favourite part of the day was when my friend and I did nose dives into the ocean.
By Brooke

Forest Survivor


On Thursday we went to Forest Survivor to learn about how to be safe in a forest. Our instructor taught us how to build a hut out of branches from the forest, that we could spend the night it for protection. Then we went off to build our own one in groups.
First we got a spine which is a large trunk. Then smaller twigs are laid on the trunk. These are called ribs. That gives you a frame to lay pine needles and bushy bits to stop the wind and rain getting through.
We were judged on the shelter fitting us all and keeping us warm. We also needed a mattress of needles to stop our body heat escaping into the ground.
We really enjoyed building our huts and will use this knowledge if we ever get lost in a forest. Thank you to the City Council Teachers.
By Sophie W and Zoe Bain

Tuesday 4 October 2011

What would the fish say?

This is Bryn's imaginative picture inspired by the problems at Lake Ellesmere.  Try writing a comment to tell us what the fish might be saying. 

Thursday 1 September 2011

Co-operative Games


Tuesday is a day to look forward to because we get to play co-operative games and investigate what makes a good team. Check out our foot volley ball and our stretcher designs. We had to carry a heavy weight across the court - with a bowl ow water on it. The winning team was both quick and careful so the water didn't spill.

Today we thought it was important to work with different people because they have good ideas. We found out that sometimes you need to get close and talk quietly in a team if you want to all hear. Ryan also found some people who were encouraging their team and others who were asking questions.

Thinking Games



































Allana went shopping for some thinking games on the weekend and we have been having heaps of fun testing them out.
She thought they were too hard (for her not us) but we have been having fun with Tantrix and creating some amazing designs with a new game from this designer.

What do you think of our patterns?







Team Challenges
















On Tuesdays we have team challenges. This week Tony challenged our groups to create a bridge that would carry a heavy weight - out of just newspaper, string and tape.



As you can see, we did a great job. They all worked so well that we had Macaulay test them to destruction. Even then some of our bridges didn't break.



We decided that our ideas were better in a team. We could get more done in a team. We thought that it was important to include everyone too.

Book Week Characters

Book Week on PhotoPeach

Wednesday 24 August 2011

Who am I?

 
I have a pet monkey.
I wear long stockings.
I wear long shoes.

I am Pippi Long Stockings

I am a bit crazy.

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Secret Location 4 Solved!

Well done - Secret Location 4 was the Chateau Tongariro in Whakapapa Village, which is in Tongariro National Park, with Mt Ruapehu in the background.   Well done to the two final winners, although Room 17 of Westport North gave lots of good ideas along the way too!



Hot Myspace Generators

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Secret Location 4!


I hope this 'Secret Location' is more of a challenge and takes more than one day to solve or I might be running out of holiday photographs.  These are all our own photos so I did not put the name of the owner or link to a website.  Just to be sure:  Photos by Mark & Allana Taylor

Hints:
Same challenge, same comments - remember to use YES / NO questions, check the editing and leave your name. 

Will you be the winner of Secret Location 4?

Monday 6 June 2011

Magnetic Poetry

Read this poem to get an idea of how you could create your own amazing poetry using the Manetic Poetry kits in class and on-line.  Click here to make your own poem. 

Thursday 31 March 2011

Jumping the Number Line

We have been learning to jump the number line to add in Black Group.  This is a cool video to explain it from Mr Kemp and his class.  See how easy it looks!



I wonder what maths we could explain and make a video of?

Sunday 6 March 2011

Forced Connection - thinking tool

Watch this video clip and think about all the connections between this and learning. What is happening?  Does this happen with good learners? What do we need to do differentlly when we learn?

Thursday 17 February 2011

Waka Paddle






















Our whole school has a big waka in the library.  Every person in the school is designing their own waka paddle so we can work as a team.

This is my waka paddle.  It shows my mountain, river and family.  It also shows that I love blogging, my cats and reading.

How much sugar?



Liz the dietician came again and we looked at the nutritional guides on cereal packages.  We also looked at how much sugar is in drinks.








Which drink would you choose?
1. Water?
2. Milk?
3. Juice?
4. Flavoured milk?
5. Coke?
6. Powerade?
7. V?

Thursday 10 February 2011

What's in our lunches?

We took a close look at what is in our lunches.  I wonder if these will change as we learn more about healthy foods?
Have we covered all the food groups at the base of the pyramid - fruit, vegetables, bread and cereals?

Wednesday 2 February 2011

Brain Break: Rock, paper scissors, maths!

We are learning about how brain breaks can help us maximise or learning time.  Here is one brain break activity we are going to try. 



Try to answer these questions:
How were you feeling before the activity?
What did you have to do with your body and brain during the activity?
How did your feel after the activity?
How did doing this activity make a difference to your thinking and learning?

Sunday 23 January 2011

Where is this?


Just a challenge to see if any kids are watching. Jasmine, my trusty blog watcher, I know you won't let me down.
Challenge:Where would you find this sculpture? What is it?

Thursday 6 January 2011

Spelling - prefix or suffix?

Use prefixes and suffixes to create new words, with new meanings, from words you already know. This is a really cool spelling game that we will be using this year. Give it a go to see how many different words you can make.