Manu tukutuku: Kite-designing for Pūtaiao

As part of our Material World unit this week we designed kites. We have been investigating and exploring what different materials and fibres look and feel like. Each ākonga chose their materials and drew a design. We then worked together to fulfil their design requirements. 

We finished with a test run of different kites. We will continue to critique the evidence of what worked well and build another round of kites. We are also waiting for Tāwhirimatea to blow us a strong wind for a better investigation to be run.

Pepeha

Pepeha is a way of introducing yourself in Māori. It tells people who you are by sharing your connections with the people and places that are important to you. 

This term Room 3 have been learning their pepeha. They created small booklets of their important people. They included their parents and siblings. Some added grandparents and extended whānau. 

They have been learning to talk about their whānau, using their booklet, with a partner or small group.

Yesterday and today we used our pepeha in a 'marae' setting we created in the classroom. We listened to our school waiata, Ko tenei te wā, then we took turns to share our pepeha by talking about our family (whānau) with our class.

This is a great activity to practice at home too.

Today we farewelled 4 children who are moving to Kākāpo hub next term. We used our pepeha format as part of a formal Poroporoaki for them. Ka kite e hoa ma! We will miss you.

Planting trees on Te Ara o Ngāhere.

Last Wednesday we had a group of parents and adults who helped Room 3 plant trees to restore the banks and bush of Te Ara o Ngahere and Pūtikitiki. Here are some photos and writing reflections:

I dug two holes and two trees.

By Hunter.

It was hard to dig the hole.

By Aroosh.

I planted trees and they will grow.

By Emily-Rose.

I dug a hole.

By Zakkaiah.

This is the tree. This is Courtney helping me dig the hole.

By Rumeysa.

I plant trees.

By Maria.

The Sunshine Queen.

By Azaan.

I like planting trees.

By Ally.

I like planting trees.

By Ihaia.

I was having fun.

By David.

When we were gardening, I found a worm.

By Asena.

I was planting trees.

By Susifina.

Fergus and I were planting trees.

By Selby.

I was having fun planting and digging. It was hard work.

By Henry.

Why do the plants not grow when it is snowing? 

By Lorenzo.

I plant lots and lots of Kōwhai trees.

By Margot.

I love planting trees on Pūtikitiki.

By Bayan.

I am watching the kids plant trees.

By Fergus.

Ngā mihi nui to all our helpers for their support.

Toimahi - Autumnal Art

 

Using evidence - more soda water experiments.

 

These scientists are collecting more evidence to help them explain how and why the raisins 'dance' in soda water by going up and down.

They are making obseravtions.

They notice bubbles that behave the same or differently on lentils, pasta, and coloured mini m&ms. 

The M&Ms go up then sink and lots of bubbles fizz up. They stay at the bottom once their colour shell comes off.

The lentils still go up and down but take a lot longer.

Some of the scientists begin to change their minds about the objects in soda 'breathing'. They now think the bubbles on the outside are making them go up and down. 

They are also keen to observe the lids popping off the jars. This is also put down to something in the bubbles. They start to count how long it takes each of the 3 lids to pop again. 

The raisins in soda water experiment.

 The raisins are going to pop the lid off because they are breathing. 

By Henry.

The bubbles pop the lid off, when you shake it. When you wriggle it, it explodes and pops.

By Susifina.

I am so confused why the lid is popping off. The bubbles were popping the lid off more yesterday  because there were more bubbles. There are not many bubbles today.

By David.

There are bubbles on the raisins.

By Ethan.

The raisins are sinking down. Before, some were floating up and now they sink. Shaking makes them float. Maybe bubbles make them float. 

By Selby.

The raisins are going up and down. The lid is going to pop when you shake it.

By Matthew.

The bubbles were going fast when I shake it, like a tornado.

By Lorenzo.

The raisins have a trampoline. Maybe the water is making a trampoline like the bubbles. The bubbles make the tramp hard to breathe so they jump to the sky.

By Rumeysa.

The lid popped off when it got shaken because of the fizz. The raisins went up and down.

By Asena.

When it is shaken, I see the lid pop off the jar. I shake it and see dots. I can’t see them when they are white.

By Emily-Rose.

I can see water and the raisins are swimming and having fun, jumping.

By Maria.

The raisins were going up and down. They blow bubbles up and that makes them breathe.

By Forest.

The bubbles go pop, pop, pop, like acorns.

By Azaan.

I can see bubbles and the top goes up.

By Aroosh.

At school I saw water and raisins in a jar. The lid was always popping out because they were very fizzy and the water went straight up.

By Margot.

There were bubbles on the raisins. They made them scrunch up like fire does.

By Fergus.

We had clear jars and put soda water, then raisins in.

We thought and acted like scientists. We noticed what happened and collected evidence. When we finished we put lids on the jars and collected more evidence to help us explain what was happening.

Here are Rm 3's observations and explanations:

(This is a good experiment to repeat at home - Jars, soda water and raisins.)

I saw bubbles bubbling.

By Zakkaiah.

The bubbles were popping all the way out of the raisins.

By Ally.

I see bubbles floating up and down on the raisins.

By Ihaia.

Pūtaiao

 This week we have been wondering about whether plants breathe.

We had a class discussion, then wrote these initial thoughts:

Do plants breathe?

I think plants breathe.

By David.

It’s breathing.

By Ihaia.

Plants breathe through their petals.

By Selby.

The plants are breathing. The plants are dead.

By Asena.

The plants are breathing.

By Azaan.

My plants are breathing.

By Lorenzo.

Plants breathe when it’s windy.

By Margot.

Plants are so hard.

By Aroosh.

Plants are wiggly.

By Maria.

Caterpillars and rain help plants breathe.

By Emily-Rose.

Lavender can breathe.

By Forest.

I think plants breathe in the rain.

By Matthew.

Yes, plants breathe.

By Bayan.

Plants breathe when it’s windy.

By Henry.

We also looked at some photos of plants under the microscope to add to our evidence. When we collect  evidence, we are thinking and acting like scientists. We ask questions like 'how do we know?'

We will continue to collect more evidence and investigate further.