Big Day Out

Today we had our Kowhai Syndicate Big Day Out at Tahuna Beach. First we started at the trains. We then moved to the beach and had fun making sand sculptures. After lunch we had a play on a bouncy castle and some time on the playground. Thanks to the school community group for giving each class $100 to put towards the cost of the trip. We had a fantastic day!

Hooray for the Little Red Hen

Last week we put on our annual Kowhai Syndicate Production. This year we joined with Renwick 2 to put on the Little Red Hen. We performed it on the big stage at the school of music which was very exciting, and for some of us a little scary. We performed the show to the school on Tuesday on Tuesday, to some of our old Kindy's on Wednesday and to our families and friends on Wednesday and Thursday Room 11 and Renwick 3 joined together to put on the Caterpillar Boogie and Room 12A and Room 10 to perform the Tadpole Rag. Check out the photos below to see the fun we had and the movie to hear the final song!

Pike River Mine Coin Trail

On Friday the student council organised a coin trail to raise money for the Pike River Mine Fundraising Scheme. All together we raised $210. Here we are placing our money on the spiral.

Nelson Intermediate Roadshow

Today we were very lucky to get to watch a concert put on by Nelson Intermediate Students.  There were performances from a kapa haka group, stage band, piano player and a drum group.  We thought that their show was awesome.  Maybe one day we will be up there performing like them.

Internet Safety

The last couple of weeks we have been 

watching some of the episodes on Hectors World about keeping ourselves safe on the internet.  We created some guidelines today about the things we have learnt.

1. Don't use your whole name, you could use a nick name.

2. If you see something you are not sure about, tell someone you trust.

3. Don't send a message to someone you don't know.

To check out Hectors World Click here  


To visit Keep Safe Kids, another website about internet safety Click here

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

As part of our topic on time in week two and three we were learning the days of the week and the months of the year.  During ICT we retold the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  Enjoy!

Week 4

This week alot has happened.  On Wednesday Room 7 organised a Funraiser.  At the beginning of lunch   we all went out and played air guitar on the front field.  Over 400 of us joined it.  We didn't beat the Guinness world record of 1178, but we sure had a lot of fun.

On Thursday we also had our last session of grass hopper tennis.  Unfortunately it started to rain, but we have had a lot of fun learning all about tennis this term.

 

To wrap up the week on Friday we had the opening of the new additions to the adventure playground.  This is a project that the school community group and the student council have been working on.  Thankyou to all those people involved in adding the new equipment to our playground.

Room 12 Break In

Joining Room 11 at the start
of the day

Working hard in Room Six

Today when we got to school Sally was waiting outside the classroom because a thief had been inside our classroom, and had tried to steal our projector.  They weren't able to steal it though.  We weren't allowed in so we had to go to Room 11 for a little bit and now we are in Room 6's class because we are waiting for the police to come and finger print the classroom. We think it is cool because we might to get feed the fish and we get to sit at Room 6's desks.  By Room 12

The policeman
fingerprinting
the classroom

Shadows

On Friday we had fun exploring how our shadows changed shape throughout the day.  We drew around our shadows using chalk at different time throughout the day. We found that our shadows got longer whilst we were at school.  

Ship Ahoy!

Today we went to the museum to the ship ahoy exhibition.  We pretended we were on a boat like in the olden days.  The museum was awesome because we got to see some spew and we got to dress up.  The girls had to wear white dresses.  The boys had to wear a waistcoats and hats.  By Room 12 and Sally

Wonkey Donkey

On Monday Craig Smith who wrote Wonkey Donkey visited our school.  He read us the Wonkey Donkey book and his new book called Wilbee the Bumbleebee which is also based upon a song.  He also sung us the 'Big Drip'.  He showed us how to make the cool raindrop sounds with our mouths!

Watch the video below to see him performing his famous Wonkey Donkey song.

12 months in a year!

Week 1 Term 4!

We had a bit of fun last week to begin Term 4.  This term our new inquiry topic is based around the sun.  Sally took us on a bear hunt, we ended up in a cave where we discussed lots of things about the sun and light and dark.

Here are some of us  inside
the cave.

On Thursday, we were treated to a performance from members of the New Zealand Secondary Schools Brass Band. They were a lot of fun.  They even showed us how to make a musical instrument using a mouth piece, garden hose and a funnel! 

Holiday Fun

To end our inquiry unit and celebrate the end of term we made fizzy lemonade. We learnt that the yeast in the mixture helped to create the gas to make it fizzy.  We tasted some of the lemonade and then Sally froze some of it and turned them into ice-blocks.

You might like to try making some lemonade at home during the holidays.

Lemonade

You will need:

- A clean two-litre plastic bottle with a screw on cap

- 3 lemons

- 1 cup of sugar

- 1/4 teaspoon of yeast

- A jug for pouring

1.  Put the sugar into the jug.

2.  Add some hot water from the tap, and stir it all until the sugar has dissolved.

3. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze them into the jug.

4. Pour the mixture into your bottle, then add cold water until the bottle is almost full.  Leave about 5 centimetres of space at the top.

5.  Add the yeast  to the mixture.

6. Screw the cap on tightly, and tip the bottle to mix everything.

7.  Leave the lemonade for at least four days.  A place that is not too hot and not too cold is best.

You can tell if the lemonade is ready by squeezing the bottle.  It is ready if the bottle feels quite hard.

During the holidays you might also like to play some of the games on the wiki by Lorraine Duncan from Wakaaranga Primary School, Auckland.

Folk Dancing Display

To celebrate all that we have learnt in folk dancing this term we joined with Renwick 2 for a folk dancing display.    We danced to 7 Jumps and Carnavalito.  We then joined with Renwick 2 and did the Birdy Dance.  At the end we danced with our parents.  It was a lot of fun, especially having our parents dancing with us!

Yum!

Over the last week in inquiry we have learnt about solids, liquids and gasses through food.  We have investigated how jelly turns from the solid to a liquid and then back to a solid again. We had a little experiment in class comparing the difference between jelly made with hot and cold water.  We left them on the shelf in the sun and watched how they changed.  The cold water jelly still stayed solid whilst the hot water jelly softened up and broke into pieces.  We wondered if the jelly would turn back into the crystals, but it didn't.  .

We then heated some chocolate and watched it melt.  After we took it off the heat and put it into some molds we quickly saw it set into a solid again.  We learnt that chocolate is reversible.

Today we made lemonade.  We used yeast in the mixture to create a gas to make it fizzy.  At the end of the week we will get to try some and then we are going to turn some of it into ice-blocks to celebrate the end of term!

Changing State!

Today in inquiry we explored how water changes from a solid, to a liquid and then to a gas.  We watched a block of ice melt during the day and then we saw some of it evaporate when we boiled it in the jug.  We then created a diagram to show how heating and cooling the water creates the change in the state of the matter.

We then had a quick look at this game below
To play it in a larger screen click on this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/materials/changing_state/play.shtml

Skip Counting

This week for Maths we have been singing this song.  It has been helping us to skip count in 2's, 5's and 10's

Solid, Liquid, Gas

This week for our inquiry topic we have been learning all about solids, liquids and gasses.  Today we created Inspiration Diagrams to classify things that were solid, liquid or gas.  We learnt to use the arrows to show things that could be two states of these matters.

We have been singing a neat song about solids, liquids and gasses and we watched a great movie from this website.  http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/studyjams/matter_states/  

Today we also played this cool game.

To see it bigger, click on the link below
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/materials/gases_liquids_solids/play.shtml

Calender Art

Last week we drew these pictures. You can order these to be turned into calenders and cards as part of a fundraiser that the Parent Community Group are organising.  They will make great Christmas presents.  Look out for a notice coming soon! 

You might like to check them hanging up in the classroom for a better view. 

Week of Fun

What a week we've had this week.  We've had a lot going on.  On Monday we had fun playing with Gloop to kick off our new inquiry topic on solids, liquids and gasses.  We had fun exploring how it turned from a solid to a  liquid.


On Thursday we went to the Nelson City Library with Ren 3.  Viv the Librarian read us some stories and taught us some songs.  Then we were given free time to explore the library and choose books to issue.


And to wrap up our week Missie who has relieved in Rm 12 came and made iced biscuits with us.  She is moving to Australia and wanted to have a little farewell party with us.

Pyjama Day

Today we had Pyjama Day at school.  The School Council organised this to raise money for the Centre for Children's Happiness children's orphanage in Cambodia.  All the money that the student council raise this year is going to this orphanage.  Most of us in Room 12 dressed up including Sally.  The student council had us lay out our money on the outline of some PJ's!

Soccer Fun!

On Wednesday we had our first of 3 sessions with Jordan from Nelson Football.  He taught us lots of fun games and showed us different ways to kick the ball.  Here we are trying to steal the bibs off our friends in Room 12 whilst still trying to control our ball.

What a surprise!

Yesterday we had our second session with the firefighters as part of our Firewise Unit.  They brought along their firetruck and showed us some of the equipment they have on board.  Suddenly their pagers went off and they said they had to go.  They quickly put on their fire suits and raced off!  Some of us thought they were just pretending.  Sally wasn't quite sure either but we later heard that they were called to a false alarm down the road.  Some of us were a bit sad that we didn't get to hop into the fire truck but some of us thought that we were lucky to see them race off!  All pretty exciting really!

West/East Exhibition

Yesterday we went to visit the West/East exhibition at the Suter Art Gallery.  This was based upon the willow pattern from China used on crockery.  We learnt about the story behind the pattern and had a go sketching some designs from some of the art work on display.  After this we made bowls our of clay.  We can't wait to see  them once they are fired and we can paint them.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.


Here is a movie that some children made all about the willow pattern

Fire Escape Routes

Today in ICT we played the games on the Firewise Website.  Some of us drew our escape routes using the computer.  Sally was blown away by Theo and Grace's escape route maps!  She thought that they were even better than what she could draw.

You can check out the games on 

http://www.getfirewise.org.nz/Back_Up/games.html

By Theo

By Grace

Firewise!

Today Kevin and Gary from the Nelson Fire Station came and visited us.  They talked to us all about being Firewise.  They showed us a movie how quickly a house can catch on fire all by a candle being left next to a curtain.  We talked about our escape plans and meeting places at our homes if there was a fire.  At the end we practiced getting out safely.  We imagined that they black cloth that Kevin and Gary was holding was thick smoke!  We can't wait until they come back next week and show us their fire truck. 

Food for thought

Tracy from Room 11 has organised an alternative to the 40 Hour Famine.  On Saturday 14th August children are encouraged to eat a similar diet to that of a child from Cambodia.  A similar diet would consist of the following meals;


Breakfast: Rice, Fried Egg


Lunch: Rice and Fried Vegetables eg Silver Beet, Spinach, Cabbage and small portion of protein


Dinner: Rice, Fried Vegetables eg Silver Beet, Spinach, Cabbage, small portion of protein and portion of fruit

 ALL of the money raised will go to the Centre for Childrens Happiness orphanges in Cambodia to be put towards school supplies and shoes for the children. NCS children have already helped out children in this orphanage by sending several boxes of un-wanted books to them via Tracy.

We watched this video to learn a little bit about how the money we raise can help children in Cambodia.  We decided that we were all very lucky to live in New Zealand!  

Special Visitors

 On Thursday we were lucky enough to have visits from 2 different lots of people. special visitors.  Harold and Victoria from Life Education are visiting Nelson Central School at the moment.  We were all very excited about going to visit Harold in his special trailer.  We learnt about different parts of our body and what they do and things which we can do to help keep our body healthy.

Here is what some of us wrote about the visit.

The Harold show was fab.  I loved the movie.  Ione

Today I went to meet Harold the Giraffe.  First we left Room 12.  Next we walked to his trailer and finally I went inside his trailer.  Theo

Today we went to see Harold the Giraffe.  He made us do a puzzle.  Next we watched a movie.  He put on a song.  Jemma

In the afternoon we had a visit from a group of adult students from NMIT.  They have come to New Zealand to learn English and learn all about life here.  We sung them our special school song, taught them the Hokey Tokey and we showed them what we do in Phonics.   

2D shapes

This week as for Maths we are learning all about 2D shapes.  Today as part of ICT Sally set us the challenge of photographing things around our school which are in the shape of the 2D shapes that we have been learning about.  Check out our great photos below! 

Interesting Lines!

Today we had a bit of fun in art.  We were learning about all the different types of lines that could make using our paintbrush.  What made it extra fun was that we worked on two big sheets of paper and we kept rotating positions.  This meant that we kept adding to what our friends had already painted.

End of Term

To celebrate the end of term we made gingerbread men.  We followed the recipe from the big book that we had been reading all week.  We also talked a lot about measuring as we had been focusing on this during maths.  They tasted yummy and were a great way to end the term!

Our Favourite Toys

This week we wrote descriptions about our favourite toy.  Sally let us bring them to school.  Here are two descriptions that Sally thought were fantastic!

My Cats

Superman Cat has spiky ears.  Superman cat saves people.  He likes to be healthy.  He doesn’t like to eat junk food.  Superman Cat is cute.  Poppy

 

Ice-Cream

Ice-Cream looks like an ice-cream cone.  She lies in bed with me.  She cuddles me.  She doesn’t like bears.  I love my dog.  Jemma