Camp Ngaruawahia

What a great 3 days team building, taking risks and trying new things, building relationships and having fun...

Flying Fox across the lake...

Kayaking...

Hydroslides...

Climbing Wall...

Roasting Marshmallows...

Cage Soccer and much more...

Science - Missile Launchers

We researched Sir Isaac Newton and his amazing work as a mathematician and physicist. Newton's first law is about FORCES and this links to getting rockets off the ground.

We learnt that rockets launch when the force of the thrust pushing up is greater than the weight force due to gravity.

Smarties Statistics

As an introduction to our Statistics Unit we had the following scenario....

The Smarties factory colour sorting Machine has broken down and until it is fixed we have to sort by hand. We need to research how many smarties in a packet, what colours and how many of each colour. What a bonus that at the end we got to eat our Smarties. 

The key learning was...

Creating a Tally charts to collect data

Creating a Bar Graphs to display data

Finding Mean, median and mode

Drawing conclusions

Taeotu Whanau Science Fair

We are really proud of our students learning in science that was on display today in our mini Science Fair. There was a great variety of science concepts, well presented information on science boards and interactive hands on experiments, models and quizzes to experience.

From Taeotu One...

The Solar System...

Sugar... Where it hides and the effects

Volcanoes... Baking Soda & Vinegar Eruptions

Stars... What are they really?

Experimenting with Dry Ice...

Taste Buds...

Rainbow Milk...

Rhythm Interactive

We experienced Rhythm Interactive today where all 200 students drummed to the same beat. They also had some hidden messages... We are all in this together.

Actions speak louder than words..

We had to really listen to the beat and focus.

Science Roadshow

Today we ventured to Westbrook school to view the Science Roadshow... we learnt a lot from the show about volume and different sounds. But it was the hands on experimentation that we enjoyed the most.

The discovery box using our senses.

Finding out how coordinated we are.

Bending lights using lasers.

What's inside our bodies.

Pushing air through a brick.

Force and air pressure.

Properties of Water - Liquid

We have been learning about the different properties of water... Water as a solid - ice, Water as a liquid - Surface Tension, Water as a gas - Evaporation.

Our science experiment was about water as liquid and how when water molecules meet air they are pulled together tightly because they are meeting air molecules. 

We had water drop races using coloured water, wax paper and straws. We looked at the shape of the water drops and as we raced had to keep them together.

Understanding that surface tension makes drops of water the shape they are.

Surface Tension is important as it captures dust particles, allows insects to walk on water and is integral in the upward movement of sap in plants.

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The Water Cycle

We have been learning about the water cycle... How the Earths water evaporates as vapour and rises into the atmosphere on air currents and cools until it condenses into water droplets that form clouds. As the droplets bond and become heavier they fall back to Earth as precipitation or rain. The cycle repeats.

We completed an activity where we investigated water vapour and how a puddle of water evaporates over time.

We created our own model water cycles so we can observe what happens to water over time.

Science - Baking Soda & Vinegar

Today we looked at the chemical reaction between Baking Soda (sodium carbonate) & Vinegar (an acid). 

When they mix together they form Carbonate acid which is unstable. It instantly breaks apart which creates all the fizzing as it escapes. 

We enjoyed these reactions similar to a volcano.

Basketball Skills

Today in PE we focused on our basketball skills. We learnt how to dribble the ball and alternate hands, do lay ups to shoot goals, 3 pointers and rebounds. 

Some of our classmates were more skilled than others and had to demonstrate, also spending time one on one with their peers. Our confidence as a class really grew and we all participated in a game to put to use our new skills.

Science - Feeling Friction

We researched what friction is (two surfaces rubbing together to cause heat). We had to decide whether rubbing our hands together normally or rubbing our hands together with detergent would make heat quicker.

Our class was divided in our hypothesis. We timed it and found that rubbing our hands together without detergent created heat more quickly, because with detergent our hands were smoother and a smoother surface takes longer to cause friction.

Science - Paper Drop

We have begun our science unit with a simple experiment "Paper Drop". Our main focus was to look at the specific vocabulary... aim, hypothesis, fair testing, observations, scientific conclusions. 

Although we were able to predict the outcome (rolled up paper drops quicker then a flat piece) the challenge was explaining it scientifically. 

We learnt that the flat piece of paper had a bigger surface area for the air resistance to push against, this meant it took longer to fall (gravity).

House of Science - Sea & Me

Taeotu One was lucky enough to trial the new science kits put out by Ngati Whakaue in partnership with the House of Science. We really enjoyed the hands on Science experiments.

Identifying different sea creatures and their purpose...

Looking at filter feeding to learn how shellfish eat...

Water testing to see where is best for mussel farming and comparing and contrasting land farmers with sea farmers.

Watercress Planting

Matariki is the name for the star cluster known as Pleiades. It signals the Maori New Year and a good time for harvesting. To celebrate this we planted Watercress and once our individual watercress plants are grown we will replant them at our homes.

Taeotu 1 Hangi

As part of our Matariki celebration we had a Hangi lunch. In groups Taeotu 1 students planned and delegated roles to organise their Hangi. They prepared and packaged their own Hangi which were then cooked in the Ohinemutu steam boxes. Yum!!! 

Prepared and ready to package...

This group chose to add Corn & stuffing

All about the meat chicken & chops...

Yummy!!!

ANZAC Poetry & Art

As part of our ANZAC unit we put ourselves in the shoes of the soldiers and their Whanau. Using words and sentences to describe what it was like we created Haiku poems using our knowledge of syllables.

We accompanied our poetry with imagery art usin silhouettes (art display above). 

Dying for freedom

Poppies representing loss

Dying, finding peace

By Tukotahi

By Marama

Dying for our flag

Families torn apart

We will honour them

By Tahana

By Yezsa

They gave up their lives 

And we still remember them

They glow in our hearts

By Kahu

By Izaiah

Kia Maumahara

We'll remember them

Those who died for us

By Taariki

By Phoenix

Death falls upon us

Trapped having nowhere to go

War is not a choice

By Brayden