Story writing

This week we have been talking a lot about our families.  We have been painting and drawing our families often at the art easel. Some of the children wanted to write stories about their families and it turned into a great writing lesson.  The class have been talking about what good writers do.  We have a class goal of using word spaces in our writing.  We were so proud of our effort and hard work today that we wanted to share it with others.  We got to take our books to show some of the other teachers around our school.  Our books came back with lots of positive comments.  

If you are around then please pop in and have a look at the cool stories from our Room 13 learning stars.....

Autumn leaves

Today, with Room 11, we got to gather all the leaves that had fallen onto the grass.  We do this often to take care of our environment so it looks tidy.  The leaves get added onto the compost bin.   Using the rakes, wheelbarrows and hand power we collected up as many leaves as we could. We made a big pile of the leaves and then we got to play in them.  

We had a lot of fun throwing the leaves up into the air. They landed in our hair on our our clothes.  Mrs Rova could hear squeals and screams of delight. After we had finished we made the big pile again and helped to load some onto the wheelbarrow.  Then they could make there way to the compost area.  





Perhaps if you have leaves at home you could make your own pile...you are never to old to play in dry leaves.

Showing manaakitanga

Our class talks a lot about showing manaakitanga.  This means we treat each other with respect.  It also means we need to take care of our environment.  We decided that we would clean up the outside area of Room 13.  It was a lot of fun and also hard work.  Here we are in action picking up all the dead leaves. We also learnt about where to take them so they can be used again as compost.

School hangi/whanau day

We were very excited about the whole school hangi.  Our class was asked to bring the cabbage. When we took the cabbage over to the hall we got to see some of the other vegetables all in buckets ready for the hangi.  When it was time to lift the hangi our class went to watch.  It was interesting seeing all the different baskets of food coming out of the hangi.  It smelt like smoke. Room 13 loved lining up to get our lunch and we all tried something on our plates.  The class liked the pumpkin the best.  
Special thanks to all the parents and family members who joined us on this special day.

 

Planting golden silverbeet

With the help of Marlene, today we planted some golden silverbeet outside our classroom.  We each had to dig a small hole and plant our own silverbeet in it. We have been using the worm wees from our class worm farm to water them.  We are coming up with some ideas to use the silverbeet when it grows. Please come and take a look at how they are growing.

The cardboard tube

We found a cardboard tube in our classroom.  It came inside our new grass mat.  We were playing with it and we decided we wanted to take it outside into the sandpit.  The cardboard tube had a variety of uses and our favourite was to try and balance on it.  It was fun jumping off it. We had to work as a team to carry it to and from the sandpit.  Have a look at some of the fun we had.

Milk for schools

We are very lucky at our school because everyday we get given milk.  The trolley comes around at 10 am and we get to choose if we would like milk or not. Today we decided to sit outside in the sun and drink our milk.  

Making volcanoes

Tom won the Pinky draw in assembly and he chose a volcano making set.  He decided to bring it to school so that Room 13 could make some volcanoes.
Firstly Tom showed us what to do and then he let us all have a turn.  We made different coloured lava - some was black, green, red and blue.  It was fun. Then we went into the sandpit and tried to make our own.  Thank you to Tom for sharing this with Room 13.

Baby bunnies

Megan bought her 5 baby bunnies in to share with the class. They were tiny and there eyes were still shut.  They were inside a nest made of hay and straw. We talked about why the mum had lined the nest with her fur adn decided it was to keep her babies warm. We got to gently pat one of them.  Thank you Megan for sharing your bunnies with Room 13.

Max and Millie

Dani and Myah bought two dogs named Max and Millie  to class.  They are both brown.  One is tall and one is short.  Max is a boy and he was doing some tricks.  Dani gave him a special chocolate. Max needs to have his hair cut.  They had a bath and got his fur dried with the hair dryer. 
Story written by Room 13

 Perhaps you could ask someone in Room 13 about the dogs...

Mrs Rova apologises for the photo quality - the sun was streaming through the window whilst they visited.

Huhu Grubs

Today Ruby bought some Huhu Grubs into school.  She found them inside some firewood over the weekend.  We talked about Huhu Grubs and then we got very brave and each wanted to hold one.  Ruby told us she has eaten cooked Huhu Grubs before. Have you tried them?

Sign language

Lisa from Deaf Aotearoa came into the junior syndicate and taught us some sign language.  This was in conjunction with NZ sign language week.  Ask your child to show you a sign they have learnt.

Meal worms

We have meal worms in our classroom.  Today Marlene cut up a potato and we each got to feed them a slice.  Call into Room 13 and see them.

Koauau

Our school support worker Damian came into the Room 13 class and played his Koauau.  It sounded beautiful.  We spent the afternoon trying to make our own using the bamboo.  Ask your child about what a koauau is made from.

Feijoa party

We had a feijoa party in Room 13.  Firstly we went outside and picked one of the ripe feijoas.  We do know that you are meant to leave them to fall on the ground however we were worried that somebody may take it.  We got to sit around the table and eat them.  They tasted juicy. When we had finished we put the feijoa skins into our class worm farm.

Castle tower

Today Tom and Alex created a big castle tower beside the door.  They used all the natural resources in the room.  Both were very proud of their creation and wanted a picture of their hard work. Here it is....

Enviro Hub

Today we went for a walk to see the Enviro Hub.  This is where Marlene is based. The SPS Tuis also have meetings and do activities in there.  We also got some wall paper off Marlene to use for our Native Bird display.  Perhaps you could ask us to take you to the Enviro Hub?

The postie visited Room 13

Today we had Donna from NZ Post visit Room 13.  We got to have a close up look at her postie bike.  We saw where she puts the letters and the place where she puts the parcels.  We talked about why the bike has lots of bright yellow on it and also reflective stripes.  Next we decided that we could write a letter to our class and then post it. I wonder how long it would take for the letter to be delivered back to Room 13?   

Cracking a coconut

  
 Today Mrs Rova bought in a coconut.  We shook it, felt it, smelt it and then talked about what maybe inside it.  Together we thought of ways in which we could open it. First we tried to saw it open with the saw.  Secondly we tried to use a hammer to crack it, then we also tried with a hammer and nails.  Lastly we used an electric drill, and we drilled three holes in the top.  Then we emptied the contents into a bowl.  It looked like water and smelt like milk.  We tipped the milk into glasses and each got to sample some of it.  Then we took the coconut outside and cracked it open. We got to eat some of the coconut and it was yummy. Perhaps you could try this at home?

Enviro Self Portraits

Today we were talking about our faces. We were looking in the mirror and identifying our features. We have two eyes, two ears, one nose, one mouth and different hair.  We went out into the environment to find pieces that replicate our faces.  Using PVA glue and card we constructed a self portrait. We talked a lot about position and texture. What do you think??

Shakespeare Day

On Shakespeare Day we got to dress up for the day and play a variety of games.  We were put into house groups and given points at each activity. We had lots of fun especially playing the games that involved water.  Thank you to the parents who came and supported this day.

Toadstools

We went to explore our environment outside.  On our journey we found some toadstools.  We observed all the different colours and sizes. We talked about how toadstools are poisonous and that we are not to eat them. One of the toadstools looked like a pancake.  On our way back to class we got to do some rolly polly's down the hill. Ask your child to show you where they were.

Kapa Haka

Room 13 went to Kapa Haka to see what it was all about.  We had so much fun that we are going to go back every week.  Ask your child about some of the waiata that they learnt. 

The Microscope

We have been busy looking at different objects under the microscope.  Our favourite thing to observe is the worms from our worm farm.  It takes a bit of co-ordination to be able to look down the microscope and alter the view so it is clear.  If you are around school you are welcome to pop into Room 13 to have a go at this.

ANZAC Biscuits

Marlene and some older students came to Room 13 today.  We worked alongside them to follow a recipe to make ANZAC biscuits. We each had a turn at measuring  and mixing the ingredients together.  It was fun trying to make the biscuit shape. One of our trays of biscuit mixture was all crumbly so Alex suggested mixing it all together - so we did and this created an ANZAC slice.  Like all good chefs we learnt about tidying up and doing the dishes. The final product was very tasty and especially good, as we got to eat them whilst they were still warm. Perhaps you could try and make ANZAC biscuits at home?

Creating a nest...

We have been reading a big book about a hissing noise coming from inside a bush.  It turned out to be a goose sitting on a nest with eggs.  This generated a lot of talk about eggs, and nests.  We decided to venture outside and create our own nest using grass, bark, mud, hay and some sticks.  It was a lot of fun.  We also managed to find some ants and that created a lot of discussions and observing ants in action. Please ask us about nests and how they are made.

  

Day one... exploring our class environment

We all had a fun first day exploring our class environment and all the new activities on offer. Here are a few pictures of some of the things we got up too.  We especially enjoyed eating our morning tea inside the reading area on the new stage.