John Parsons - Talk on Internet Safety

Today John Parsons came and spoke to Room 7 & 8 about how to keep ourselves safe on the Internet.

Some main points for children to remember...

1. Strangers are not always who they say they are.

2. Be nice to people... always.

3. Keep your personal information to yourself eg name, address, age, school etc

4. If you feel 'butterflies' in your tummy and something doesn't feel right tell someone you love or trust like Mum, Dad or a teacher or policeman.

5. If people say mean things to you on the computer DO NOT say anything back.

Keep the POWER by keeping your information to yourself!!!

Pump Track - Wednesday Wander

Today Room 7 & 8 went on a wander to our new Pump Track. Andy talked to us about the Pump Track and how it got made. The Te Anau Cycling group came up with the idea and sent a letter to the Council asking if they could build a Pump Track. You can ride your bikes, scooters and skateboards. You need to wear a helmet in case you fall off and all go the same way so you don't crash. We went around the Pump Track. We went up the curves and around the curves. We went around the sides of the hills. 

Riley said, "I like going over the hills and around the Pump Track."

Jessica said, "I like going around the turns."

Isaac said, "I loved racing down the hills."

Piper said, "I liked the corners,"

Jake said, "It's ok if you go up the middle bit."

McKenna said, "I liked the hills." 

Jack said, "There is even a short cut."

Delta said, "You can bring your scooter."

Rhiannon said, "I loved running down the hills."

Wednesday Wander - Jumping Pillow

Today we went to the Jumping Pillow. We jumped so high we jumped to the sky. We slid down the sides on our bottoms. We had a running race from one side to the other side. We rolled down as fast as we could go. We lay down on it and listened. We heard the air and we heard a roar when banged it with our hands. When we felt a little tired we made sandcastles on the side. 

Keeley said, "It made me feel happy."

Natalia said, "Especially blue is hot enough." 

Jack said, "The red was the coldest."

Rhiannon said, "The green was the hottest because it was the darkest."

Tarn said, "Orange was warm."

Cameron said, "It looks like a big pillow."

Jake said, "We also rolled down the middle and the side."

Riley said, "I liked jumping high."

Isaac said, "When we were rolling down the hill some got scratch marks."

Our new monkey bars

Monkey bars are amazing! 

"Climbing, swinging and hanging build our upper body strength and core muscles which are essential for developing fine motor skills. Twisting, turning, dangling and swinging develop flexibility and agility in the shoulders, elbows, wrists and fingers. Pushing, pulling, tugging and lifting build strength and an intuitive understanding of simple physics such as weight, pressure and resistance." A Moving Child is a Learning Child. By Gill Connell & Cheryl McCarthy. 

Lab in a Box

Inside the big blue box was a science lab. We went and met the scientists. We made a pH rainbow by testing coke, juice, vinegar, milk and disinfectant. Vinegar was the most acidic and milk was neutral. Then we got to go and find some bugs, pine cones, grass, seeds and leaves. We looked at them under a microscope. The microscope made them look really big. We could see the eggs and patterns on the bugs really well. It was cool seeing the worms wiggling around. Riley's caterpillar was a really interesting creature. We got to take home a speciman tube so we could find things at home. 

Mr Hunter talks about Mt Everest

Mr Hunter came to school to talk to us about climbing Mt Everest in Nepal. He showed us lots of photos about Mt Everest. They live in yellow tents at the camp and use Yaks to carry their gear in big blue drums. Before climbing Mt Everest Mr Hunter had coffee and gingernuts for breakfast! Mr Hunter had to wear LOTS of special gear to climb the mountain. He had on big boots, a hat, a helmet, a jacket, a suit, gloves, a harness, goggles, ropes, an ice axe and crampons on his boots. Some of us were lucky enough to try them on. Mr Hunter had tried to climb Mt Everest 3 times before reaching the top on the 4th time. He taught us to keep trying and not to give up on our dreams. 

Discovery Time

What a great start to Term 3!

Building not only develops children's fine motor skills, hand eye coordination & creativity but it is fantastic for 'building' relationships with children working together to solve problems and reach their goals. 

Large pieces of paper were a great motivation for some children to write stories, draw pictures and practise their letter writing.