Pīwakawaka Hapori
By Ruth Faulkner | Posted: Wednesday July 3, 2024
Check out what exciting things we have been up to...
Rūma Rima have enjoyed having a buddy class join us each Friday where Rūma Tekau also learnt about the physics involved in levers and simple machines. We discussed force, pressure, fulcrum, balance and centre of gravity. Then we designed and made catapults using every day materials. We tested our catapults outside using tin foil as our initial projectile. Then we experimented by making them larger and lighter and also introduced ping pong balls.
The Gruffalo story has been a hit with our classroom and the masks that were created as a follow up activity created great interest. Alongside our descriptive writing, we have been engrossed in writing up our experiments using new scientific vocabulary introduced during our investigations. Our schoolwide Matariki celebration was a success, and a great team effort. It was wonderful to have whānau members assist us on the day. The last day of term will be filled with experimenting and creating. Look forward to seeing you all again in Term Three.
Rūma Ono has been exploring the marvels of the physical world through our science Project-Based Learning. This week, we've immersed ourselves in exciting hands-on experiments exploring sound waves, water absorption and density. Our activities included the gummy bear experiment, the rainbow jar experiment, and the musical glasses experiment. In writing, we've crafted detailed scientific reports, documenting our observations and discoveries. We have learned to format our reports correctly and use important scientific words to convey information. In maths, we have been deepening our understanding of two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes, exploring their names and properties. Using the context of Matariki, we creatively assembled parts of shapes to form whole figures and explored symmetry through reflection and rotation. As we wrap up this term of enriching learning experiences, we eagerly anticipate welcoming some of our whānau into our classroom this week. They will share their expertise in physics with us, promising to be a highlight for all the tamariki in Rūma Ono.
As the term comes to an end, Rūma Whitu has been engaged in a few final experiments and investigations - from making ping pong balls float in the air with a hairdryer, to creating our own ukuleles with our senior buddy class, making glasses sing, and designing and building bridges. We have also enjoyed our Matariki celebrations, including singing waiata, reading and writing stories, making stars from geometric shapes and creating arts and crafts around the theme of Matariki.
In music, we have been learning how to sing some beautiful whakatauki in a round, by singing in two parts. We have also had some wonderful musicians from our room share their talents with us in the form of a mini class concert. We had the pleasure of hearing two violins and a cello. In writing, we have been diving into letter writing and creating science reports, using key scientific words. A final highlight for Rūma Whitu was earning our 20th marble in the jar. We earn a marble when we work together as a team. We had a dress up day, teddy bear's picnic and a dance party to celebrate! Now we look forward to a well deserved rest over the holidays in preparation for another fun packed term next term!
Rūma Waru have had a great couple of weeks further developing our understanding of forces. As scientists we made predictions, conducted experiments, made observations and reached conclusions about forces and the physical world. We also enjoyed celebrating Matariki and our school Matariki celebration day was a highlight. Compliments to the chef, the children really enjoyed the soup and sharing time with the school community. They took home many Matariki treasures such as harakeke stars, kites, lanterns and fish art.
Rūma Tekau mā Toru Have been busy exploring our PBL topic. We have been interested in the idea of push pull and gravity. To gain a better understanding we made some marble runs. This was loads of fun as the tamariki worked in groups to design their maze then brought it to life! One of our highlights would be the Life Education Bus coming to visit us. We were Star struck by Harold and we learnt so much about our emotions and what to do when we feel heavy rock feelings. We have also been celebrating Matariki. With Ruma Waru we made a music video with a song to help us learn the nine stars of Matariki. We really enjoyed the whole school celebration too. We are also thrilled to be seeing the progress of the new classroom!
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