Our trip to Willowbank

How many children would fit in our classroom?

This is the problem Room 15 had to solve in Maths this week. Here is Catherine to explain how we did it...We had to find the area of the classroom to see how many kids can fit in so we made some square meters out of newspaper.Then we laid them down one side of the classroom and found that it was eleven meters that way and then did the same down the other which made seven.We know that seven times eleven is seventy seven.So that we could finish the problem we found how many children   could fit on one square meter.After squishing thirteen kids on we worked out that thirteen times seventy seven was one thousand and one!Thats a lot of kids that can fit in our classroom.

Freddo the Frog

We had a new friend in our class today. Freddo the frog joined us. Matson found him clinging to a stick outside Room 4 and brought him in to show us. Everyone was very excited especially when Freddo hopped across the mat. The children researched frogs on the internet and decided that Freddo looked like a Whistling Tree Frog, found in New Zealand and Australia. We found out that frogs die if their skin dries out. We decided that he had strayed into the school grounds because of all the puddles from the heavy rain. Freddo seemed comfortable in the habitat we created for him: twigs, leaves, stones and a little pond inside a plastic container. We noticed that he liked hiding under the rocks and leaves. He might have been a bit frightened. We could see his heart beating. His skin was light brown when it was dry but changed to a much darker brown in the wet environment. We thought he might be camouflaging himself among the stones and twigs. We found out that frogs like to eat mealworms and flies and they don't have eyelids. The children gathered lots of information about frogs. They selected the keywords in the information they were reading and then used the keywords to write their own sentences. We decided it wouldn't be a good idea to leave Freddo in the classroom on his own overnight so Matson took him home and he will either set him free or bring him in again tomorrow. Thanks so much to Matson's mum for being a great sport!

Archaeologists at work in Ancient Greece

Excavations in Athens have uncovered the remains of an Ancient Greek dwelling. Archaeologists have found pottery dating back thousands of years and they have been using the decorations on these pots to find out about life in Ancient Greece. The pottery was in broken pieces and all the fragments had to be carefully matched. Archaeologists then studied the pots carefully and tried to work out what the pictures showed. 

Archaeologists Shanae and Ryan carefully match the broken fragments.

Archaeologist Jackson is right... the picture shows a baby on a potty (which is also a highchair!)

Archaeologist Emma tries to decide whether this pot shows Olympic runners or men fighting or dancing.

The archaeologists try to decide whether this pot shows a horse race or men going to war on horseback.

Archaeologists Lauren and Luke puzzle over this pot that has missing pieces.

Archaeologists Blake and James decide that this pot shows two men wrestling.

At first the archaeologists think this picture shows a slave being punished.

The fragments of pottery that were found

Archaeologists at the excavation site

Life in Ancient Greece

We launched our new topic by travelling back in time to Ancient Greece. The children experienced a little bit of what life might have been like in Athens, thousands of years ago. The rich boys paid to go to school where they wrote the Greek alphabet, recited poetry and competed in wrestling and running competitions. The girls weren't allowed to go to school and they stayed at home and did sewing and cooking. They braided their hair and made ambrosia (which was served to the boys first). Then there were the slaves, who had to do whatever was asked of them: cleaning, sweeping, running errands, collecting up rubbish and peeling grapes. A lot of respect (or was it a little bit of fear?) was shown towards the adults. The school teacher at the palaestra found it very easy to teach the boys when they were so silent in class!!!

The girls make braids for their hair

A slave prepares the clay at school.

A slave gives out writing materials while the boys are learning.

The boys learn to write the Greek alphabet

Paper Planes

The wonderful Greeks

On the Move

We made an obstacle course with blocks and cardboard.
We had to blow through a straw to make the pingpong ball move.
If the ball went the wrong way we had to blow it back the other way.
We had to blow from behind the ball.
It was hard to blow it uphill. We had to blow very hard.
We learned the ball moved fast because it was light.
By Jayden and Lauren

Jet Flyers

To make a jet flyer you will need
.balloon
.string
.straw
.tape[2 pieces]
First you thread the string through the straw.Then you have to blow up the balloon and tape it to the straw. After that you get two buddies to hold the string and let the balloon go and watch it fly.Next we had to find a space outside and spread the string out and the other person would let it fly.that is how you create a jet flyer. The longer the string is the further it will go and the bigger the balloon is blown up the faster it goes. It will work better if you hold the string tighter and that means it will go faster. That's how you make a jet flyer.
Sophie, Bree and Kate


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The Magic Box

I will put in the box the splash of a dolphin diving, the nudge of a puppy's wet nose on my face, the scent of a wild rose growing in the meadow. I will put in the box a tickle from my mum, the creamy taste of homemade soup, the last call from a captured whale. I will put in the box the swirling feeling of a snail's shell, the fun of zoobaloodaloola, the excitement of a game of four square. I will put in the box a memory from my childhood, the first time a baby tiger opens its eyes, the taste of strawberry ice cream on a sizzling hot day. I will put in the box the sound of a baby lion doing its first roar, a sip of hot lemonade on a cold day, the smell of a blossoming sunflower. I will put in the box the first squeal of my cat, the sadness of blood, a hot snowball. I will put in the box a tenth planet with no sun, the happiness of Christmas Day, a dark blue shadow reflecting off a mirror. I will put in the box the tiny tip of an ant's antennae, the whistling of a pink bird, the friendships of Room 15. My box is woven out of writhing snakes and lined with golden love. It has riddles in the corners and silver twigs as bindings. I will read in my box. I will get lost in the story. The words will draw me in and I will disappear into the book.

Term Three is here!

Term Three starts tomorrow. I can't wait to see you all and hear about your holidays. I hope you've had an awesome time.

Supreme Bakery's bread

Today room 15 became a bakery because we made bread. First we got all the ingredients and mixed them together to make the dough.Then we put it in the nice bright sunshine to let it rise.After that we shaped it.Then we put it in the oven for a few minutes. Finally we cut it up and ate a divine piece of fresh bread.
By Ryan and Callum

Snow poems

Tiny frisbees gliding through the air,
Landing gently covering the city.
It melts slowly when the sun rises.
It is so quiet you can't hear it.
It is so cold, don't touch it.
Snow flakes are star-shaped
Like fragile spiders' webs.
        By James

Snowflakes sprinkle from the sky,
They melt slowly on the ground.
The snow feels cold and hard.
It's so quiet.
        By Jayden

Snow, snow comes down... whoosh!
Gliding, spinning, floating to the ground.
Dancing like a silent firefly,
Clear as crystal,
Silent like a sleeping kiwi,
Thick as a polar bear's fur,
Hard as a white rock washed up on the beach.
                By Emma T

Snow floats freely from the sky just like a bubble.
Twinkling like a star.
Someone shaking salt.
Sounds like a room no one's ever used
Or a lion in the grass stalking a deer.
Sharp as a shark's tooth
And as hard as a mountain boulder.
            By Harry

Spinning, twirling, scattering,
Gliding swiftly like a bird.
Drops, floats, flies.
Sprinkles to the ground like icing sugar.
It feels like a fluffy cloud on a hot day.
As silent as a deer grazing in the fields
Snow.
              By Kate

I look outside, I see the snow,
The white, shimmering, gliding snow.
I stand outside, I feel the snow,
The cold, soft, delicate snow.
I run outside, I hear the snow,
The crunchy, crackling, clingy snow.
I stop outside, I love the snow,
The beautiful, wonderful, amazing snow.
            By Catherine

Snow Days

Wow! Those snow predictions were right! Brrrrrr! We didn't get to the bakery after all! (Hopefully we can go next week instead.) Are you enjoying the snow? Have you been out playing in it or have you preferred to snuggle up inside with a good book or a DVD? I've emailed all your log-in details for Bug Club, so why not have a look and read a book online. Hopefully I'll see you all tomorrow!

Olympic Day

Here's the video that we made today using Movie Maker. It shows what we got up to during our Olympic Day at Canterbury Agricultural Park. Enjoy!

Science Buddies

We had tons of fun doing science experiments with our buddies on Friday. We found out about chemical reactions. We mixed calcium chloride and baking soda in a bag, then added water. Wow! The mixture heated up and made a gas and we even had a few exploding bags! It was hilarious! Then we mixed baking soda and citric acid with water. That mixture went really c..c..c..c..cold! Brrr! The last experiment involved trying to mix oil, food colouring and water. Like all good scientists, we made careful observations and started asking 'What if...' questions. We all agreed that science is heaps of fun!

Poppies for Anzac Day

Art Gallery outreach visit

Emily, from Christchurch Art Gallery, visited us in school and showed us some of the work of Juliet Peter. We layered stencilled wax rubbings, dye and printing ink to create our own night gardens. The results were gorgeous and photos of the finished masterpieces will follow shortly! Thanks to Emily for teaching us heaps and to Kate's mum for giving up her time to parent help.