Being volcanologists

 This week we have been talking about what volcanologists are, what they do, and what they use when they go up a volcano. 

The children have shared some of their ideas with each other, and we have been talking about thinking and acting like scientists. 

Today, we pretended to be volcanologists and went to Pūtiokitiki to look for rocks. We went to Nature Trail to find rocks, and it was interesting as we could see the rocks buried in the layers of soil. 

After collecting some rocks in the trays, they came back and looked at them with magnifying glasses. What can we see? What does it feel like? How heavy is it? 

They then sketched their rocks. We will do some writing about the experience next week. Being a volcanologist was a very exciting experience! 

Nature Protectors

Antarctica

 We are scientists. We looked closely at cold temperatures and thought about what it would be like to live in Antarctica.

We wanted to keep Ayesha warm. We dressed her up like a penguin. She had 5 layers on. Ayesha felt like fire!

We put our hands into the plastic bag with blubber. It was squishy and it kept our hands so warm!

We are feeling the water and the ice. It felt cold like snow.

Volcano Art

 As we have been learning about volcanoes for the last few weeks, the children have been developing a great understanding of volcanoes. This week we have been learning about different types of eruptions. We have been especially talking about Plinian and Strombolian eruptions. 

Children used soft pastels, coloured paper and cellophane to make their volcanoes. 

Here are their beautiful creations. I really enjoyed the process that the children really engaged in. 

 

Making beeswax wraps

 This week, we have been learning about how to look after our environment. There have been ongoing discussions about how plastic affects our environment and Earth. We have talked about using less plastic in our daily lives. We also discussed what we could use instead of plastic. Instead of using plastic bags, we can use reusable bags and use a reusable coffee cup when going to a cafe. We talked about what happens to the plastic when it finds its way to the river and oceans and how ocean creatures/animals suffer in their habitats. 

After reading "Clean up Shelley Beach", the children were very eager to make posters for school about picking up rubbish. We have made posters and we talked about making beeswax wrap instead of using plastic wrap. 

The children designed the fabric first. Then, we spread beeswax on top of the fabric. We then ironed the wax. It is actually a very easy way to make a beeswax wrap! 

Here are the photos of the children with their beeswax wraps. 

While we were making the beeswax wraps, there were many bees that came to visit us. As we were reading a storybook about bees, one of the children said "Maybe the bees are dancing around us!"