Category: Ako | Learn

School trip to Maungarei

Room 4 went on a school trip to Maungarei on Tuesday to climb the Mountain and to learn about the history of Panmure and the local landmarks.

First the junior school lined up and gathered under the canopy. We sat and sang a song, while we waited for the bus to arrive. As we waited we did some stretches to get our bodies ready to climb the mountain.

Then we got onto the bus and sang a song. The song we sang was “The Wheels on the Bus”, it was so much fun and we all enjoyed the short trip to the mountain.

When we arrived ,we saw a sign it said no cars allowed. Then we took a class photo in front of the rock wall at the bottom of the mountain. We started climbing up, it was quite steep but we all managed well. On our way up we saw houses, the Tamaki river, shops, trees, cars and the busses parked down at the bottom.

Then we got to the top. It was so beautiful and amazing! We could see the Sky Tower and Auckland Harbour and all the neighbourhoods around Panmure.

Next we walked up some stairs to get to the top where we had to meet a man that was going to tell us about the mountain. When we got to the top, we all sat down around the trig and started listening to Mr Peter who told us about the history of Panmure and the mountain. He called the mountain “his mountain” and said it was “our mountain” too.

After that we went down the mountain we saw Mr Johnston sitting at a table waiting for us. We all called out “Hallo Mr Johnston!” and waved at him, he waved back at us. Then as we were walking we saw the mountain made a smiley face a us.

Then we walked back down the mountain and we saw some old red rocks, they were lava rocks or volcanic rocks. We know this because Maungarei used to be a volcano that erupted 10 000 years ago.

Finally we walked back to the bus and returned to school and had our lunch. We were so tired but happy after a nice trip.

I had a wonderful day and I can’t wait for next time!

Self Portraits of Room 4

Last week Room 4 started their self portraits. The self portrait we chose to do was easy and fun.

First we watched a video and step by step folded our papers for guidelines and then drew half of our faces.

Next we wrote our names as stick figures and then outlines it with block shapes.

After that we outlined everything with a sharpie and then erased any pencil marks that was left.

We then had to colour our faces and hair and our names using crayons. The reason we used crayons was that after colouring our faces, we used dye for the background, so using crayons was important not to stain our faces  accidentally  with the dye.

Finally we could dye the background. It was important that if we used warm colours for our name then we would have to use cold colours for the background and vice versa.

Everyone had so much fun and made beautiful self portraits.

Pita Pockets

Today in class we learnt to make a healthy sandwich using a pita pocket.

We had the choice of grated carrot, lettuce, cooked chicken, mashed boiled eggs with mayo, pita pockets, feta cheese, tomato, and Kewpie mayonnaise. There was halloumi for those who can’t eat meat. People had choices with their fillings. We thought it was yummy. Miss Lowans heated the pita breads in her air fryer.

Taniwha Art

On Friday we embarked on a journey to learn about the Tāniwha of the Tamaki river, a mythical creature from Maori culture that is said to inhabit New Zealand’s waterways.

To start our lesson, we explored the history and significance of Tāniwha to Maori culture. We talked about how they were considered to be guardians of the river and protectors of the people who lived nearby. We also discussed the importance of respecting the Tāniwha and the river, as it is a vital part of the ecosystem.

After learning about the Tāniwha, it was time for the students to create their own designs. We used Google Images to look at different representations of Tāniwha and discussed their unique characteristics. Then, the students were asked to sketch their own Tāniwha, incorporating some of the features that they found most interesting.

Next, we moved on to the colouring process. I introduced the students to the colour wheel and discussed the concept of complementary colours. We talked about how complementary colours are opposite each other on the colour wheel and how they create a pleasing contrast when used together.

The students were then given oil pastels to add colour to their Tāniwha drawings. Some chose to blend colours while others preferred to use a more vibrant style. Many students chose to use the complementary colour scheme to make their Tāniwha really stand out.

Overall, this lesson was a great success. The students were enthusiastic about learning and creating, and I was thrilled to see them engaging with the material in such a meaningful way.