Pauatahanui Inlet Trip

We had fun today visiting Pauatahanui Inlet.  Pauatahanui means ‘big side of the paua shell’ and contains one of the most important salt marshes in the North Island. We saw lots of different plants and some pretty cool birds.  We saw a paradise duck and her ducklings, fantails and new chicks, some shags and a pied stilt.  

Wanda from Guardians of the Inlet taught us about the different birds that can be seen in the inlet and showed us some different plants that the birds in the habitat need to survive.

Paradise Duck and ducklings

Some avid birdwatchers and scavenger hunters.

A variety of nests found around the inlet

Some of the beautiful flora (plants) found in the inlet

Perching shags

Fantail

Pied Stilt

Another fantail

A big thank you to all the parents who made our trip possible - you're fantastic!!!!

Buddy the Talking Starling

A parent sent this amazing news item that was on Campbell Live recently.   Check it out.

Buddy the Talking Starling

We wrote some great explanations about why it would be awesome to have a talking pet.

  

Like a Scientist....

We have been studying NZ birds, especially the birds found on Kapiti Island.
In groups VH class worked together to classify birds how scientists do.
We looked at the different traits of birds and grouped them together just like scientists do.

Traits are characteristics or qualities of things that are similar.   Groups looked at the habitat of Kapiti birds, beak shapes, colours, whether birds fly or are flightless and whether they are native, endemic or introduced birds.


Here are our results.

We worked together really well.  Here were our guidelines.

Let's Get To Know some of the more Common Birds of Kapiti Island

In preparation for our very exciting visit to Kapiti Island during EOTC week let's get to know some of the more common birds found there.  Click on the birds name beside the image to find out more information about each of the birds and hear its song.

White Fronted Tern

Weka

NZ Wood Pigeon

Takahe

Tui

Kaka

Silvereye

Kakariki

Shining Cuckoo

 North Island Robin

Pied Oystercatcher

Pukeko

Pied Stilt

Red Billed Gull

Kingfisher

NZ Pipit

Goldfinch

Long Tailed Cuckoo

 Little Spotted Kiwi

Skylark

Bellbird 

Blue Penguin

Fantail

Black Billed Gull

Black Shag

Australasian Gannet

Whitehead

Ravishing Research!

This week Room VH have done some amazing Biome research.  We learnt more about contents and index pages, keywords for searches and skimming and scanning information when finding out about subjects. The class used the school laptops, classroom computers, books and posters to find out more about biomes and birds.  On Friday we worked cooperatively in groups to create a lapbook for each of the seven biomes about biome.  It was a full on day for everyone but the end result was some great learning.

Here are the Biome Regions we researched.

We learnt that New Zealand is classified as Temperate Rainforest which means that the weather is cooler and we have lots of thin leafed trees.  But we also learnt that we have most of the other biomes or habitats within New Zealand too (apart from the Polar Regions). We learnt that many of our animals have adapted to be able to live in the different habitats to get food and raise their young.  Come in and visit to see our cool lapbooks and research.  

We ended our week with our buddies cleaning up and gardening in our own biome or habitat.

Week 5 ... busy....busy.... busy

What a cool week we have had (but boy it was great to have the hot sun shining brightly)!  This week we had Jane Lloyd visit.  We created some amazing Tui art.  These will be up on our wall really soon.  Everyone listened and followed the instructions really well to create some terrific Tui.

Week 4 Fun and Learning

Kia ora all

We've have had some really busy weeks in Room VH with lots of learning, activity and fun.  Last week Grasshopper Tennis started again.  Each Wednesday afternoon we get the chance to up our tennis skills with Isaac.  We have learnt forehand and backhand and we are certainly trying to hit the tennis ball over a net without it scooting off into the ether.

News has been really great recently too - people have been bringing in some great things and their interests to share with their classmates.  H brought in the clarinet.  She is learning every Wednesday at Mana Music.  I've also wanted to learn the clarinet and she is doing really well for only starting this term.  

Last Friday Resolution Syndicate hosted school assembly.  Each class shared something pretty cool they had been doing in class.  RD shared some maths fractions, SM shared some pretty cool paintings and VH shared a variety of poems that they had written in class.  Five people really really wanted to share their poems so they did just that.

  (sorry missed the 5th person in this shot)

Meet Bobby and Snowball

Snowball and Bobby are our new class pets.  They are both male budgies.  You can tell this because of the blue patch above their beaks.

Budgies use their beaks to open seeds.  They also like to eat apple, carrot and lettuce too.

Bobby, the green budgie, is the colour of budgies that live in the wild grasslands and tropical forests.

Snowball is white.  He is bred like this.  You don’t find white budgies in the wild.

It is so much fun looking at them and hearing them chat to each other.

Week 4 Fun

We've had a great start to Week 4.  For news this week J brought in his cool remote control helicopter.  What a hit - we all wanted to have a go!  News is so much fun to share with each other.  It helps give us confidence when speaking in front of others.

In Room VH we have been doing lots of learning too!  Do you know what a biome is?  We have been learning about biomes as we set sail on our cool topic about birds.

Celestine explains what a biome is.

Carter has shown us the eight major biomes in pictures.  He's a pretty cool artist!

As we set sail in our learning - across the syndicate we have been finding out about different aspects of birds.  We have found out some information about bird wings, eggs, nests and how birds have adapted in their beaks and feet to survive in their natural habitats.

Here are some of the boys sorting and matching beaks/bills and feet of different NZ native birds.

 Lots of cooperation and discussion going on!