2009: Topic

Term 3: Bridges and Communities
We watched the video of The 3 Billy Goats Gruff, and we saw how the Billy Goats had to cross a bridge to get to the other side, so that they could eat the sweet, green grass. Mrs. Westcott later got dressed up as the Ugly Troll, and we walked across a low bridge, one at a time. As we walked across, everyone else clapped their hands and said, "trip, trap, trip, trap".
The 3 Billy Goats Gruff on PhotoPeach

Mrs.Powell taught us about foot bridges. We worked in pairs and made some awesome foot bridges.
Afterwards were able to play and learn; walking toy people across the foot bridge, and driving cars along the road beneath the foot bridge.
Foot Bridges on PhotoPeach


We went on a trip to see the Auckland Harbour Bridge. First we went on the bus, then we went on the ferry. The skipper was fantastic. He took us for an extra tour around the marina, and he went really slowly so that we could stand outside. It was quite exciting when he picked up speed, and we were able to see the bubbles and waves at the back of the ferry. We got off the ferry and had a picnic at Northcote Point.
Auckland Harbour Bridge on PhotoPeach


In the last week of term, Mrs. Powell covered 2 tables with paper, and drew some roads and houses. We talked about joining the 2 "maps" with bridges. There were bridges for trains, cars and for people. See if you can tell what each bridge is used for:
Roads and Bridges on PhotoPeach



Term 2: Communities Living with Water.
We are learning about how communities use water in different ways. First, we shared what we already know about water and ice. Mrs.Powell wrote these words on the water and ice pictures.

Next, we explored all the places where water can be found. We used our toilet roll binoculars, and looked for water as we walked around our school. Have a look at our photo's:

BubbleShare: Share photos - Easy

Next, we talked about the different ways we use water in our everyday lives.
We did some fun activities afterwards, and we were "super-clean" at the end of the lesson! Have a look at our photo's:
Uses of Water on PhotoPeach

Next, Mrs. Westcott showed us a video about "Drippy the Raindrop". He taught us about the water cycle. If you would like to visit his website again, just click on Drippy's picture.

We practiced the water cycle too. 1: We wet our hands, then imagined that the hot sun (hairdryer) was shining down on our hands. Our hands were soon dry. 2: We wet soft balls of cotton wool (clouds) and gently squeezed them so that the water (rain) came out of the cotton wool balls. 3: We watered the garden with a watering can (rain). 4: We completed a worksheet about the water cycle. Have a look at our photo's:
Water Cycle on PhotoPeach

We made bubbles with water and dishwashing liquid.
Bubbles on PhotoPeach

We made some lemon juice with water, real lemons ... and some sugar!
Lemon Juice on PhotoPeach

Term 1: Our Community.
We learnt about our school community. We looked at all the people in our school who work with us. We learnt about the sorts of jobs that they do. Mrs. Powell taught us how to make a tapa cloth. We each made our own square, then we then placed our squares on a black background to make one tapa cloth. This activity showed us how we are all individuals in our class community, and how we can work together to produce one thing.

We also learnt about what other people do in our local community. The musician was heaps of fun, because he allowed us to play his electric guitar and talk on the microphone. Have a look at our videos:

The police also visited us at school. We later made a rainbow, because "communities are a rainbow of people". The teachers helped us trace around our hands and cut along the lines. We learnt about how to make different colours by mixing 2 colours of paint together, and painted our hands all the colours of the rainbow.

We copied the rainbow pattern in the song "I can sing a Rainbow". You can listen to the song by clicking on it in the Singing section on our Blog.