Stick insects

Once we got back to school after the April Lockdown we did a mini-unit on stick insects. 

First, we read a big book called Stick Insects by Dawn McMillan. 

You can find the story and our learning activities here. 

After reading the book we complete lots of different activities. 

For 1 activity we did our own drawing of a stick insect and labeled all the different parts. 

Here are the keywords we used:

• antennae (feelers)
• thorax
• abdomen
• legs
• head

We then looked at the life cycle of a stick insect. We learnt some big words such as 

• antennae

• camouflage

• nymph

• moulting

Using all our learning we then made stick insects using real sticks. We had to think about all the different parts of a stick insect and how stick insects camouflage. 

Check out our camouflaged stick insects:

Matariki

To celebrate Matariki we read Matariki Breakfast by André Ngāpō. 

First we learnt about different ways Matariki is celebrated. 

Then we looked at celebrations in our own culture, we compared these to how Matariki is celebrated. 

                   By Asmah                                                           By Hope

                By Karolina                                                        By Khadeeja

Then we wrote an explanation about our special celebration in our cultures. Here is one by Asmah:

Finally, we got to celebrate Matariki! To celebrate Matariki we made our own Pou. 

How do you like to celebrate Matariki? 

Nature Art

Challenge # 19

Our challenge was inspired by:

Andy Goldsworthy

We watched a few videos and analysed some photos of his work. During our Google Meet video call we brainstormed what we noticed about his artwork. Here are a few points we made:

Here is a link to our challenge.

Check out our cool creations: 

During lockdown this has probably been one of our most exciting challenges. We enjoyed it because we could get the whole family involved and go outside on the bright sunny days we had. 

It's easy, why don't you give it a go? 

Ponder this: 

Do you think the different seasons affect the types of artwork you can make? 

Discovery Box

Challenge # 18

What is a discovery box: A discovery box is made up of things that represent something or someone.

What do you put in a discovery box: Anything that you think represents you or the topic. This could include flowers, pictures, accessories, photos, drawings, clothing items, flag, ornaments.

Create task:
Find things around the house to make a discovery box about our culture or where our family is from.

Diverse cultures in our class: Afganistan, New Zealand, Indian, Muslim, Hindu, Tongan, Samoan, Fijian, Filipino, Bengali, Somalian, Persian, Rohingya.

Get creative to make your discovery box. If you can't find things around your house, you could: 

- Draw some things on paper.

- Find photos online and make a collage. 

- Take photos around your house.

Check out our discovery boxes. We had a lot of fun scavenging around the house and the internet.

What would you include in your discovery box?

Te Reo Lesson 1 - My home

Kaupapa - ‘Tōku Kainga’ - My home

Whainga paetae - The student will learn the kupu used for the outside/exterior of their home/house.

Have a look at drawings of our houses with labels:

Diversity Celebrations

Challenge # 11

As part of our diversity unit, we had a look at all the different celebrations our class members have. 

Our task was to draw a picture of our favourite celebration and label it.

Take a look at our creations: 

In our class we have children that belong to the following cultural groups:

Samoan

New Zealander

Philippino

Tongan 

Indian 

Afghanistan 

Fijian 

Ethiopian 

Russian 

Rohingya

What cultural group do you belong to?

What is your favourite celebration in your culture? 

Favourite toy explanation

Challenge #12

Following on from our Funday Friday crazy hair day we had a bring along your favourite toy day. 

Everyone brought their favourite toy to our Google Meet video call. We all had the opportunity to share something about our favourite toy. Then we had some questions Miss Mangabhai gave us to guide our writing. 

The questions here:
Where did you get it from? Who gave it to you? What is the name of your toy? Why is this your favourite toy?

We had to make sure we used full sentences when answering the questions.

Check out our responses:

Have you got a favourite toy? Share in the comments telling us about your favourite toy. You can use the questions to help you.

Shared Book: Bread

Challenge #10

During lockdown, many families did some home baking. 

We read a book called Bread and then answered the following question:  How do you like to eat your bread?

Check out our challenge on our class site. 

Check out our writing we crafted:

So tell us: How do you like to eat your bread?

Crazy hair/hat day!

On Thursday 26th March New Zealand went into lockdown. It had been 4 weeks and we still weren't allowed to go to school and play with our friends. We all missed having fun with our classmates. 

So Miss Mangabhai decided for our first Funday Friday during lockdown we would do a crazy hair/hat day via our Google Meet video calls. 

It was super fun. Our only criteria was to get creative with the things we could find around our house. 

Check out our crazy creations! 

“If it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right.” – Bob Basso

Step by step animal drawings

Challenge # 2

Drawing animals can be tricky at times. 

Miss Mangabhai found a range of step by step instructions on how to draw different animals. 

We followed the step by step instructions to draw an animal of our choice and then wrote a story about our animals. 

Check them out: 




You can find the step by step drawings here on our Class Site.

Why don't you give it a go? We would love to see what you come up with. 

What's your name fitness routine

Challenge # 1

Staying fit during lockdown was very important. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to use any playground equipment or go play with a friend. So we got a bit creative. 

Our challenge was to use our name to create a personalised fitness routine.
The different exercises for each letter of the alphabet were on our class site. 

Here are a few of our routines: 

Check out our class site if you would like to give it a go. 

Term 2 2020

Term 2 started in a very different way. Due to the country being in lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic our learning for term 2 started online. 

So what is Covid-19? (Coronavirus) 

How are we learning in term 2? 
This term all our leaning is starting off online. The best way to access your learning is through our class site.
Each day there will be 2 challenges which need to complete. There will be several ways to complete these activities and share your learning. Check the class site to stay up to date with all the challenges. 

Happy distance learning. 

Stay safe in your bubble! 

The year so far...

Term 1 2020 

Summer term 1 was off to a rocking start! 
This term we have:

• We had our first class assembly

•  Cricket training with room 1

• Cleaning up rubbish at Taumanu Reserve/Onehunga Beach

• And of course wheels day!  

What was your highlight of term 1?

Our class artist

Danny Rae

Our class artist Danny Rae is a self-taught artist who grew up in Whangarei Heads, New Zealand. She is currently living in London, UK. 

We found her on the Whangarei Heads arts trail.

Rae creates her art pieces using polymer clay, which is an unusual medium. She creates entirely unique and detailed pieces that are textured and have a subtle 3D effect.

Here are the steps Danny Rae takes to create her design pieces: 

Rae finds inspiration in native flora and fauna, with most of her pieces featuring New Zealand birds. Now that she is living in the UK she expects to create work inspired locally as well as from her travels in Central and South America. Her pieces are held in private collections around New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

You can find more of her work on her Whangarei Heads page. 

We chose Danny Rae as our class artist as she uses bright colours, New Zealand birds as her inspiration and clay which is an unusual medium. We look forward to being inspired by her work and creating great pieces of art. 

Watch this space to see our creations!