Distance Learning in Mrs Daniel's Virtual Classroom

 

Kia ora koutou, 

Hoping your time at home is peaceful and you have a chance to get outside and enjoy nature.  Click on the image above to enter my Sustainability Virtual Classroom of awesomeness.  All the pictures link to different activities, videos and challenges, so have fun exploring.  

As always, I'd love to hear about what you've been up to.  You can email me - christined@sunnyhills.school.nz

Be kind, stay safe & have fun,

Mrs Daniel

UPDATE:

Check back here to see GEMS' home learning:

WELL DONE AVA for her card to give to special guests along with a gift of our very on kawakawa balm:

Being Fair with Year Three

"Look for the fair trade symbol. It means it gives people a fair life and they'll have the basics they need. Make life fair for others." Lachie

"Without Fairtrade the growers can be living in poverty" Jamie, Marco & Max

"With Fairtrade the money goes to the people that grow it".  Abigail

We think all children in the world deserve a safe place to sleep, shelter, food, clean water, an education and medical care.

CONCEPT OF Education For Sustainability - 

Responsibility for action

We are learning to make informed decisions and take action.

SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE - 

Ensuring food is produced and sold in ways that the Earth can sustain and people gain a fair price for their goods

ACTION - encourage others to buy Fairtrade products

Exploring Climate Change

Today we researched how CO2 released into the atmosphere, when humans burn fossil fuel, contributes to climate change.

We set up an experiment to explore this theory. While we waited for the ice to melt we picked and ate carrots and kohlrabi from the garden.

We also watched Greta Thunberg's address to the UN. She is fighting for more to be done to address climate change. She's only 15 years old!

Finally we recorded our results. The ice in the covered jar melted 8 minutes and 23seconds faster than the ice in the uncovered jar. The cover on the jar mimics the insulating effects of CO2 in the atmosphere.

What are you doing to help fight climate change?

Exploring Whanaungatanga - Compost Can Reverse Climate Change - Our Inquiry Including the Maori Perspective

Kauri Whanau have been looking at the nutrient and carbon cycle and how our compost can reverse climate change. Whao! What? How? Why? Put simply everything is interrelated - we can't take carbon out of the earth's carbon bank in the ground (oil) and put it into the atmosphere (by burning oil) without consequences (climate change).  Luckily composting returns carbon back into the ground and can restore the natural balance.  Compost isn't just about zero waste and tasty veges it can reverse climate change. The following video is a great explanation:

The learners in Kauri Whanau had fun coming up with mimes and plays to act out the nutrient cycle. There were lots of dramatic deaths.

As an NZ EnviroSchool we always try to include the Maori Perspective in our learning in The Green Room.  The concept of whanaungatanga or inter-relatedness of all people and nature is central to the Maori belief system. One way to explore this idea was to look at the family of Papatuanuku & Ranginui.

Kauri whanau worked collaboratively to read the story of Papatuanuku & Ranginui and their children and then create a display of these atua and how we can relate to them.  The following is just a sample of their work.  The full display is up in The Green Room, for everyone to enjoy, just in time for Matariki.