Greenfingers Gang in the Garden

 

The Greenfingers Gang gives our younger tamariki a chance to show environmental leadership in our gardens.  This week, after they tipped the hot compost, they checked the tracker tunnel out out by the Eco Group. We were so excited to discover the peanut butter was gone and there were lots of prints.

When we went back to The Green Room we researched what had left the prints here: https://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/our-work/predator-free-2050/a-short-guide-to-identifying-footprints-on-tracking-tunnel-papers.pdf 

We decided they were left by a hedgehog.  These are pests as they eat native insects like weta, but we don't really want to trap them.

Next week we'll tip the compost as usual and put worm tea on the cabbages.

Year Six Learn the Importance of Estuaries and Wetlands for Protecting our Homes

 

Today, Year Six learnt about how our local estuary and wetlands protect us from flooding. First we discussed our experiences of heavy rain and flooding and read a slide show from DOC.

We conducted an experiment in the Mara Kai, which showed how much faster rain water flows over concrete than natural surfaces.  

Then, we  watched a video about how cities around the worldand especially in China, drained their wetlands, and are now spending billions to put them back in as sponge cities.  Lucky we never drained the Wakaaranga Creek!

Lastly we played Niwa Flood Challenge Game to learn how to make good choices as a home owner and community member in a future where flood events are getting for frequent.

What did you learn?

Lucy "Don't buy next to a river and if you do make changes so floods won't hit it.  Always look at the flood maps before you buy a house".

"Sponge Cities are human made to work like estuaries and wetlands to stop flooding" Renee

"Wetlands stop chemicals going into the sea" Brayden

"Don't drain wetlands to build houses" Alysia

"When I buy a house I won't buy next to a river" Angela

"Buy a house near grass and trees so the rain gets absorbed" Haniya

"Buy a house on top of a hill" Grace

"Don't live near water" Aileen

"Use your money wisely"

"Plant trees and build stop banks to protect against floods" Kaiden

Next time we'll look at the animals that live in our local estuary.

Eco Leaders Set Out Tracker Tunnels

 

Today, the Eco Group set out a tracker tunnel to monitor which pests might be in our Mara. Standby for the results!

Year Four Dive Into Te Kapa Moana

 Today Year 4 began their inquiry into The Hauraki Gulf.  After watching a wonderful video by the Young Ocean Explorers, we located the Hauraki Gulf on a map and saw that it's right on Sunnyhill's doorstep.  

We wondered:

David "How many sea animals live in the Hauraki Gulf?"

Koen "What is the biggest shark in the Hauraki Gulf?"

Hirva "Why is it called the Hauraki Gulf?"

Shiloh "What type of colour is the Gulf?"

Mila "How many types of whales live there?"

"How many types of sharks live there?" Leo

Ken "How close is Rangitoto to Auckland?"

Lucy "What species live in the Hauraki Gulf?"

Hirva "How many islands are there in the Gulf?"

David "How big is it?

Quinn "What types of fish are there?"

"What can we do there?" Hirva

"How old are the islands?" Arjun

"Do sea horses live there?" Azara

Nick "What is the deepest point?"

"Are there any manatees?" Chace

"Which mammals live there?" Alyssa

Ananya "What type of dolphins live there?"

Vincent "What jobs can you do in the Hauraki Gulf"

Himaru "How many orcas are there?"

Aiden "How many people visit?"

"How do octopuses produce ink?" Logan

Henny "What's the oldest sea creature"

Lastly we read a KCC magazine about the Hauraki Gulf wetlands and checked our comprehension with a Kahoot. Next time we are going to look at how we can keep the Hauraki healthy.

Year Five Autumn Gardening

 

Year Five pushed pause on our Sustainable Energy Inquiry to get gardening in the autumn sunshine. We weeded, composted, and planted cabbages. Thank you to Kings Plant Barn Botany for donating the cabbage seedlings. We can’t wait to eat them as part of our Matariki Feast!

Year 3 Celebrating Conservation Week with Rotorua Island Educators

Today Year Three celebrated  Consservation Week with a visit from the Rotoroa Island Educators Rebecca & Alison.  We learnt all about the how our unique native birds are being protected on this sanctuary island.

After a presentation about why New Zealand has so many flightless birds that are found no where else in the world, we had fun with some hands on activities:

- Endemic Animal Bingo

- Native Animal Who Am I? Game

- Native Bird Memory Card Game

- Match the adult with their baby photo game

- Feather investigation with magnifying glasses

- Match the population number with the endangered species.

It was so much fun and we learnt lots:

"I learnt that the ecosystem can be helped in many ways.  Also the baby sea creatures look very different from their adult forms" Lucas

"Kereru are purply blue" Ciaran

"There are only 35 -40 Fairy Terns left, so we need to protect them" Reyna

"It was a huge mistake to bring possums, stoats and rats to New Zealand" Evan

"The baby birds don't look like the grown up birds" Milan

"When you cut down trees you're losing animals' homes" Abby

"If we grow more plants we are taking care of the Earth" Sri

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge Rebecca & Alison.  We love learning from the experts!

Maybe you can visit one of our sanctuary islands with your family next school holidays.

Year Six Estuary Inquiry Begins - Get Thinking

Today, Year 6 began their estuary inquiry.  First we discussed our prior knowledge and experiences: 

Lucy "On Great Barrier there is an estuary you can swim in with a slide and a boat you can play in"

Maya "I go to Little Bucks everyday and climb up the mountain"

Renee "My house is really close to the estuary and I walk my dog there"

Brayden "I had my birthday party at Snakes and Ladders playground on the estuary"

Lacey "At Snakes and Ladders I find crabs under the rocks with my brother"

"I walked along the Bucklands Beach estuary on the board walk" Fay

Alysia "I ride bikes along the estuary"

"At Cooks Beach I like swimming across the estuary" Emma

Next, we watched a video of our local estuary and read through a slide presentation from DOC.

We tested whether we could identify estuaries with a Kahoot

Afterwards we created a mind map to inform our next steps. Check out our mahi here.

When we had finished we got to eat feijoas from the school trees.

Next term we'll use our wonderings to form inquiry questions to research about our local environment.  Then we'll be able to identify any issues and come up with actions to help our estuary.