My new pet budgie!

I’ve been waiting for this for so long, I’m getting a pet budgie! I got the idea from one of my parent’s mate’s budgie, who is so cute and adorable and I haven’t cared for a pet by myself, so I thought “Why shouldn’t I get a budgie?” They’re small, cute, they talk, and it takes real responsibility to take care of one! Since I’m a teenager now, I thought it’d be the perfect time to get one. I saved my birthday money for this, and I’m so happy.

What I needed was: A birdcage (suitable for budgies), toys (to put in the cage), food for the budgie (I’m getting that when I get the budgie), bowls for the budgie’s water, and the budgie itself. I’ve decided that I’m getting the budgie when the school holidays start (which is in 7 days!) so I have time to get the budgie used to me and comfortable, teach it tricks and try and get it to speak.

One reason why I’m getting a budgie is that I need a friend, and I don’t know how to contact my friends in the holidays. It’s really important to and for me that I have chosen this, and I am happy. 

I have been watching youtube videos and reading articles about budgies and I am only getting one because if you get two, they won’t talk as much to you. For the same reason, I am getting a girl. I am hoping to get a blue budgie, but I don’t mind what colour she’ll be. And as for her name, Her name is going to be Nellie! Nel for short, it’s a cool name that goes well with a budgie. I will be treating Nellie with absolute care and she will have my utmost attention.

My Jikoshokai! (Japanese Self-Introduction)

This is my Japanese self-introduction or Jikoshokai!

I hope you enjoy!

C.I.P - Tane Mahuta

Today In Tane Mahuta, we continued digging/tilling/weeding the garden and getting it ready for some more plants.

In period 2, Sh had Kiwi Kaha. We played a game where we had to get into groups of three, and we had five cards. The five cards all had different topics on them eg. Instruments, Clothing, Toys, Furniture, and Jewellery. We had to get five of one topic, depending on which group you were in. We had a sheet of paper to write how much money we had, how much we had spent, and who it was from/for. My team ended up getting 1st place at $1,325.

In period 3, we were digging the garden to make the soil soft, and we were weeding it aswell. We had to dig the dirt because otherwise, the dirt would be too hard for the plants to grow.

Hurumanu - Cookie mining

 

Mining Fossil Fuels

What Fossil Fuels are mined?

1.   Coal.
2.   Oil.
3.   Gas.

How are they mined?

1. Digging.
2. Scraping.
3. Mining.
4. Extraction.

Where are they mined?

1. Oil - Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Iran.
2. Coal - USA, Russia, China, India.
3. Gas - 

Activity: Cookie Mining

On the sheet provided you need to make two drawings of your cookie. 
1. Looking down at your cookie.
2. From Side on -  of the imaginary habitat that will live on the top of the cookie. ( trees, buses, flax, sea, etc)

Material:

1.  
2.   
3.   
4.  

Steps:

1.   
2.   
3.   
4.   
5.   

Findings: What did you find out as a result of your mining?

Conclusion: 

Hurumanu - Fossil Fuels

Today in science, we learned what contributes to climate change, here they are:

Transport: most cars need gas or diesel to work gas is made from oil which is a fossil fuel.

Cows: create a gas called methane and it is 25x stronger than carbon dioxide.

Food: we need food to survive and is transported by trains planes trucks and ships and adds carbon dioxide.

Factories: make clothes cars electronics and processed foods that create a lot of pollution.

Electricity: can come from renewable sources out of water wind and sun fossil fuels release co2 into the atmosphere.

Waste: our landfills are growing and use good land and there are gases that contribute to climate change.

Climate change at Orana park.

On Tuesday we went to Orana Park and we saw a lot of animals. I'm going to talk about what I saw, what happened and what I learned. We had a guide who was there to show us the animals and teach us about climate change and how it affects these animals.

Our guide was Richard, and he showed us around the park. First, we went past the meerkats and then we went to a lunch area to have our morning tea. We saw a tiger, five lions, a few rhinos, and a few giraffes. We couldn't see any kiwis in the kiwi habitat, but we did see a couple of keas which were really smart and very adorable.

Three things that I enjoyed about the trip were:

• Seeing the Lions,
• Learning about how climate change affects the animals we saw,
• Seeing the Keas.

Four facts I learnt were:

• Poachers kill rhinos for their horn because they think it's had benefits in medicine,
• When male lions get desexed, their manes disappear because of their hormones,
• There are 12 white Bengal tigers left in the world,
• The West African black rhino is extinct. 

Four climate change facts I learnt were:

• The Orangutans' natural home is being destroyed for palm oil
• The Gorillas' home is being destroyed for tiny metal chips that are used to make cellphones.
• Giraffes contribute to helping replanting trees because they eat leaves which have seeds on them which they poop back out into the ground and the poop helps the seed grow back.
• Animals in the arctic are losing their homes because the polar caps are melting.

Hurumanu - Solar energy

Solar Energy

Aim: To find out which colour attracts the suns heat.

Hypothesis: I think White and/or silver will attract the suns heat.

Materials:

1.  White cup x2
2.  Sheet of Paper
3.  Sheet of Tinfoil x2
4.  Plastic bag sheet x2
5.  Clear cup
6. Heat lamp

Steps

1. Write your hypothesis
2. Get your materials
3.  Set up your materials like this
4.  Turn on the lamp and position it so that each colour cup gets an even amount of heat.
5.  At three 15 minute intervals, for one minute (in total) put the thermometer in each cup and record the data.
6.   Turn the Lamp back on after you have done recording the info (not after you've done the whole lot).
7. Look back at your hypothesis to see if you were right.>>>>

Findings:

Time	Cup 1 White	Cup 2 Black	Cup 3 Tinfoil
0	16'c	16'c	16'c
15	18'c	20'c	19'c
30	18'c	24'c	21'c
45	19'c	27'c	23'c

Conclusion

My theory wasn't correct, but I can learn from this information for next time.

Art Hurumanu - Story

In Art, we have written a story which we have made into stop motion. The site we are using to make it is down, so I am making this blog post. Here it is:

The story of Manaakitanga between Shrek and Danny Devito.

One day in Shrek’s swamp, 1673, Shrek was about to have a shower with his trash, when he saw his trash is gone. Shrek thought “Danny Devito must be behind this! He was the last person to be here!”.

3 Hours later, Danny Devito, who was there because he just finished his wrestling match, was in the middle of a drink in Paddy’s Pub as his online persona “the trash man” and then Shrek burst the door and informed Danny “I would like my trash back, and I am not taking no for an answer.” Danny Devito realized his mistake and Perry the Platypus told him he would help him learn about being kind as long as he gave Shrek’s trash back.

While Perry was teaching Danny how to be kind, Shrek was at the hospital, caring for Donkey because he had fleas. Shrek told Donkey about Danny and what Danny did. Donkey told Shrek to forgive Danny because he didn’t want to see Shrek angry. Back with Perry and Danny, Danny learned to ask someone nicely for something, instead of taking it from them.

Danny offered to buy Shrek a beer back at Paddy’s Pub. Shrek was really sad about Donkey and forgave Danny. Danny apologized and offered to pay for Donkey's medical fees as sorry.

The manaakitanga in this story is that Danny regrets his decision and Perry helps him learn how to be nice. Shrek also learns from donkey to forgive Danny anyway because it’s not nice to fight.

Tane Mahuta Update

Today we were doing some weeding at the back of the field, and I found coal! I was so surprised but I'm proud of myself. I don't know what I'm gonna do with it, but I know that I could probably sell it for like $2.

Hurumanu - Wind Power

Measuring weather.

Definitions:

1.  Anemometer: An instrument for measuring the speed of the wind, or of any current of gas.
2. Beaufort wind scale: This scale is used to relate wind in the sky to wind on land or in the sea. 
3. Typhoon: A tropical storm in the region of the Indian or western Pacific oceans.
4. Monsoon: The rainy season accompanying the wet monsoon.
5. What is it when the weather is really nice and turns to hail: Climate Variability.

MATERIALS:

1. Stick x2 
2. Pencil
3. Cup x4
4. Sellotape
5. Pin
6. Sticky note

Steps:

1. Tape the cups on the ends of the sticks
2. Tape the sticks together in the middle
3. Stick the pin in the rubber end of the pencil
4. Tape the pin to the middle of the sticks.

Group Investigation.

Groups size: 5 
Roles:

• Timekeeper
• Counter
• Recorder
• Anemometer Manager
• Wind Manager

1. Mount the anemometer in a place that has full access to the wind from all directions.
2. When the timekeeper says "Go", the counter in each group will count how many times the marked cup passes them in one minute and write it down.
3. Repeat the above step four (4) times and record the number of spins on the chart.

FINDINGS

• Record how many times it spins and record it in the table below.

• You will need to time them and count the number of spins.

	Place name on school grounds	Number of Spins in 15 seconds
1.	Field	20
2.	Old J Block site	15
3.	Grass hill in quad	10
4.	Tennis Court gate	3ty

Wind

Beaufort Wind Scale

Beaufort Force	Wind Speed (KPH)	Spins	Indicators	Terms Used in NWS Forecasts
0	0-2	0	Calm; smoke rises vertically.	Calm
1	2-5	10	Shown by direction of wind smoke drift, but not by wind vanes.	Light
2	6-12	40	Wind felt on face, leaves rustle; ordinary vanes moved by wind.	Light
3	13-20	80	Leaves and small twigs in constant motion; wind extends light flag.	Gentle
4	21-29	130	Raises dust and loose paper; small branches are moved.	Moderate
5	30-39	190	Small trees in leaf begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland waters.	Fresh
6	40-50	250	Large branches in motion; whistling heard in telephone wires; umbrellas used with difficulty.	Strong
7	51-61	320	Whole trees in motion; inconvenience felt walking against the wind.	Strong
8	62-74	390	Breaks twigs off trees; generally impedes progress.	Gale
9	75-87	470	Slight structural damage.	Gale
10	88-101	550	Seldom experienced inland; trees uprooted; considerable structural damage occurs.	Whole gale
11	102-116	640	Very rarely experienced inland; accompanied by widespread damage.	Whole gale
12	117 or more	730+	Very rarely experienced; accompanied by widespread damage.	Hurricane

Based on your findings what was the Wind Speed and the Beaufort Wind Force for each area.

	Spins per minute	Wind speed ( kph)	Beaufort Scale
Field	80	13-20	3
Old J Block site	60	6-12	2.5
Grass hill	40	6-12	2
Tennis Court Gate	12	2-5	1

CONCLUSION: 

The Field doesn't have any buildings around it, so the wind is more powerful there. The Tennis Court Gate is the least powerful because it's near a lot of trees and a fence. My conclusion is, wind power depends on what surrounds it, and what isn't surrounding it. For example, because the Field was open with a lot of space around it, the wind power was stronger around the Field.

My Highlights and low lights from the holidays

In the holidays are plenty of examples of lowlights and Highlights, But I'm sharing two of each. 

My Highlights are:

I've planned a special birthday lunch for me and my family for my birthday. It is going to be a day before my birthday since my birthday is on a Sunday. Also, I had to make it somewhere where dogs are allowed because of my Grandparents dog Misty (who I consider as a part of our family). We are having it at the old Tannery and we will be using the normal menu so people can order what they want when they want it. My Auntie and her fiance' on my mum's side of the family is going to make it, my Grandparents are going to make it, and My dad is going to make it. I'm not sure who else might be coming to my birthday lunch.

My mum and I went to the Lyttleton bakery while my sister was away at camp and we had the Pork Belly pies which tasted amazing (My Mum and I couldn't stop talking about how good they were). We were so excited when we stepped foot in the door and we went up to the counter and ordered the pies. After we finished the pies, we felt like we needed to try something else. We ordered A croquette (for me) and a chocolate cheesecake doughnut (for my mum), I hadn't had a croquette before and my mum wanted the doughnut because it sounded amazing. 

Now for my Low lights:

My nana broke her hip and had to get a hip replacement, She fell over, got up and didn't tell anyone. The next night she told her husband that her hip hurts and she feels like she needs to go to the hospital. She did and thats when the hospital diagnosed her.

When She got out of hospital she didn't like the chair the hospital put her in, so she went into a chair that had no armrests. She fell asleep and fell on the floor and broke a vertebra in her neck and she had to go to the hospital again. Luckily she isn't paralyzed, she is expected to come out of the hospital on the 23rd of October, 3 days before my birthday lunch. I hope she can make it, if she can't then I'll go and visit her.

New Kahui - Tīeke

This week we have moved into the three new Kahui's! From right to left the Kahui's is named, Tīeke, Riroriro, and Mōhua. The Kahui's are named after the local birds. We (Sh) are in Tīeke with Ts. Mt, Ds, and Al are In Mōhua, and Tz and Bh are in Riroriro. It took two years to build all three and it cost $27 million in total, so we are really lucky to have these.

When I walked into our new buildings I saw a wooden tier seating area to the left and some TVs with colourful lights on the rim all around the place.  I also saw a lot of posters that used to be in Sh, and some that I hadn't seen before, which I assumed were from Ts. I saw some whiteboards that weren't attached to walls, and green and orange bookshelves sitting by the left and right walls. I saw a few tables scattered around, and five charging stations behind the wooden tier seating area. In front of Riroriro, there is an outside area with artificial grass and a little hill by the right side of it. 

When I walked into our new buildings I thought, "Woah, this place is so big and so cool!". Then I thought "Is this really our new classroom? Do we deserve this? Why do we deserve this? Am I dreaming? Is this real?". I didn't think about anything else, and then I remembered there are three of these buildings. I was so hyped up, but I got deja vu once we walked into the second Kahui because the buildings are the same, but there are different things inside. When I saw the hill in the grassy area, I thought that it was shaped like a croissant and it looked fun to play on.

When I walked into our new buildings I felt a sense of belonging and accomplishment for making it through the year to get this. I also felt the door, which was glass and metal. I felt like I was never going to get this again, so I had to enjoy it while I could. I felt like I was going to melt because I was so confused at how they built this place, I felt like I was in a maze! When I rolled down the hill outside, I felt burnt because there was sand under the grass and it hurt.

In conclusion, I love our new Kahui's and I'm glad we got them. Even though I'll only be here for another term, I'll still make the most of it. 

2040 Documentary

We (Sh, Ds, Mt, Ts) have just watched a documentary called 2040. It looks at the aspects of global warming and climate change. To me it was boring, but it enlighted me because now I know some ways I can help the environment.

What surprised you?
That it was 1 hour and 35 minutes long.

What excited you?
Nothing because I found it very serious and boring because it repeated stuff over and over.

What Worried you?
How they got most of the camera shots because it looked very dangerous.

What are the two things you learned?
1. I learned that seaweed is very important because it helps get rid of the carbon in the air when it stores it in the ground.
2. I also learned that we have the decision to make, and depending on what decision we make, the world is at stake.

What would you like to see in 2040?
Better transportation, more renewable energy, renewable resources, more farms, more trees, and better farms.

Maori language week!

Because it's Maori language week, I've made this DLO so you can learn a few words that you can use in your normal sentences to make them mixed. Here it is:

Hurumanu - Water cycle

AIM: TO LEARN ABOUT WATER ON EARTH.

Definition:

Scientific words:

• Evaporation. When water is heated by radiant energy it turns into water vapour.
• Transpiration. Evaporation from plants.
• Condensation. When water vapour cools, molecules join together and form clouds.
• Precipitation. When clouds get heavy the waters falls as rain, sleet, hail, or snow.
• Acidification: the action or process of making or becoming acidic.

THE WATER CYCLE SONG

THE WATER CYCLE EXPERIMENT

Bag 1: Normal Water cycle

Bag 2: Water cycle with CO2 added: like Oceans in climate change

Bag 3: Water cycle with ice added: like Antarctica in climate change

Two Images:

• I noticed that there are a few drops of water.
• There isn't much water cycle happening?

• I noticed that the bag is acidic.
• The colour of the litmus paper has changed.

Findings:

	The Water Cycle: Bag 1	CO2 Water Cycle: Bag 2 Acid	Desert Water Cycle Bag 3
Does it cycle?	2	2	no
Amount of Water	2	2	no
Acidity	1	3	no

Key: Water and acidity amount: 1 = none 

2 = small 

3 = large 

Conclusion: The first one we did had only a few drops of water, but no acid. The second one had a lot of drops of water, but a lot of acidities, the water drops were scattered all over, unlike the first one.

The Amber Dragon & I.

Today we had to do some freewriting, so I wrote about me, in a medieval era, but I just found a dragon egg. I hope you enjoy it, here it is!

The Amber Dragon & I.

Once upon a time, I was on my way to the famous wizards' tower. I didn't have much time, I was wearing my old shabby gown because I had just escaped from the town. I had discovered a huge scaly egg, of some sort, I found it just lying on my porch. The egg was as black as obsidian and as yellow as a bee, I pondered and wondered, for what could it be? I was getting near the door, when I tripped on a rock, luckily, I gave the door a vast knock. The door opened, and as quiet as a mouse, the wizard exclaimed: “what are you doing at my house?”. I told him “you silly old man, I need some help, I found an egg that’s scaly and it yelps.”. The old man said “Be careful! Be careful!” as he lit a match, “That’s a dragon’s egg, by the looks of it, it’s about to hatch!”. And hatch it did because as soon as I saw, I felt that my head was quite sore. I couldn’t see, the dragon breathed smoke from its nose and I looked and I looked the dragon’s tail was as long as a hose! The dragon was quite amber and a bit of red, I mean, from the egg had the dragon just shed. Before I knew, he imprinted on me, The wizard jumped and jumped and shouted with glee. I thought the old man was crazy, but now I knew, “Haha! He’s imprinted on you!”. I asked “How is this good, tell me now! You have to tell me! Tell me how! How! How!“. “The dragon is friendly, I must admit, he will make an amazing house pet.”. 

And that’s how I got here, six months later, I have just trained my dragon how to be a successful waiter. He knows a lot of tricks, he can sling a brick, if you ask me, he’s pretty fantastic. He’s apart of my family, he’s like no other, and if I’m right, I might’ve just discovered his brother.

Tane Mahuta Rock Painting!

In Tane Mahuta today we cleared out a lot more things from the outside classroom. We also got to paint a rock of our choice, each. First, we had to design the picture that would be on the rock after we got it. I designed a cat with a suit. Then we got to painting, which was so much fun! Here's a photo of the rock I painted:

It was really hard to paint because the rock wasn't that big, but I think it looks good. There isn't much to see on the back (Just the suit and the back of the head) so I'm not going to show it. I picked a cat in a suit because I love cats and I love cats in suits. I wish I could paint another, but I can't. 

I really enjoyed designing the rock the most, out of everything I did, because it was really challenging and fun at the same time.