Room 22 and Room 23 have been so lucky this term. As part of our inquiry unit 'Exploration' we got to go on a trip to the Star Dome. At the Star Dome we had a lesson about space and we learnt some really interesting facts. We learnt that it takes 365 days for the Earth to orbit around the Sun and we also learnt that the Moon orbits the Earth, and this takes around 27 days. We now know that it takes 24 hours for the Earth to complete a rotation, this is one whole day. One really exciting thing that we learnt about was how the Earth, Sun and Moon all work together to give us night and day. We have got really good at explaining this idea, if you want to ask :)

After our lesson at the Star Dome we got to have a look around at all the interesting things that they had on display. We saw planets, rocket ships, information and facts, games, night and day models and we also got to take pictures in a pretend spacesuit, this was extremely cool.

The last thing we did at the Star Dome was watching a movie called "The Cardboard Rocket". This movie was really cool and we learnt lots of things about all the planets up in space. We learnt facts about the planets, the order of the planets, all about stars, the moons and the sun. The children can tell you all about the planets if you ask them.

Room 23's writing about the sun and shadows

Room 27 Have been using our KWHQ inquiry model

This week Room 27 have been learning about Astronauts as part of our study on Exploration- using a bus stop activity we used our KWHQ inquiry cycle to record our ideas and questions. 

What does KWHQ stand for?

K- What do we know?

W- What do we want to know?

H- How will we find this information out? 

Q- What questions do we have? 

Q- Why is the Astronaut wearing his spacesuit under water?

We watched a video on YouTube are learnt that Astronauts wear their spacesuits underwater as a part of their training- so that they they feel weightless in the water. 

H- We will use YouTube videos and the internet to find out why the fruit is floating in space. 

K- We know that Neil Armstrong is a famous astronaut who walked on the moon. 

W- We want to learn about how Astronauts can explore in space and why they want to explore. 

Q- How does the space suit keep Astronauts safe in space?
H- We watched a video made by Astronauts in space that showed us all about spacesuits.
You can watch it here  http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/videos/astronauts.html

One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!

Did you know that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first people to walk on the moon?  In room 28, we have been learning about challenges faced by astronauts and why astronauts go into space.  We all think it would be fun to experience life without gravity! 

We have also been learning all about the moon.  We know that the moon is a natural satellite which orbits Earth.  We also know that sometimes the moon looks like it changes shape, but it doesn't.  We can only see the part of the moon that the sun is shining on and that changes throughout the month.  This is called the phases of the moon.  We made the phases on the moon out of Oreo cookies.  It was fun, educational and delicious!

Yummy!

We worked together in small groups to make the phases of the moon with the cookies.  

We took turns and worked as a team.

We couldn't wait to eat our moons at the end! :D

End result!

Later, we also made charts to show the phases of the moon. 

M is for mountaineer

In room 28, we have been learning about a very special man called Sir Edmund Hillary.  We learnt that he was born here in Auckland but as a grown man, did something extraordinary! Hillary and his partner, Tenzing Norgay, were the first people to climb Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world.  

We have also learnt about some of the challenges mountaineers face when they explore extreme mountain ranges.  Below is some of our awesome art and stories:

Beginning Badminton with Room 23

We have started badminton lessons, and we love it.  It's so much fun.  Check out our new skills in the pictures below:

Exploration

This term, we are learning about explorers.  This week, room 28 has been learning all about scuba diving including why divers explore under the sea, what equipment they need to take and what challenges they face.  

We learnt that divers need to communicate using special sign language when they are under the sea.

We also learnt that divers need to learn how to use all of the scuba equipment correctly and how to read instruments like a compass so they don't get into dangerous situations.  Divers need to learn how to dive in a diving school.  

Divers explore under the sea for lots of different reasons.  Some divers explore to take photos or to just admire the beautiful animals and plant life, while others are scientists collecting information or making observations for research.  Some divers explore because they are searching for things like food, or even old ship wrecks or treasure.  

We will continue to learn about other places people explore and what challenges they face.