Year 6 Camp

Thinking Hats Reflection on Netbooks

Here at Pt England, all you hear about are netbooks, netbooks, netbooks. This is because it is a very important learning tool we use from years 5 and up.
   
Learning is easier now that we have netbook. I mean, I can share my work with the world just by posting things on my blog. This is a good thing because then my family could see it too. Another reason netbooks are so cool is that you’re not cutting down trees to make them.

Unfortunately there are bad things like small screens. This causes reading tiny writing sometimes hard. But luckily we can make it work but enlarging the page.

Also, making movies is very hard on our netbooks. As our school is creative, movie making is something we should be able to do on something we use everyday. Not just on the imacs.

With a few little tweaks, this could be the most amazing working tool every school should use(if they could afford it). Probably making the screen bigger or adding movie making apps and animating programs would make it so much better.

I'm Yours

This term the Weka's got the song I'm Yours to animate and we have finally finished.
Hope you like it.

Camp Bentzon Recount

Dr Seuss once said “Don’t cry because it’s over, Smile because it happened” and that is exactly what I did when it was time to go back home. During camp on Kawau Island I had lots of fun and I am pretty sure a lot more of year 6’s will agree with me.

The Talent show and Singing battles with Miss Macdonald and Mr Samuels was my favourite thing at camp, well... besides from being with my friends at freetime and abseiling. Tuesday night, Wednesday night, Thursday night and Friday morning was when these battles and talent shows all happened.

Something I really didn’t enjoy was the long walk with Mr J on the first day. I would of prefered a swim or playing volley but no, it had to be a humungous walk up and down hill. At last we have reached our destination on the other side of the Island (at least it felt like it). That made me feel happy, right up to the point where I found out we have to walk back the same way. I also wanted Mrs Erasmus to be there.

During this experience, I have overcome my fear of heights and have learnt how to sail. I can’t wait for year 8 camp. I wish I could go to camp bentzon every single year.   

Camp Bentzon

Hooray, there is only 1 more night untill the amazing year 6 camp, I really can't wait.

On Kawau Island there is a camp called Camp Benzon. We get to camp by riding a bus from school to the city. Once we get to there, there will be a ferry(big boat) for the year 6's to catch and that is when camp officialy starts. 

I think the most exciting and cool activities will be the Confidence Course, Burma trail and Abseiling. I also hear that the Burma Trail will be the most relaxing activity. Burma Trail is when you get put in to partners, and the person blindfolded has to trust their partner to lead them across the course. This is not really an activity but I am looking forward to the dinners also. 

I am most looking forward to the raft making, because I like working in a team. I think that making a raft is something that I have never done but want to try out.

The only thing I think will be a challenge is the performance. I can sing but dancing is a huge problem. Not only that but we hardly even have a song and dance prepared. 

I am looking forward to this camp alot. Hopefully it is better than the year 5 and 6 camp.

Boat Making

This afternoon, room 17 had a technology challenge to build a boat that can float, with out giving it support or touching it. We got given 1 pair of scissors, 2 plastic bags, 5 pieces of cardboard, 10 popsicle sticks and 1 piece of blutack. Luckily, everybody's boats float.

Triathlon

Standing on the soaking wet grass, anxiously waiting, I felt the wind hit my back as I got ready to slide. First were the girls. We had to swim(which was just a water slide), bike and run. In other words, room 17 were doing a mini TRIATHLON.  

“In your marks, get set, GO!”  Brett said to start us off. Spraying water in our faces, I was so excited I got some water in my mouth. Hiding under soap and water, we ran to transition(change) to start our bike ride.

1st goes Taamai, proving that girls can be better than boys sometimes. Meanwhile, I had the worst bike ever. It was tiny, the seat wasn’t adjusted and I couldn’t even paddle properly. At last that horrible bike ride is over, but that is when I realised a tiring run will start.

Throughout this experience I had a great time, especially on the water slide.   

Samoan Subject Poem

Samoa

Amazing View

Apia

Beautiful Blue Sea

Delicious Smoothies

Extremely Hot

Meaningful Carvings

Mena Fashion Wear

Samoa Rugby Union

Significant Tattoos

Unique Samoan Culture

The Bush

Walking through the bushes (a.k.a the shortcut) to Gloria’s house, Kaycee, Jonita, Tyla, Jorja and I stopped to pick some flowers for Gloria’s Mum. “Stay in groups, just in case something happens to one of us and Gloria’s Mum will really like these flowers, don’t you think?” Tyla says with the mixed emotions of nervousness and glee. “ Ummm guys where is Kaycee?”

Apparently, Kaycee thought she was brave and decided to go for an adventure of her own. Screaming with fear, she got dragged into the bush with a trail left behind. Luckily we spotted the trails and so we all went looking for our missing friend. Who could ever do something like this? Will we ever see Kaycee again? Are we ever going to get to Gloria’s house?....... These are all the questions we asked each other over and over again.

Meanwhile at Gloria’s house she started to get worried, so she came out looking for us and she also got the police involved in it. Quickly finding the trails, she learnt that it was a trail of somebody being dragged. In the meantime, Kaycee was too scared to do anything, but luckily we found her and the mean person who took her away in the first place tied us up too.

The police and Gloria then found us, “You're going into jail for a long time,” officer Bubbles said, slowly taking off the mask, it was a man named William Kimme, who has commits 2 crimes in the past 6 months. “ Thank goodness we’re all together again,” Gloria happily said.

At the end it was just a man wanting friends, and was crazy enough to kidnap some kids.

Summer and Winter Haiku Poem

SUMMER

GOING TO THE BEACH

WITH MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY 
IS FUN WHEN WE PLAY

WINTER

WATCHING THE SNOW FALL

TEMPTED ME TO MAKE SNOWMEN

AND A SNOW ANGEL

Subject Poem of New Zealand and Tonga

NEW ZEALAND

Friendly People

Multicultural

Land of the long white cloud

The mighty All Blacks

Greenstone Carvings

Pohutukawa Trees

Silver fern

Unique Animals

Sandy Beaches

Marae

TONGA

Big turtles

Beautiful Beaches

Amazing Blue Water

Hot Summers

Starry Nights

Unique Dances

Lovely People

Ikale Tahi

Nukualofa

Rugby Players

Toy Story

 

This is our topic for the term. We had to get pictures from the internet and arrange them so that it spells "TOY STORY"

Docking Day

Passed these few weeks, the Weka's have been working on a story called Docking Day. For our activity we had to write 2-3 good sentences to explain why this years docking was better than ever. We also had to choose 2 similes from the book to draw a picture of it to explain what it meant.

HERE IS MINE!!!

 
For Mikey and his brother, this years docking was the best because of when a truck rolled down the hill. The truck was filled with chocolate that emptied all over the hill like Christmas decorations.

How to make a Paper Box

Follow my steps if you want to make a paper box.

Need: 

• Rectangular shaped Paper
• Your own hands

Step 1. Fold the paper from bottom to top and unfold it, then fold it from side to side and unfold that.

Step 2. Keeping the paper on the table, you fold both the long edges into the middle. Them unfold them.

Step 3. Fold both the short edges into the middle and leave them there.

Step 4. Now fold in all the corners so that they meet the nearest crease.

Step 5. Bend back the edges in the middle so that they wrap around the corners.

 Step 6. Now put your finger inside corner and pull gently outwards.

Step 7. If you do it properly and pinch the corners in smoothly, it may end up like this, it is also your choice if you want to decorate it.

HERE IS MINE!!!

Daily Run

Shot Put

       
 The purpose of my writing is to inform kids about glide, and the rules so they can get better at shot put.     

I know most of you people reading this have tried shot put in your school athletics. If you have, then this is the story for you. So you want to improve your skills to take you from beginner to intermediate, to do that keep on reading.

The Glide

1. Lift the shot, and carry it in the palm of your throwing hand. Position the surface of your palm facing upward, toward the sky. Transport your throwing hand up toward your neck, hold the shot against your neck, next to your jawline.

2. Turn your forward foot toward the front of the circle. Begin to turn your hips in the same direction. Wait until the movement of your hips begins to pull on the side of your body, then begin turning your shoulders. Swing your free hand behind you as you turn to add momentum.

3. Then you face backwards, bending downwards with the shot still against your neck. Keep bending until your leg reaches a 90 degree angle. At last you spin around the putting circle at 180 degrees, then you let go.

Note: It is better if you you push fast and hard at about 40 degrees.

Some Rules:
1. When you finish putting your shot then you must exit from the back of the circle, or you would be disqualified.

2. You can not step out of the putting circle and you can’t even put one toe on the stop board.
Stop board: The stop board is a 10 centimeter wide and high block, in front of the putting circle.

3. You only have 60 seconds (1 minute) to get to the putting circle and start.
These things will all get you disqualified.

If you have improved your shot put skills using my instructions then please tell me by leaving a comment. Hope you have enjoyed and learnt more about the shot put rules and the glide, just like I have.

12/18
As you can see I have gotten a score of 12/18, which was scored by my friend, Gloria.

Table Tennis

Here is my Olympic Movie that I animated in Hyperstudio.

The First Marathon

For the past 2 weeks, the Weka's have been learning about The First Marathon. Here is some information that I've found out.

1. It takes an average woman 51,214 steps to finish a marathon.

     2. The world record for men is 2:06:32, and it takes for the women 2:23:07

     3. It takes a marathon runner 2 sneakers before he or she even starts the marathon

Stress Busters

Chiefs vs Sharks

   
“Awesome!!! the chiefs won” I shouted out at the end of the Chiefs Vs Sharks game on Saturday. If you do not know what happened then keep reading and I will tell you what went on in Hamilton.

         When the game had just started the Sharks led the way but as the game went on the Chiefs started catching up. I thought the Sharks were going to win but when then the chiefs made a TRY. That is when I realised, “ THE CHIEFS GOING TO WIN!!!”

          When the Chiefs won on saturday night, I was so happy. They won, 37 to 6 and I thought that was just great and my dad thought so too. If you’re wondering where it was at, the game was in Hamilton.

So that is the end of my story and if you watched the game and you're a fan of the Chiefs, then please leave a comment and tell me.

Medley Swimming Relay

One very interesting sport involved in the Olympics is the Medley Relay. Swimming and only swimming is involved. Four different sports for four different people, is what constitutes this exciting event.

They start off with backstroke because you can not dive in for it, it is then followed by breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle, in that order. The contestants each have to swim a 50 meter pool twice, which adds up to a total of 100 meters.

During the swimmers games, they wear a new brand of swimsuit called Jons. It is so slippery that you just glide through the and people say it is smoother than human skin. After wearing it 15 times, the swimsuit wears out.

A skill swimmers need is to be able to keep floating and to swim very fast. One way they can do this, is by training 6-9 hours 7 days a week, get enough water, food and exercise. They need to also be very strong, physically and mentally.  

I think this sport is a very interesting sport that should be able to be in the olympics for many many more years.

The Ancient Olympics

Thank to Quadriga for this image.

            This week the Weka's have been learning and reading about the Ancient Olympics, in particular Chariot racing. I have learnt that the wars stopped for three months, just so the spectators and competitors of the Olympics could safely get to Olympia, for the Olympics.

Ancient Olympics

Have you ever wondered ancient wrestling was like? I have, and if you want to learn more learn more than keep on reading.

In the ancient times, wresting was the school subjects that Greek boys enjoyed. They were taught at a public school called Palestra.

The reason why they were taught to fight is because they had war. Every time they went out to war they would win. Then the Romans came along and took over the Greek Empire.

Wrestling was a very popular sport that Greek boys loved learning. One way you can win, is by throwing composing enemy on the ground at least 3 times or by forcing him to give up.  

So there's the information that I have researched about the Ancient Olympics. I hope you have learnt more, I know I have.  

Why Does a Bee Sting?

It is unlikely that bees sting humans, unless they are provoked. The only time they use their nature given gift, is when they have been driven away or nearly killed. Bees use their stinger in self defence.


The bee's stinger is really a fine sharp barbed tube. When the worker bee injected a human's skin, it leaves drop of poison.

It is said that a bee can only sting once, then dies. Often, the person that gets stung, instantly knocks the bee off, tearing the sting away from its body.The insect gets so badly injured that is dies.

It is true to say that bees can sting as many times as we let it, unless we instantly pull the the stinger away from the bees body.     

The Olympic Flame and The Motto

Thanks to http://images.alarabiya.net/4d/d9/640x392_94902_216469.jpg, for this photo.

The Olympic games motto is “Swifter, Higher, Stronger,” which encourages the athletes to strive and do their best. As this saying gives them more confidence it makes them view their effort as a victory. The well known saying “The important thing is not winning but taking part” can be compared to “Swifter, Higher, Stronger.”

The Olympic Torch is lit up in Olympia Greece by the sun's rays, months before the opening. This is a traditional event to remember the ancient olympics. It is now carried by many people in a relay to the host city, which is London.

Once the games have started, the torch is transferred into the stadium to the cauldron. After being brought into the stadium, it must be taken to the place where it will continue to burn for the entire length of the games. In the closing ceremony, the flame is now extinguished.

Olympic Symbols

The 5 rings on the Olympic flag are interlocking because it shows when all the athletes come together. The reason why there are five rings is because it shows the 5 continents, Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania and America. If you didn’t know, Baron Pierre de Coubertin is the man who designed the rings symbols and the flag.

The rings on the olympic flag appear on a white background. It is brought into the stadium for the ceremony, and when the ceremony is finished, it hoisted up the flagpole. During the games the flag must fly in the stadium until the closing ceremony, when it comes down and signals the end.

Boxing at the London Olympics.

This is my picture that I have drawn on, using Picmonkey. If I were t o join the London Olympics, I would try boxing.

My Best Friends

 

How many friends do have that are nice, talented and are really smart? Well, I can think of five people that are just like that, Gloria, Jonita, Kaycee, Tyla-Marie and Jorja.

    My friends are cool as they are always there for me when I am struggling, and I am  there for them too. They are all really smart with their own individual talents. Making each other laugh is what we do.

    Gloria has an awesome talent to make Jonita, Jorja and Tyla - Marie also make me laugh, nearly every single day. Gloria does something funny, like when she can’t pull herself together by laughing too much, she goes to the tissue box and rips them up then she comes back to the table and takes her anger out on her pencils by snapping them in half. Though this sounds over the top, it is actually funny.

    If you don’t know much about Jonita, than you might not know that her talent is playing the violin and a little bit of piano. Besides from her talent in playing musical instruments, she has a very good voice. If Jonita auditions for New Zealand's got Talent, then I think she will win.

   Kaycee is very intelligent and smart, which is the reason why she is in extension. On Xtramath, Kaycee is the only person who has moved on to the last thing. (DIVISION) I think Kaycee is smart enough to beat a teacher in math, wait she is. Once Kaycee beat Mr Slade in a math challenge.  

    Tyla-Marie, a.k.a. Tyla is really funny but she doesn’t get angry she just has a sense of humour. Like when someone one of us cry she tries to make us laugh by telling really funny jokes. Besides from Tylas talent in telling cool jokes, she can dance amazingly well.

   Finally there's Jorja. Jorja is really pretty and she has a good voice. Practically everyday I hear jorja singing and think she can be an awesome professional one day.

These are my best friends and all their talents. Please leave a comment and tell me how many cool talented friends you have.

Ruapata's Revenge

I have been reading the journal story Ruatapu’s Revenge retold by Hone Taumaunu. In the end Ruatapu turns into a taniwha, and Piakea rides on a whale to find a new land - Aotearoa.

My Art Reflection

Through these past 2 weeks I have attempted to copy Vincent Van Gogh’s painting called Almond Bloom, (also known as Almond Branches in Bloom) painted at San Remy, southern France in the year 1890. I have also tried using his style and techniques.

Staring at my painting and the real Vincent Van Gogh Almond Blossom, I can see that I’ve nearly got the same variety of different shades of blue as my background. As you can see, there’s at least 7 or 8 different blue shades in this painting. The 3 colours I’ve used are brown, blue and white, you can see the blue and white but you can only see the brown in one corner.

There are two differences I have noticed in my painting, but the first thing I’ll be talking about are the branches. Some of my branches aren’t even in the original painting. Another problem about my branches are that they are a little bit too thin and that made it hard to paint.

The other difference in my painting are my flowers. If you look at the bottom left corner, you can see a lime coloured flower and three pink flowers. (they really look like roses.) Last of all, some of the flowers are random colours.

Staring out of his hospital window, he sees a almond tree in bloom. Even though I don’t know what the message for this painting is but I think it is hopeful, influenced by the japanese. I have added detail to my flowers to make it look bright in front of the dark background.

It took me a long time to finish my painting, but overall I think I did a pretty good job. Thank you for reading blog and I hope you learnt more about Vincent Van Gogh.

Van Gogh's Almond Blossom

Through these past 2 weeks I have attempted to copy Vincent Van Gogh’s painting called Almond Bloom, (also known as Almond Branches in Bloom) painted at San Remy, southern France in the year 1890. I have also tried using his style and techniques.

Staring at my painting and the real Vincent Van Gogh Almond Blossom, I can see that I’ve nearly got the same variety of different shades of blue as my background. As you can see, there’s at least 7 or 8 different blue shades in this painting. The 3 colours I’ve used are brown, blue and white, you can see the blue and white but you can only see the brown in one corner.

There are two differences I have noticed in my painting, but the first thing I’ll be talking about are the branches. Some of my branches aren’t even in the original painting. Another problem about my branches are that they are a little bit too thin and that made it hard to paint.

The other difference in my painting are my flowers. If you look at the bottom left corner, you can see a lime coloured flower and three pink flowers. (they really look like roses.) Last of all, some of the flowers are random colours.

Staring out of his hospital window, he sees a almond tree in bloom. Even though I don’t know what the message for this painting is but I think it is hopeful, influenced by the japanese. I have added detail to my flowers to make it look bright in front of the dark background.

It took me a long time to finish my painting, but overall I think I did a pretty good job. Thank you for reading blog and I hope you learnt more about Vincent Van Gogh.