"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvellous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day." Albert Einstein
As year 6 students leave our school to move on to the next phase of their life it is a chance to think about strategies that can help in the future.
This week we have been looking at 'Famous Failures' and how most people have times of difficulty or 'failures' in their lives, and these times are often when we learn the most.
We looked at how to improve at something - persevere, ask for help, try something new, practice etc.
Go well year 6's - we wish you all the best.
What are schools in other countries like? We explored pictures and discussed what we thought it would be like to learn at that school.
We also shared our ideas about the most interesting things we've learned, and the most important things we've learned. Interestingly, lots of kids thought art was one of the most interesting things they have learned. And I was pleased to see some thought going in to the ideas they think are most important to learn - values, respect, manners, maths, reading, writing, being kind to each other, being nice, how to keep yourself safe, how to make money, how to enjoy your life, how to bake. Nice thinking kids!
We explored what helps us learn (and we're all different - although lots of them said google! ), and what might get in the way of learning. Some good discussions and thoughtful ideas. Some of my favourites of their ideas for helping us learn - quietness, happiness, being willing to learn, imagination, my own way of doing things, sleep, perseverance.
Choices included a range of activities, but the most popular was designing a dream classroom. If only we could try some of the ideas - slides, pools, ice cream machines, pets, sofas etc. It's fun to dream!
Quest kids have been learning about the Hauraki Gulf and thinking about the benefits of it, as well as looking at problems and possible solutions. This week we donned gloves and explored areas of our school and Edith Hopper Park and picked up rubbish to stop it blowing into the stormwater drains which flow to Manly Beach. We were surprised at how much rubbish we found - it didn’t look that messy, but when we looked we found quite a bit - plastic bags, lots of corners of plastic packaging for bars and chip packets, plastic bottles, toys, lollipop sticks etc. Some children also thought of other actions, such as raising awareness through posters, speeches, stories. Thanks Quest kids for making a difference in our area and keeping lots of rubbish out of the Hauraki Gulf!
ONLY YOU CAN STOP RUBBISH
By Charlie G
If everyone in this school picked up at least 1 piece of rubbish a day then that would be seven hundred and fifty pieces! and in a week 3,750 pieces! And even better a full term! 37,500 Pieces! Lots of rubbish goes in the Ocean every day. In fact so much it's as much as ONE RUBBISH TRUCK PER MINUTE! But if we try we can stop that! If we do we can have a beautiful happy future and a beautiful happy future is what we need! So if you want to make a difference try 1 + a day!
Whangaparaoa Peninsula is surrounded by the Tikapa Moana - the Hauraki Gulf. We thought about what might be found in, on, over and near the water of the Hauraki Gulf.
Next we discussed why the Gulf is important to us and how we could help looked after it. We learnt about being kaitiaki (people who care for or look after things - guardians). Our ocean is so important as it gives us food (kai moana), water (evaporated water forms part of the water cycle), and oxygen from the plankton etc. As well as this the ocean provides us with recreation opportunities such as surfing, snorkelling, swimming, sailing; and it provides transport for cargo and people.
There are many great videos on Young Ocean Explorers about creatures in the Hauraki Gulf and how we can look after them. We looked at 1+ a day - if we all picked up one piece of plastic a day we could make a difference.
Here is what kids think is in the Hauraki Gulf at the start of our learning...
Biospeliology is the scientific study of cave life (speliology = the scientific study of caves).
Kids arrived at Quest to find it had changed into a dark cave with various creatures inside (pictures and models).
They learnt many new words as they explored the topic of cave life - Stalactite, Stalagmite (can they remember the difference?), Arachnocampa luminosa (Scientific name for the NZ glow worm), troglos (Greek for cave), tomo (maori for hole), ana (Maori for cave), troglobites (Creatures that spend their whole lives in a cave).
We looked at adaptations creatures have to enable them to live effectively in the dark - heightened senses of touch, and hearing, lack of eyes and colour. We looked at some NZ cave creatures - bats, Cave weta etc.
Did you know...?
There are glow worms by the waterfall at Shakespear Park. Take a trip out one night, walk the short track to the waterfall, turn off your torches and see if you can spot any.
We had a creative session using our imagination to think up new lands. We looked at the book 'Weslandia' and also at Martyn's great ideas to give us inspiration. In the book Weslandia, Wesley is a creative boy who spends his life dreaming up new ideas rather than worrying about conforming. His parents worry about him, but he spends the Summer creating a new land, and all his class mates want to join in when they see the great ideas he comes up with.
We thought about what civilisations have (food, language, clothes, games, medicine, shelter etc) and created something for ourselves. Some created a new language using a new alphabet, some created interesting new lands, some invented new food or games.
This week we started our concept of 'life' by looking at the life of things. Where do things we use and buy come from, and what happens to them when we no longer want them?
We looked at a variety of clothing items and investigated what they were made of and where they were made. We noticed that many of them were made in Bangladesh and China. We discussed why this might be.
Then we looked at the life cycle of a t-shirt. There is a good TED-Ed talk about the process of making a cotton t-shirt. It's eye-opening to think about the environmental impacts of a simple t-shirt - the chemicals, transport, energy and labour that goes in to making clothes. There are ideas for how to minimise this.
Being aware of where items come from is part of 'conscious consumerism' - having the knowledge to decide what to buy based on how it will impact the planet.
Among choices for work, kids had the option to write 'a day in the life' stories about inanimate objects. They imagined what it might be like to be an object such as a spoon, toothbrush, ball, car etc.
Some students researched recycling options in NZ, some created animations about the life of things, some explored how various items are made.
Carrying on with our 'break the pattern' theme we looked at being the change. If we see something we don't agree with or don't think is right, what can we do about it?
We started with an 'agree / disagree' game to help our understanding that everyone has different ideas and opinions, and that's fine. We need to respect others and listen to their opinions, but we don't need to agree, we can make up our own mind. I want kids to see that it's ok for us all to be different, and it's good to communicate our opinions and listen to others. It's a good skill to learn, to try to explain and defend your thinking, but also to be open to listening to other points of view. I think it's also good for kids to learn that it's ok to change your mind if you want to. We discussed similarities to debate, and the fact that sometimes in debate you need to defend a position that you don't necessarily agree with, so it's good to consider topics from all angles.
We looked at the examples of 'being the change' - some students who stepped in to help a boy who was being bullied, and also at Gandhi and Greta Thunberg who started peaceful protests alone, which grew to be supported by many. We looked at Greta's TED talk (parts of it) and heard her talk about her concerns, her actions, her difficulties. We discussed what to do if we feel overwhelmed because a problem seems too big (Greta suffered from a deep depression at age 11). We looked at mindfulness ideas and also actions - how little actions can add up and make a difference - we don't have to be responsible for fixing everything, we just do what we can.
I think Greta Thunberg is an inspirational girl - especially great for our year 5&6's, who have had speech competitions recently, to see an example of a well presented speech.
My year 1&2 group discussed ideas of what we could do for the planet - plant trees, pick up rubbish, grow food, use less plastic, walk etc.
It's important for our gifted kids to feel empowered to make a difference if there is something that is worrying them, but also to understand how to cope if they experience deep worry - many of our kids (and adults) have very intense feelings and sometimes this can be overwhelming for them. If we support them to learn coping strategies (deep breathing, walks in nature, relaxation techniques, talking to someone etc) alongside enabling them to take action where they can and where they feel the need, then hopefully they will feel empowered.
Have you ever noticed all the different patterns in a wharenui? (meeting house on a marae). There are the tukutuku panels (woven wall panels), the kowhaiwhai (painted patterns commonly on rafters), and whakairo (carvings). We also looked at tā moko (traditional maori tattoos). Kids designed their own kowhawhai patterns using koru shapes and reflection, rotation, repetition. We looked at pattern used in other cultures and reasons for pattern - identification (eg tartan), to tell a story (eg aboriginal art), decoration, to represent something (eg kowhaiwhai), to calm and focus the mind (eg mandala / rangoli).
Over the last two weeks we have looked at breaking patterns that we don't like - changing things for the better. We started by looking at caring for people. In a couple of weeks we will look at caring for the environment in line with Conservation week.
I had a 'school kit' resource called 'Not part of my world' that was developed by educators in response to events in Christchurch this year. It is carefully put together and designed to get kids thinking about their views and actions towards others, being aware of stereotypes and biases, and ensuring we are caring for others and treating them well no matter their differences to us.Last week we looked at stereotypes with a game of stereotype pictionary eg draw a doctor, draw a bad driver, draw a rich person, draw a criminal, draw a New Zealander etc. Think about your own possible biases - do you picture a certain type of person when you think of those mentioned? This opened up some good discussions and got us thinking. All groups also looked at people who are special to them, with a circle of friends / family. We thought about how they make us feel and how they treat us and we treat them.
This week we looked at treating others nicely, making them feel welcome. We did the compliments project. Each child wrote their name in the middle of a piece of paper, then we all went around and wrote a compliment on each other's paper. It was lovely seeing the thought that went into this, and the look of joy on their faces as they read what positive things others had to say about them. The idea was based on this video.
Here are a few comments children wrote for each other (obviously not a spelling competition...!) We all left with a warm fuzzy feeling this week :)
This week at Quest we looked at pattern used in architecture and engineering. First of all the 'pattern' or plan needed to build something - ensuring it looks good, is fit for purpose, and is strong. We looked at different pattern used on buildings - line, shape, colour, texture etc. Some groups looked at works of creative architects such as Anton Gaudi and Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
Many children knew people who are architects or engineers. Next we had a challenge to design and build the tallest radio mast tower. The challenge was that we had limited equipment (newspaper and tape), and limited time. We discussed the importance of planning, trying our design, noticing if there were issues (where is it failing or not working) and trying to problem-solve. I was amazed at how many different designs we had and how many children actually got a tower standing. It had to be self-supporting (it couldn't be taped to anything or lean on anything). This was a challenge as children found that when they built high their buildings weren't very stable, so they had to think of ways to strengthen and support them. We had some that were over a metre high - just from 3 flimsy pieces of newspaper - impressive! Lots of amazing problem solving and collaboration this week. This is a good one to try at home - perhaps you could challenge your kids to see who can make the tallest tower out of just 3 sheets of newspaper...
