This term has seen a lot of collaborative learning going on between the Victory Park Students and the Junior Syndicate which has been beautiful to see. We have been doing a lot of science experiments, baking, measuring, gardening, learning together & making a lot of exciting discoveries along the way. So without further a-do, here is what we have been up to!
Corny Goop
Each week I undertake to do a new science experiment with Dane's class where we choose a science experiment, gather our ingredients, make a hypothesis (talk about what we think will happen & why), conduct the experiment, revisit our original hypothesis & discuss the results. Recently, we learnt all about particles using the Corny Goop experiment & discovered that we can actually press cornflour particles together to make a solid & then when we released the pressure it turns back into a liquid state! Science is such a wonderful way for the children to explore the world they live in, be curious, observe & learn. Lot's of fun!
Chalk Chromatography
I had a great time exploring the Chromatography with Ximena & Gabrielle's classes recently. Chromatography is the scientific technique used to separate components of a mixture, and in this experiment we examined how we could separate colours using chalk, vivid markers and Isopropyl Alcohol (which is also used for cleaning electrical equipment!). We started off by reading the science experiment, checking that we had everything we needed, making our hypothesis & conducting the experiment. We discovered that the colours we see with our naked eyes are not actually one block colour at all, in fact each colour is made up of several different colours. We proved this by stretching out the vivid colour rings on a piece of chalk soaked in Isopropyl Alcohol. Fascinating stuff!
Caring & Sharing
We were really upset to hear that our awesome caretaker Avie wasn't feeling too well recently, so we set to making some biscuits, cordial & a banana loaf to cheer him up. We are all about looking after each other here at Island Bay School & we had a lot of fun making home made treats and decorating a "get well soon" card! As we worked, we talked about why it is a good idea to look after our friends & family when they are not feeling so great. I am so proud of the children at Island Bay School, they are very compassionate & caring children.
Gingerbread Stars for Matariki
Maria's class observed Matariki this year by baking (& eating!) THE most delicious gingerbread stars! As we baked we talked about the Maori new year & discussed who had actually seen the cluster of stars called Matariki / Pleiades in the night sky.
Measurement
Baking is a fantastic activity for teaching reading, maths, measurement, volume, temperature, and how to follow instructions. We discovered that cook books often provide a very useful "Conversion" table within the first few pages. We looked the conversion rates from cups to grams, and talked about the different types of weights + measurements, such as ounces (oz) and pounds (lb). Then we put ourselves to the test and made a batch of delicious muffins! Such a tasty way to learn maths : )
Maths by Mosaics
Have you ever looked at a beautiful Mosaic from a mathematical point of view? If so, you will have noticed repeating patterns, tessellation, rotating shapes & multiple numbers. We had a lot of fun creating Mosaic pieces of art demonstrating all of these concepts. Some of the children even managed to create a Mosaic that demonstrated all of these concepts in one! I was really impressed with the creativity displayed, and they ability to grasp new concepts so quickly.
Light
This term has been all about light for the Junior Koru Syndicate. We explored light in 4 different ways over two weeks in a series of experiments in the Learning Hub. We unraveled how an OHP bends light via a mirror to project an image onto a white board, we explored rainbow bubbles, bent light using a mirror and a torch, and we also learnt about opacity, translucency, and transparency. We then wrapped up our session with a "I see, I think, I wonder" worksheet where the children documented their favourite experiment. The children asked some incredible questions, were so inquisitive and really curious. I particularly enjoyed the collaborative learning that was going on with the senior Victory Park students teaching the junior students. I really hope to host more of these workshops in the future!
Gingerbread Houses
As a part of Racheals mini houses inquiry, we decided to bake & build gingerbread houses. An exercise that is not for the faint hearted I can assure you! We started by printing out a template, cutting it out & then rolling out our gingerbread dough. We cut out our gingerbread pieces using our templates and popped the pieces into the oven to bake. While our gingerbread pieces were cooking we prepared the royal icing (gingerbread house glue). After our gingerbread pieces had cooled down, we then attempted to construct & glue our pieces together. There was a lot of trial & error in this process, but there was also some fantastic learning along the way. I think you'll agree that the final product was well worth the time & effort. I did hear that they were really delicious!
There is plenty more to come this term with baking projects for our Maths Extension groups, passion projects at Victory Park, street art inspired projects, super cool foodie science experiments & much, much more - stay tuned!
Karin Grice
Learning Hub Coordinator
Corny Goop
Each week I undertake to do a new science experiment with Dane's class where we choose a science experiment, gather our ingredients, make a hypothesis (talk about what we think will happen & why), conduct the experiment, revisit our original hypothesis & discuss the results. Recently, we learnt all about particles using the Corny Goop experiment & discovered that we can actually press cornflour particles together to make a solid & then when we released the pressure it turns back into a liquid state! Science is such a wonderful way for the children to explore the world they live in, be curious, observe & learn. Lot's of fun!
Chalk Chromatography
I had a great time exploring the Chromatography with Ximena & Gabrielle's classes recently. Chromatography is the scientific technique used to separate components of a mixture, and in this experiment we examined how we could separate colours using chalk, vivid markers and Isopropyl Alcohol (which is also used for cleaning electrical equipment!). We started off by reading the science experiment, checking that we had everything we needed, making our hypothesis & conducting the experiment. We discovered that the colours we see with our naked eyes are not actually one block colour at all, in fact each colour is made up of several different colours. We proved this by stretching out the vivid colour rings on a piece of chalk soaked in Isopropyl Alcohol. Fascinating stuff!
Caring & Sharing
We were really upset to hear that our awesome caretaker Avie wasn't feeling too well recently, so we set to making some biscuits, cordial & a banana loaf to cheer him up. We are all about looking after each other here at Island Bay School & we had a lot of fun making home made treats and decorating a "get well soon" card! As we worked, we talked about why it is a good idea to look after our friends & family when they are not feeling so great. I am so proud of the children at Island Bay School, they are very compassionate & caring children.
Gingerbread Stars for Matariki
Maria's class observed Matariki this year by baking (& eating!) THE most delicious gingerbread stars! As we baked we talked about the Maori new year & discussed who had actually seen the cluster of stars called Matariki / Pleiades in the night sky.
- Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. It rises in mid-winter – late May or early June. For many Māori, it heralds the start of a new year. Matariki literally means the 'eyes of god' (mata ariki) or 'little eyes' (mata riki).
Measurement
Baking is a fantastic activity for teaching reading, maths, measurement, volume, temperature, and how to follow instructions. We discovered that cook books often provide a very useful "Conversion" table within the first few pages. We looked the conversion rates from cups to grams, and talked about the different types of weights + measurements, such as ounces (oz) and pounds (lb). Then we put ourselves to the test and made a batch of delicious muffins! Such a tasty way to learn maths : )
Maths by Mosaics
Have you ever looked at a beautiful Mosaic from a mathematical point of view? If so, you will have noticed repeating patterns, tessellation, rotating shapes & multiple numbers. We had a lot of fun creating Mosaic pieces of art demonstrating all of these concepts. Some of the children even managed to create a Mosaic that demonstrated all of these concepts in one! I was really impressed with the creativity displayed, and they ability to grasp new concepts so quickly.
Light
This term has been all about light for the Junior Koru Syndicate. We explored light in 4 different ways over two weeks in a series of experiments in the Learning Hub. We unraveled how an OHP bends light via a mirror to project an image onto a white board, we explored rainbow bubbles, bent light using a mirror and a torch, and we also learnt about opacity, translucency, and transparency. We then wrapped up our session with a "I see, I think, I wonder" worksheet where the children documented their favourite experiment. The children asked some incredible questions, were so inquisitive and really curious. I particularly enjoyed the collaborative learning that was going on with the senior Victory Park students teaching the junior students. I really hope to host more of these workshops in the future!
Gingerbread Houses
As a part of Racheals mini houses inquiry, we decided to bake & build gingerbread houses. An exercise that is not for the faint hearted I can assure you! We started by printing out a template, cutting it out & then rolling out our gingerbread dough. We cut out our gingerbread pieces using our templates and popped the pieces into the oven to bake. While our gingerbread pieces were cooking we prepared the royal icing (gingerbread house glue). After our gingerbread pieces had cooled down, we then attempted to construct & glue our pieces together. There was a lot of trial & error in this process, but there was also some fantastic learning along the way. I think you'll agree that the final product was well worth the time & effort. I did hear that they were really delicious!
There is plenty more to come this term with baking projects for our Maths Extension groups, passion projects at Victory Park, street art inspired projects, super cool foodie science experiments & much, much more - stay tuned!
Karin Grice
Learning Hub Coordinator