Training for the triathlon

We are practicing for the Kio Kio school triathlon which is next Wednesday. We brought our bikes and helmets to school on Monday. 

1. We lie down on our tummies and put our chin on our hands.

2. Then Mrs Case says "On your marks, get set, GO!!!" and we jump up and run to our bikes.

3. Next we put our helmets on and ride around the field once. It is hard work for some of us!!

4. After that we jump off our bikes and run to the pool to swim a width (from one side of the pool to the other in the shallow end)

5. Finally we follow the cones around the back on the Rec Centre and around the field to the finish line.

On the triathlon race day our families can come and cheer for us and we can wear our house colours.

Yellow house - Ariya, Shem, Aaron, Charlie.
Blue house - Willow, Neihana, Waimarie.
Red house - Nathan, Wyatt and Santana.

Class trip to Ocean beach

The waves in the sea go

The waves in the sea go

Up and down,

Up and down.

The waves in the sea go 

Up and down.

All day long.

The fish in the sea go 

Swish, swish, swish.

Swish, swish, swish.

Swish, swish, swish.

The fish in the sea go

Swish, swish, swish..

All day long.

The seagulls on the beach go

Squark, squark, squark.

Squark, squark, squark.

Squark, squark, squark.

The seagulls on the beach go

Squark, squark, squark

All day long.

The sand on the beach is 

Hot, hot, hot.

Hot, hot, hot.

Hot, hot, hot.

The sand on the beach is

Hot, hot, hot.

All day long.

Water confidence in the pool

Kowhai kids love swimming every day after lunch. It is so hot we can't wait to get in and cool off! It is important to learn to swim because in New Zealand we go to the beach or the pool or the river to swim in summer. If you can't swim you might drown. Always swim with a grown up.

We are learning to:

• be brave and get in.
• get into the pool safely, feet first.
• have water showered on our head.
• challenge ourselves to go under.
• blowing bubbles with our noses instead of holding them.
• float with noodles or flutter boards to help us.
• float on our front and back by ourselves.
• glide across the width of the pool.
• glide and kick across the width of the pool.
• use our arms for freestyle swimming.

The Life Cycle of a Monarch butterfly

Kowhai kids noticed that all of a sudden the swan plants had no leaves on them....we wondered what had happened?

We found heaps and heaps of caterpillars, there were so many they were crawling across the concrete to find more food because they were hungry (just like 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar')

We made connections between the story and what was happening in our butterfly garden. The caterpillars were getting ready to turn into a chrysalis and sleep for about 2 weeks. Using dramatic role play, while we watched a time lapse video of a chrysalis forming and then hatching, the children wrapped themselves up in sheets and blankets like they were in a chrysalis.

We wanted to pick the caterpillars and chrysalis and have them as pets in our pockets but found out that they don't like that and die without food. We need to give them space and look with our eyes so they can hatch and live.

My big, enormous, gigantic cardboard box!

We have been reading a story about 'A big, enormous, gigantic cardboard box' and what you can use your imagination to turn it into. An empty box isn't rubbish, it can be.....

• a house to play mum's and dad's in.
• a shop where people pay money for shopping things.
• a monster truck.
• a train with lots of carriages...toot, toot (we will need a lot of boxes for this one)

We are exploring and using our imagination to create adventures during play-based learning.

Wyatt is our cardboard box expert as he has worked on one over the holidays. He thought it would be a good idea to use the saw and cut windows and doors into the boxes. He showed persistence and concentration gluing 'wallpaper' onto his box.

Santana made a window in her shop so she could sell things and take payment. She asked for help how to cut through the think cardboard and be safe with scissors.

Welcome to Kowhai class 2018

Wow! What a wonderful new class of curious and lively learners we have in Kowhai. We have got straight into our learning journey getting to know each other and our school. Miss Lord has gifted us some amazing big boxes we have been playing in last week - thank you Miss Lord! 



We go swimming every day after lunch time. We are learning to go under (submerge), blow bubbles, float like a starfish and kick with long legs and floppy feet.