Tropical Fish

Today we painted our tropical fish that we had sculpted from clay. They all look so bright and colourful. We now have to add our chimes and decide how we are going to fix the broken bits.

Chocolate Moulds

If any parents out there by any chance have some plastic chocolate moulds (preferably in the shape of shells, fish, flowers - to fit in with our Pacific Island theme), Room 12 would love to borrow them. Send them named in with your child and we will let you know closer to the time what we will use them for.

Tapa Cloth

We have been busy learning about traditional tapa cloth from the pacific. We discovered that the process is a dying art now because it is a very complicated process to make the cloth and also because many of the plants used for making and decorating the cloth are becoming scarce!

The steps for making traditional tapa are:
1. Paper mulberry trees are harvested by men when they are about 2 years old.
2. Women strip the bark and separate the dark outer layer from the white inner layer.
3. The white bark is soaked in water.
4. The women then pound the strips of bark with a wooden beater until they are thin - this is a very noisy part of the process as the thudding echoes throughout the villages.
5. Each sheet is then glued on top of the other using arrowroot sap.
6. The sheets are then beaten again until they are thin and a large, flat sheet has been created.
7. The cloth is then decorated with traditional patterns that are based on the local environment using dyes that are made from clay, nuts and bark off trees.

We are making tapa cloths our own way in Room 12 at the moment - as it is a bit tricky to do it the traditional way!!

Our Wonderings!

Room 12 has been thinking hard about all the things that we want to find out about the South Pacific. Here are some of the things we have been wondering about:





Jenaya:

• How many people live in the pacific?
• Does it snow in the pacific?
• Why is it so hot there?

MacKenzie:

• What are some of the traditions?
• What games do the children play?
• Are there any schools?
• What are there native plants?

Courtney:

• Is the South Pacific one if the biggest oceans?
• Do they have a winter?
• How many people live in Fiji?
• What types of food do they have and drink?

Porsha:

• How long does it take to get to Fiji and Samoa?
• How far away is Fiji from New Zealand?
• What is the population of Fiji and Samoa?
• How big is Fiji and Samoa?

Campbell:

• How do they make a vaka?
• Why do they give people flower necklaces?
• Is Hawaii part of the Pacific Ocean?
• Why are the islands in the South Pacific warmer than NZ?

Tom:

• What is their money like?
• What do they eat and how do they eat?
• How many people live in the Pacific?

Bennett:

• Why are the Pacific people brown?
• Does it snow in the Pacific?
• How many people are in the Pacific?
• Where are their ancestors from?

Felix:

• How did the people get to the Pacific?
• What language do they speak?
• What do they eat?
• How many countries are there?

Casey:

• What is the capital of Tonga?
• How many people live in the South Pacific?
• What kind of drinks do they drink?
• What kind of food do they eat?

Amy:

• Do they have books in the South Pacific?
• How do they catch their seafood?
• Do they have pillows?
• What is the Pacific Ring of Fire?

Emily:

• Do they have beds?
• Do the boys have long hair?
• Do they have cakes?
• Do they have a hospital?

Reanna:

• How do they make grass skirts and necklaces?
• What language do they speak?
• What are all the islands in the Pacific called?
• Where are all the Pacific islands?

Cole:

• How much do coconuts cost?
• Is there a lot of chocolate in the Pacific?
• What do they sleep on?
• Is Milo made there?

Ellen:

• How long does it take to make a hula skirt?
• How did the people get to the islands?
• How do they cook their seafood?
• How do they build buildings

Phoebe:

• What are the flower necklaces called?
• Do they eat vegetables?
• Why don't they have a lot of money?
• Do they eat meat?

Nicole:

• Do they have shops with expensive things?
• Do they have to build their own boats to use on the sea?
• Do they have medicine to cure themselves?

Survival on Niu Island

Have a go at this game - Survival on Niu Island. Put your knowledge about the Pacific Islands into practice! Click on the picture.

Dress Up Day

We dressed up for World Environment Day. Room 12 students looked stunning dressed in things like newspaper, plastic bags and leaves!

Multiplication Basic Facts

Have a go at some of these games

Check out this website to find some other fun maths games to play :


http://www.multiplication.com/interactive_games.htm

World Environment Day

Thursday the 5th of June is World Environment Day! This year the theme is to "kick the habit... the carbon habit". Wanaka Primary School is an Enviroschool. Room 12 talked about ways we can help reduce our carbon footprint. We discussed things such as sharing transport, biking or walking to school, planting more trees, saving water and electricity, picking up rubbish and reduce, reuse, recycle. Click on the pictures to play some environment games.