Our Awesome Passion Projects
Remember how we talked a little bit about passion projects in Term 1? Well, this term, our ākonga (learners) have dived even further into things they are passionate about! They've been researching cool topics, making awesome models, and getting ready to show off what they've learned. It's been great to see them become experts in their chosen areas!
Here's what some of our ākonga enjoyed most:
"We've had lots of fun sticking tape onto our projects, and some of us loved the arts and crafts, like making stuff with cardboard. We also like how our project gets better and better. When we started, it looked kind of okay, but by the end, it looked very cool! Some of us loved cutting things like pom poms and pipe cleaners."
Here are some photos from our projects.
Splashing About and Keeping Active
Our ākonga have had a fantastic time in Akoranga Koiri/P.E this term! Some ākonga have participated in and enjoyed swimming lessons where they've built their confidence and skills in the water. The last lesson is always the most fun as they get to put on life jackets and sit in an inflatable boat. It's been wonderful to see their happy faces and splashes in the pool!
On top of swimming, everyone also takes part in another PE lesson each week to work on different skills. For those children who haven't been swimming, they've had two dedicated PE lessons a week, giving them extra time to develop their movement and ball skills. In these lessons, we've been busy practising:
Throwing tennis pōro (balls), hitting them with cricket bats, and learning to field.
Using different racquets and holding them correctly with a small pōro.
Practising with hockey sticks and dribbling small pōro.
Playing games that involve throwing, bouncing, rolling and catching small pōro in fun active games.
Here's what some of our ākonga said about PE:
"We've loved that you get to learn new things like holding a cricket bat…oh, and a hockey stick too. I've liked doing the back float. Putting my head under the water is cool. Kicking my feet in the water helps me go fast! Doing a starfish on my back has been fun too. Front floats are tricky but can be super easy too. We also have to look under the water, and the instructor throws rings for us to find and bring back. I like doing duck dives, which is when you dive into the water, even though we don't have wings like ducks!"
Here are some photos from swimming.
Exploring Living in the Pacific
Our inquiry this term has been "Living in the Pacific"! Our ākonga have been exploring Aotearoa's place in our Pacific neighbourhood. They've discovered how different Pacific countries are connected and how places change over time. It's been wonderful to see them learn more about our part of the world.
They've also become map experts! The children have been learning to read and draw maps of Aotearoa and our local area, using map words. They've explored travel routes, found islands, oceans, cities, and towns, and learned interesting facts about these places.
Here are some highlights from our Pacific journey:
"We loved the art part the most, especially when we got to make the treaty paper. We had to use water that had a tea bag in it, which gave it a nice brown colour, and we used paint brushes to cover our paper. We also loved Google Maps, like when we had to find Amesbury School. Some of us even found our houses! The best part was when we got a map of NZ and had to think about things that are in NZ, like the carrot in Ohakune, the Sky Tower in Auckland, the Beehive in Wellington, and even the Cromwell fruits in the South Island."
We are so proud of all the hard work and amazing learning the Koru Hub ākonga have continued to do this term. They are growing into such curious and active learners! We can't wait to share more of their learning with you next term.
