Room15CTS

Meet-a-metre

Room 15 has been taking part in the New Zealand International Science Festival and Department of Conservation interactive online project called Meet-a-metre. The aim of the project is to promote good science and give young scientists an opportunity to connect with Department of Conservation scientists. Room 15 was divided into 5 scientific teams, each one named after a well known scientist. Each team measured out a one metre square quadrat up in Nature's way behind school. Each quadrat was then divided into 16 sections. Each team then excavated a quadrat and carefully examined the soil. We recorded what was found in each section of each quadrat under the categories flora, fauna and fungi. We brought interesting finds like trapdoor spiders and millipedes back to the classroom so that we could look at them under the dinoscope. The Wright Brothers team used the Landcare research website to identify the peripatus. We wondered why we didn't find more insects, worms and fungi. Mr Carter, our caretaker, borrowed a core-sampler so that we could drill deep into the soil in our quadrats. That's the tool you can see us using in one of the photos. Each group then discussed what they could do to make their quadrat a healthier environment for nature. We used our ideas to prepare our enhancement plans which you can look at on the Meet-a.metre website. Now we are waiting to hear back from the DOC scientists what they suggest. Have a look under Enhancement plans on http://www.scifest.org.nz/meet_a_metre/.

Sublimation-bubbling and foaming

In science last week we experimented with solids and gases. We added water to dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) which caused lots of bubbling and foaming. The solid ice changed directly into vapour, without passing through a liquid phase. This change, from a solid to a gas, is called "sublimation."

North versus south

At Easter time we were talking about the different ways Easter is celebrated around the world. In the Northern hemisphere it's springtime at Easter, but in the Southern hemisphere it is autumn. The seasons affect the way we celebrate because baby animals are being born on the other side of the world while in New Zealand we are harvesting and storing crops for winter.
We tried decorating eggs which is a traditional Northern hemisphere activity, then we roasted some chestnuts and carved up our giant pumpkin. They can't do that in England at Easter time!
Jessica says:
"On Thursday 9 April our class made some awesome eggs.
This is how you make them:
First you get a real egg and boil it and then you get coloured dye and put vinegar in it. You get a white crayon and draw patterns on the egg. You dip the egg in the dye and then you get the egg out and put it on the windowsill to dry."

Metamorphosis

Photography by Georgia

One day Room 15 got some black and white and yellow monarch caterpillars, they were very brightly coloured. After 5 or 6 days the biggest one started hanging upside down in a J shape and then he turned into a chrysalis! The chrysalis was gold, green and black. In a few days it became see-through and we saw the monarch butterfly through the chrysalis. Then after morning tea when we came back inside he started hatching! When he first came outside of the chrysalis his wings were mall and shriveled but after a little bit his wings became bigger. Then he started opening and closing his wings while he opened and closed his tongue. Then we set him free.
By Fiona

The Monarch butterfly lays her eggs and then she dies, then a baby caterpillar hatches out of the egg. The baby caterpillar eats and eats and then the caterpillar goes into a chrysalis. About ten days later the chrysalis hatches into a monarch butterfly. (Go back to the start.)
By Sophie

Monarch Butterflies start their life as a small white egg which the Monarchs lay. When the caterpillar hatches out it eats the egg shell and then after that it eats and eats and eats. The caterpillar grows but its skin does not so the caterpillar has to shed its skin. After eating all the swan plants leaves off it sheds its skin for the last time. This time the caterpillar has a chrysalis underneath. It waits and waits and then it becomes clearer. Soon it will crack open the chrysalis and out will come a shriveled butterfly. The butterfly will pump its wings- this is so the blood will pump into its wings so that it can fly away.
By Holly

In Room 15 we have a swan plant. We started with tiny ,tiny eggs then we saw lots of tiny caterpillars. Over every night they got bigger. When they got big enough they turned themselves into a J shape. The next day they turned into a chrysalis. They stayed more than a week in their chrysalis then they hatched out and they're no longer a caterpillar, they've turned into a monarch butterfly! This year we've let go 6 monarch butterflies. It took weeks to make this happen. The life cycle of the monarch butterfly goes like this: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly. By Charlie

When the Monarch hatches its wings are crumpled up like a ball of grass. Sometimes it takes about an hour to get out of the chrysalis. Its wings slowly dry out, pumping green blood through them. At first the butterfly's wings are damp and soft then they dry out and turn hard.
by Jessica N

The Gum Emperor

The Gum emperor caterpillar turns into a moth not a butterfly. When it is a caterpillar it is spiky. It turns pink before it turns into a pupa. If you don't know what that is, it is a cocoon. When it becomes a moth it looks nothing like the caterpillar at all. The moth has 5 colours: orange, black, yellow, skin colour and white. Most gum emperors live in the North Island and north of the South Island.
By Jessica H.

Our Pumpkin's a Winner!

This enormous pumpkin that we grew in our class vege garden has won the Bay Nurseries giant pumpkin growing competition!
It weighs 38 kg and has a circumference of 160 cm! We fed it lots of worm juice from our worm farm and seaweed water to fatten it up.

The triathlon

On the 13th of March 2009 it was the school triathlon at CLIFTON TERRACE SCHOOL.First the year 6 girls had their turn and then it went all the way to the year 1s. The year 1 and 2s didn't bike. At last it was year 4 girls' turn! I ran like I have never run before! I felt like a jet plane was chasing me! At last I was getting on my bike! NUTS. A bike pushed against my bike. Luckily Lilyanne's dad helped me. I felt like a speedy rocket! I felt great! I dumped my bike roughly then I raced to the swimming pool. Finally I touched the finish line. I came third to last. Abby and Kate were behind me! Amy came first, Holly came second and Emma P came third!
By Amanda

Our vege stall

On the day of the triathlon we had a vege stall to sell some of the veges from our class garden. We sold tomatoes, parsley, cucumbers, potatoes, carrots and silverbeet. The cucumbers sold out first! We made $43.00.

What's Happening In Our Vege Garden?

At school on Tuesday at we ate a delicious salad made from the veges in our school garden. In the salad there was lettuce, crunchy carrot, crisp cucumber, tomato, beans, parsley and chives. Yummy, yum!

Welcome to 2009!

On February 3rd 24 children arrived back at school ready to begin the new year in Room 15. That afternoon a scrub-fire broke out in the hills behind Dodson's Valley and some of the children and their families had to evacuate their homes.
The fire gave us a wonderful opportunity to practise expressive writing. The children were trying to draw a picture with words so that those who didn't see the fire would know what it looked, sounded and smelt like as well as how the people who were there felt at the time.
Here are some of their recounts:

The other day there was a bushfire. The flames crackled up! It was because it was very dry and hadn't rained in a long time. it was quite windy so the fire leapt over to another spot and the fire got bigger. It was scary. .Just as I was going to bed my Granny and Granddad came to my house. Granny told me that a fireman had to go to hospital because he breathed in too much smoke. I could not get to sleep because of the fire.
By Sophie P.

There was an inferno last night in Atawhai near Dodson Valley. I saw helicopters racing to the sea to get freezing cold water. I saw the blaze when it was coming over the ridge-line. The smoke was grey, it was like a volcano. The crumbly, warm ashes were on people's houses. The smoke smelt funny. Some people had to leave their homes.
The blaze was like a rocket shooting through the sky.
By Charlie

The bushfire was red. It was flaming hot and there were helicopters with buckets. We were near to the fire. The fire was steaming, it looked like lava, it looked like it blew up. And I thought it was scary when I first saw it.
By Emily

On Tuesday 3 February 2009, there was an out of control bushfire. It started at Dodson Valley. The blaze ripped over the ridgeline. There were two Westpac helicopters, one rescue helicopter, one blue and white helicopter, one red and white helicopter, one news helicopter and one special helicopter with two water tanks. I saw three cop cars. With the breeze the fire threatened to come even closer. It tried and tried but the breeze went against it. One of the two Westpac helicopters rumbled over our house.
By Michael

I saw a big monsoon bucket. Then we saw the heavy smoke. Soon the smoke covered our house. We had to evacuate and we stayed there very late.Then the fire went out. Yippee, hooray! It was scary and exciting.
By Emma

On my way home I saw a red and white helicopter flying past with a full monsoon bucket. I saw a helicopter putting some sea water on the crackling fire.
By Nuni

On Tuesday there was a big fire that started up the hill by Atawhai. It was flaming hot. It had burnt down heaps of big trees.
There were six helicopters. They had to spray water on the fire. It was amazing. Cars that were driving to get up to their houses weren't allowed to go up the road. The breeze made the fire get worse.
By Sarah