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  Grandma got hit by a rugby ball Caravan last night
 you can say gramy dosen't play rugby but to me,
  And grandad shes Richie Macaw.

Shed been eating to much pavlova, and we begged,
 Her to go home but she forgot to feed the sheep.
So she he run out the door into the sun.

When we found her in the graaass at the scene of,
The through. She had her jandles on her forehead.
And a sun burnt back. HOHOHOH

Grandma got hit by a rugby ball running to her caravan,
Last night you can say gramy dosen't play rugby but,
To me and grandad shes Richie Macaw.

Its not Christmas with out grandma,
All whanau dressed in black.And we just cant help but,
Wonder should we open open up the gifts or send them,
back (send them back)

Grandma got hit by a rugby ball  running to her caravan,
Last night you can say gramy dosen't play rugby but to me,
And grandad shes Richie Macaw.

Now the hams on the table and the pudding made of,
Pineapple and a green and red candle that would have,
Matched the hair in her wig.

Ive warned all my bros and neighbors, "Better watch out for,
Yourself". They should never give a rugby ball to just anyone,
In the town.

Grandma got hit by a rugby ball running to her caravan last,
Night. You may say gramy dosen't play rugby but to me and,
grandad shes Richie Macaw. (sing it grandad)

Grandma got hit by a rugby ball running to her caravan last,
Night. You can say gramy dosen't play rugby but to me and,
Grandad shes Richie Macaw.


 
   

 

Yay!!! We're finally going home!!!
I've REALLY missed Rosie, Fifi, Mummy and Phie! And now we've loaded on to the buses and we're heading home!
I can't WAIT to get home! Then I can see Rosie, and Fifi, and Mummy, and Phie, and Halloween's tonight! Luckily me and Phie have already sorted our Halloween costumes, so we don't have to fuss about anything! Of course we'll have to get our handing out lollies ready as well! Oh I'm just SO excited!!! WE"RE GOING HOME!!! WE"RE GOING HOME!!! WE"RE GOIng...home? What was that? And why have we stopped? And what's that green stuff seeping out on to the road?
Wait. Is this what I think it is? Have we...h-have we... broke... down?
No! Surely not! We can't have broke down! We can't have! We just can't ha- "Everybody! Out of the bus! I've got some bad news." Mrs Stewart sounded alarmed- like she REALLY had some bad news. It didn't sound good, and I bet I knew what it was.
"I'm afraid that we might be a little late home.
The pipe with the brake liquid, or coolant has burst, which means we could be here for a while. But you don't have to perish in here, you can go outside and get some fresh air."
So we all stampeded outside to get the best spot in the slightly prickly, but cool grass.
Because we weren't allowed to go on either side of the bus we all had to huddle up in a busy little bunch. Some of us stayed on the bus (it was starting to get quite loud outside).
After a while we all started to get bored, thirsty and hungry. Luckily Cassie and some boys brought some cards along, and some of us still had left over lunch from Monday, so we shared that around.
But the guy who had EVERYTHING was Dalton! (A.K.A Macgyver)
He litrally had EVERYTHING!!! He had hand sanitizer, big bags of chips, sunblock, band aids, insect repellent, water bottles, you name it! He had it!
An hour passed, we were still waiting! We had been here for an hour and a half! I was starting to get scared.
What if we get stuck here over night?
What if nobody comes to help us?
What if we miss Halloween?
What if Daddy has no idea where I am?
What if Rosie misses me?
I started to cry.
Another 30 minutes passed.
Now I was getting really scared. Still no sign of any other buses coming to get us!
What if we don't get home in time?
What if something happens to us?
What if we-what is that? Is that what I think it is? Is it...is it... is it a...is it a bus?
YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! IT'S A BUS!!! IT'S A BUS!!! IT'S A BUS!!! THE BUS HAS COME TO SAVE US!!!
Finally!!! Now we can get home!!! 2 long, boring, hot hours on the side of the road and now we get to go home!!!
We all boarded the second bus, JUMPING with joy!!!
We had all just had an AMAZING adventure! And we all had LOTS of stories to tell!
The bus started to move. YES!!! Wait. WHERE'S MY PENCILCASE?!?!

By Ashley

Tick, tock, tick, tock. Time passes. Dehydrated commotion lurks about in the motionless, dead transportation. Bodies lazily lie on the prickly bushes. People struggle to find shade. A lemon gas ball sends 25 degrees of blistering heat to the side of the road. Whatever food is left is savored. The heat is getting to everyone.
Tick, tock, tick, tock. Time passes. Fresh grass wafts up sniffing noses. Cars whiz past, up the dusty road. Dirt flicks mirages away, dancing daintily on two feet. Minds are lifeless, yearning for food and water. Grass sways to the lonely music.
Tick, tock, tick, tock. Time passes. Sombre faces peak out cautiously from shade. Watches are looked at, one by one. 2:00, 3:00, 4:00. Exhaustion fills whatever breeze is hanging.
Tick, tock, tick, tock. Time is as slow as the creamy clouds drifting dreamily in the summer sunshine. Whispering Voices climb to the sapphire sky. Liquid gushes out of a broken pipe. Motors off, cooling down. The world is stuck in slow motion, black and white. Radiator is empty, no water to fill it.
Tick, tock, ti- Vrooom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What was that? Time catches up with reality as the bus to take us home arrives. A new hope was born! Sombre faces turn to laughing faces with cherry red cheeks. The world spun once more.
Tick, Tock.
By Nikita Smith

Requirements needed for our reggio project!
*A good thinking cap (this is very important!)
*A good imagnation (you need this.)
*Lots of ideas! (you'll find this hard if you don't have theese.)
First of all, we were all thinking: WHAT IS CULTURE? After iots of hard thinking, we finally found out that culture is where you live, what you eat, what games and sport you play, what clothes you wear, what you say, and your way of living. It took us a long time to find out all of this. We worked hard, thinking about our enviroment, drawing what is, and what we thought culture was.  A word that kept popping up was... HOMELY! We then picked a word and drew what it meant. For example, anegr would mean a bunch of scribbles!
After all that, we worked on culture some more. We choose a THICK QUESTION, wrote it in our books, and did lots of research to answer our question. we eventually found the answers. Back to our homely look. Because it looked more calm,we turned all the desks around to face each other. We couldn't get into them anymore! We took out all our books and put them on the floor in piles of subjects. We then took away 8 desks and 8 chairs for our homely look. Now people can sit where they like! But what of our pencil cases and drinkbottles? We put them in our cubbyholes with our bags. But then where did our books go? We put them in their piles on a grey shelf in the corner of the room. When we wanted our books, we got them handed out to us. We then had the problem of bumps on the desks when we were writing or drawing. Cloths were suppossed to fix it, but they kept slipping!
After lots of thinking, talking, ideas and documentation, someone had the idea of wooden boards to stop the desk bumps. Then, a few children mesured a group of 4 desks. It came to about a metre squared. After Mrs Stewart brought in a piece of wood, we then thought about what patterns we could use. Puzzle piece? Patchwork? A map? We then got into 5 groups depending on the culture we had studied and decided what pattern we wanted for our design. Here are the groups: AFRICA, ASIA, EUROPE, AMERICA, and of course: NEW ZEALAND! Our groups got a few pictures of artwork from that continent so we could get ideas from them. After witing and drawing our ideas on paper, disscussing with our classmates, sharing our ideas, drawing some more, and having more disscussions, we were ready to paint.
Mrs Stewart had brought all 5 boards so we could start when we wanted. But then we had to have paint! Students brought in lots. Some people even brought in some thick paintbrushes. Finally we were ready to paint. We had lots of ideas, big paint sessions, more ideas, more disscussions on what we had done, more ideas, more disscussions, and lots of changes. After MONTHS and MONTHS of hard work, we were FINALLY done!! We glossed once, and then we glossed again for extra shininess! We made videos, and put them on the blog. But now that we're done...
I  WONDER  WHAT  WILL  HAPPEN  NEXT??


Wow we have all finished our table top culture paintings!!!  The paintings are completed on MDF board and the boards are placed over groups of four desks to make large, flat tables for us to work at.  We love re-arranging them to make our learning space different. 
Parents, whanau and community please leave us comments! We would love to hear what you think of our finished products and what you think we learnt along the way! Some things we know we have learnt are what culture is, what our own cultures are, where countries in the world are on a map and where continents are.  There has been lots more learning though! Can you see what it is??

Culture,we all have it in our blood it helps us learn it helps us love you can't deny it, they're all unique, amazing and wonderful at the same time, it bonds the people together as one,culture shows the country's national food, clothes, language and amazing people. Culture comes
in all shapes and sizes. Culture is beautiful. My culture is Maori I love it I can speak a little maori I know what my culture is because my mum
taught me Maori I've been on heaps of Maori maraes it's the best time ever. I LOVE CULTURE!!!

By Cameron Fitzgerald.

Spring is here ,young and old birds are gliding in their dreams.The cats and dogs are warming up in the bright ball of gas in the sky.
The butterflies are flapping their wings while the wind whistles.
The daffodils stand crouched like soldiers about to go to war.The sky is a beautiful aqua :that has cotton candy blobs that gush with the wind.The rocky mountains are covered in pa;e white snow; like frosting on a cake.
The bees will buzz ,the birds will sing ,the sheep will "baa"and cows will "moo"but only you can feel this damaged towns heart beat.

by Bridget 

The inky black settles once again.
Anther night alone.
No one to talk to no one for company,
she shivers and rattles in the cold winter air.
Even though the team pillars are meant to protect her
she still doesn't feel safe.
Every day and night she longs for the trees and plants to talk to her,
but because she's new nobody likes her.
Slowly she drifts off to sleep.

As the sun rose the next morning everything was different.
The fences had vanished, the tradesmen had disappeared
and something was tickling her left arm.
She looked around, it was a child!
A little toddler sliding down her arms.
It tickled, in a warm and happy way.
Suddenly it stopped, she soon realized it was because of the bell.
She thought about the tickling feeling she just felt, and if she'd ever feel it again.
2 hours later the bell rung again, but this time it wasn't just a toddler, it was a whole wave of children!
All pushing and shoving to be the first one on the new playground.
A few minutes later that little tickling feeling she had felt earlier grew into a HUGE tickling sensation! As the children slid down her arms,crawled through her throat and played in her sandpit.
She no longer felt lonely, she knew the children loved her and she loved them.

That night her heart no longer felt broken,
it felt mended and warm and happy.
Even though the children were gone she could still felt like they were there, and tickling her.
She loves that tickling feeling, and she'll never let it go.

Divorce

She sighs! Another day of destruction. More high voices, fighting and stomping around court. This heart-breaking and time consuming. SLAM! She jumps. There is sadness normally in bright eyes with a horrible mix of frustration. Floating around the room, she eavesdrops on the loud conversation. She can't believe this place! So many heart-breaking things have happened here. There is so much anger, guilt, impatiance and teary eyes.

Divorce stares guiltily, waiting for her couple to slam brass handles. She was the one who  built the icy wall between them. After the long hours of fighting she snuck through the wooden door with her couple. Divorce saw the pair turn left. Going left, she looked back at the past and saw a joyful, patiant family. All frustration gone. Not teary eyes but dancing eyes. She was captivated by the love in their hearts, fasinated with the thoughtfulness, intriged by the joy.

Looking at the present, the eyes of the pair she was with now were full of glumness, frustration and despair. Destruction hung over them like a frosted blanket. Pain, sorrow and anger zoomed through their confused, impatiant heads. She had inscribed UNHAPPINESS in their hearts and etched ANGER on their souls.
By Nikita

Dad sounded very excited. "What?" I said. "I got us five tickets to tonight's Crusaders game!" "How much were they?" mum asked" "I got them for free!", dad replied. "Excuse me dad but what time does the game start?" "Oh i almost forgot the game starts at um", he stopped and looked at his watch and he said "in about one hour!" "Were going to be late to the game we have to go!" About an hour later we finally met are destination." " I'm so hungry", I exclaimed. "Well lets go see are seats first." "Ok", I replied.Slowly we walked up the cold medal steps and there it was the big dewy wet field. My heart is pumping with joy. My first rugby game I said to myself and then the game started with a kick off. All the good players got tries threw out the whole game Dan Carter and Richie Macaw got the most tries threw out the game. After the rugby game we got something decent to eat then we drove home. And that night we would dream of what it would be like scoring so many tries in front of so many fans. What do you think it would be like?


Surfing is my passion, my way of life and what I LOVE. It all started when my mum started surfing-3 years ago, when I was 7 and my sister-Sophia was 4. Ever since my mum started I've always watched her, thinking how fun it would be, I mean she's ALWAYS out there! I REALLY wanted to have a go! 1 year later- when I was 8 and Sophia was 5 we went to the beach again. Me and Sophia thought it would be like normal- watch mummy, go to the lolly shop and go home. But this time it was different, when we got to the beach mummy said "Okay girls, get out of the car and get your wetsuits on"
"Okay we'll get our...WHAT?!"
"Okay we'll get our...WHAT?!" We both replied in unison. "WE'RE GETTING WETSUITS?!?"
"That must mean...
WE'RE GOING SURFING!!!"
"WE'RE GOING SURFING!!!" We both screamed in joy! "Well we thought that you see me and daddy surfing all the time, so we thought that you would want to have a go, and if you like it we'll you out more! Mummy replied. So we got our gear on and headed out. The first few waves I caught were rubbish!!! I kept either falling off the board (also called a "wipeout"), not catching the wave or getting water up my nose! I was about to give up-I never knew surfing could be so hard! I decided to try to catch on more wave, so I paddled out. When I got to where the waves were I could see something moving in the distance, as it got closer i realised that it was a wave! And what looked like a good one too! So I swerved my board around and started paddling hard out. NO! I MISsed it again? NO!, NO NO NO NO NO! I'VE CAUGHT IT!!! MY FIRST WAVE!!! YES YES YES!!! I NEVER KNEW WHAT IT FELT LIKE! NOW I KNOW WHY MUMMY GOES SURFING ALL THE TIME! IT'S BECAUSE SHE LOVES IT AND SHE LOVES THE RUSH AND ADRENALIN THAT YOU GET WHEN YOU CATCH A WAVE!!! AND I LOVE IT TOO!!! And from that day on I've kept surfing and someday I REALLY hope to become a well-known professional surfer!

Click on the links below to find more information about continents of the world.

Hi Families! Double click on the wall to post a note about our shared lunch or cultural Reggio Project so far! The post it needs to be approved before it shows up so check back in a day or so the view your note and what others are saying! Mrs Stewart



DOCUMENTATION




Sharing back about what we want for our classroom...

Discussion about the categories we have
HOMELY
DESKS
NATURE
THEME – most groups had this category

Teacher:  What theme would we have?
Catlin’s group: We want a cultures or New Zealand theme.
Teacher: Why?
Caitlin: Because there are lots of cultures in our class.
Cameron: Yea we have Mahalia from the Philipines, KJ is Maori, Bridget is from South Africa, Cassidy, Andrew and Victoria are from England and I am a native from the trees.
Alex: I am a mixture of cultures.
Caitlin: We need to represent all the cultures in our class. We could use pictures.  We will need to do research first though.

Monday – Continuation – drawing our culture
Carl: I don’t have a culture.
Carl: What if you were born in England and then moved to New Zealand what is your culture then?
Caitlin: I don’t know what my culture is, my parents don’t talk to me about it.
Cassidy: I don’t know how to draw it.

REGROUP AFTER CHILDREN HAVE A CHANCE TO EXPLORE THE QUESTIONS
Teacher: So what is culture?
Hamish: Where people come from all over the world.
Alex: A theme a country owns to show its individuality.
Caitlin: It’s how people show who they are.
Cameron: It’s where you come from and what you believe in.
Lily: The places people relate to.
Dalton: Your blood and where you are from
Isaiah: Different races.
Abby: Different beliefs and food.
Teacher: So how would you know a person’s culture when you walk into their home?
Chelsea: The food in their home.
Lily: The things in the home like pictures and paintings.
Nikita: The colours
Abby: People sometimes have native statues.
Connor: The TV programmes you watch.
Cassidy: The layout of the house.
Cameron: Yes, but my uncle has a Spanish house with Spanish artwork and he is Maori so that is not his culture.
Teacher: We need to explore this a bit more don’t we?
Caitlin: Yes because we can take on parts of other people’s cultures.

Maia’s Picture: I have drawn a rolling r to show Abby from Invercargil, she rolls her Rs
Abby: It’s like when you come from England you have an accent.

15 children can draw their culture

15 children can draw someone elses culture       - Teacher noticed

3 children can draw what culture is

Cassidy: it is hard to draw it but I can write it. – children recognise
Keely: It’s easy to draw cultures but you can’t draw what culture is.
Teacher: Why


              Nikita: You can’t draw a symbol for what culture is
Carl: But you can draw a symbol of your own culture and someone elses.

13 children could write down what they think culture is

Carl: I can do culture symbols for other people
Teacher: What sort of symbols?
Caitlin and Cassidy: Flags
Darcy: Native animals
Caitlin: Landmarks
Carl: Objects
Nikita: Rugby balls
Lily: Hokey pokey ice cream
Andrew: Marmite
Caitlin: Lots of things that represent our country I guess
Cassidy: Ferns
Lily: Pavlova
Cassidy: We already have a whole list on interwrite on what things represent nz so why are we going on about this again?
Teacher: So lily you are saying that your culture is Hokey pokey ice cream
Caitlin: and Andrew’s is Marmite.
Everyone laughs
Andrew: Native objects
Teacher: So are native objects our culture?
Teacher: Can you draw your culture with one object?
All children: YES
Samuel: If you are trying to draw a Russian person’s culture you would draw a Russian doll.
Cassidy: Lots of people in this class are not Maori but they are not from England so how can they draw their culture? They are from NZ but they are not English or Maori
Caitlin: My dad said it’s European/ NZ
Carl: So then I think that’s me
Caitlin: Sigh, my parents don’t really know what culture they are.
Cassidy: My cousins are Maori but I’m not Maori or maybe I am part
Caitlin: Well maybe I’m part Mexican cause my Mum’s sister is married to a Mexican.
Maia: I’m part Maori
Nikita: If what Cassidy said is true then I am part German.
Teacher: So you are talking about gaining it through marriage?
Mahalia: I have a Maori Dad, a Philippino Mum and two other dads so it is quite confusing for me
Carl shared his nephew’s complex family tree  and said: so I don’t know what he is or what his culture is.
Teacher: is there a difference between your family tree and your culture?
Andrew: There is a difference cause your family tree shows your history and your ancestors but the culture is what your family is currently.- Andrew Responding
Isaiah: Are tribes culture?
Andrew: I’m the same as Cassidy I was born in England and then we moved to New Zealand and then we have gone back and forth so I’m not really sure what I am either.
Teacher: Ethnicity  - who’s heard of it (4 children) – do you know what it means?
Andrew: connected cultures.
Annalyse: Your family and what cultures they have.
Teacher: Hands up if you are confused
EVERYONE EXCEPT CARL
Samuel: Can I please go and get a dictionary.
Samuel looks up Ethnic in the dictionary – “ to do with racial groups”
Cassidy gets a Thesaurus
Ethnic group or race
Cassidy: That doesn’t help
Cassidy: We could put our documentation on our blog so that our parents see that we need help with this.
Connor: We need to put a pin on it, we need to go away and think about it.


9/5/12
Teacher: Who can help us or where can we get ideas to help us with this?
Samuel:I found out that Ethnicity is where your family is originally born. So it is the same as culture. (most children agree with this)
Cameron: The internet and ancestory.com
Abby: Maybe our Grandmas and Nanas cause they will know where our parents are from.
Annalyse: I agree with Abby because my gparents have done a huge story about their family history.
Alex: I agree with Abby because I found out my Nana is Australian.
Carl: I don't agree because I've never met my gparents and they are not alive so I can't ask them.
Cassidy: I've asked my parents and they said that I am NZ European, so that is what everyone who isn't Maori but isn't English. My parents have been on the blog.
Lily: I've asked my parents and I have a bit of English in me.
Teacher: Hands up if you have asked your parents. 11 children have. So what did you ask them?
Victoria: Was I born in England?
Abby: i asked them if I was on the right track.
Alex: I asekd what cultures I had in me. - Andrew did the same.
Nikita: What is my culture?
Teacher: Has anyone asked their parents What is Culture?
Isaiah: I have. My stepmum said it is what you relate to.

 10/5/12
Hamish: My Mum said that I was a kiwi
Teacher: Would someone like to respond to Hamish?
Maia: My Mum also said that, because I wear jandals and stuff like that.  She says that I eat Marmite like a Kiwi does.
Abby: My Mum said I was a kiwi.  My Mum said Culture is what people relate to and what they are.
Andrew: My Mum said I am more Kiwi than British cause I've been here for longer. 
Lily: I asked my mum what culture was and she said it is what you relate to and your values.
Dalton: My nana said I am Australian but I act like a Kiwi.
Teacher: Can you explain that?
Cassidy: Our accent.
Andrew: We have a reputation of our accent. eg. Kaora bro.
Alex: Kiwis say Awesome
Abby: Kiwis call them jandals.
Bridgette: I asked my Mum what culture is and she said it is where you come from.
Cassidy: But if you were born in England and you were living in NZ for more time then you wouldn't be more Kiwi you would still be more English because you were born there.
Teacher: So what is your theory?
Annalyse: It's your opinion on how something works
Keely:It's what you think.
Teacher: So Cassidy what is your Theory?
Abby: I think her Theory is that she is still English even though she lives here.
Teacher: Do you think Abby is right Cassidy?
Cassidy: I don't know
Carl: I asked my parents and they say I am British cause I was born there but I don't think I am British cause I don't do British stuff, I have a Kiwi accent.
Alex: My parents said that culture is what you relate to and what you believe in.
Dalton: It's what you've been brought up with and how you would be a different culture because of how you have been brought up.
Bridget: What if you were born on a plane between two places?
Andrew: I was bought up as and English person in NZ.
Andrew: NZ European is your ethnicity it can't be a culture because it is betwen two places European and NZ. 
Annalyse: I think the difference between culture and ethnicity is where you were born .  I think culture is what you do now, what you eat and how you lay your bed eg. the English just have a duvet but Kiwis have blankets, sheets and a duvet. ( a large number of children agree with Annalyse).
Abby: If you have lived here all your life you are a kiwi.
Carl: I think ethnicity is things you sometimes do with your family.
Cassidy: I think culture is the way you live your live.
Keely: I agree with Abby cause I've lived here all my life.
Chelsea: I think Annalyse was trying to say that different cultures do things differently.
Teacher: Do you have to be just one culture?


21/5/12

Categories of culture:
Language
Food
Clothing
Education
Religion
Beliefs
Landmarks
Entertainment

Alex: I don't think landmarks are part of culture they are just about the country.
Annalyse: I think they can be part of the culture, like the pyramids hold so much of the Egyptian culture.
Abby I agree with Annalyse because the Eiffel tower makes you think of Paris
Cameron: Yea but that doesn't make it part of their culture.
Nikita: I agree with Annalyse because tradition things are held near landmarks.
Hamish: Is the clock tower in Rolleston part of our culture, cause it has names on it.
Cameron: No that is a remembrance landmark.
 Cameron: I'm sure that when someone built the Eiffel tower they couldn"t build elevators so it can't have always been a part of their culture that was around.
Andrew: I think landmarks are a part of the culture for example stone henge is a really big part of England its what makes their country knowns
Caitlin It depends on the landmark and how long it has been there.
Annalyse: I agree
KJ: I think it depends on why the landmark is there.
Teacher: In terms of what?
KJ: I'm not sure
Cameron: Well the Roman Colosseum is part of their culture
Andrew: Yea because it relates to entertainment
Caitlin: Yea so it is part of the cutlure if it's purpose relates to their culture!
Lots of children: yea

23/5/12
The cultures we have studied over the last 2 weeks are...
Italian
Japanese
Papa new Guinean
Mexican
Chinese
French
German
Brazilian
Vietnemease
Nigerian
Yamenese
South African
Equodorian
dutch


31/5/12


Hamish: Let’s put that piece of flat wood on the desks it will solve the problems.
Nikita: Then we could paint it in the cultures.
Caitlin: We could cut it into shape.
Teacher: How?
Hamish: Measure it up and ask Mr Tree
Andrew: We still need to work out a way to attach it to the desk.  Hamish, Cameron and Keely measure the desk
Cameron: We could glue it.
Connor: your class next year couldn’t move it if we glue it.
Annalyse: The problem is we need to attach the wood to the desk.
Caitlin: We could use the velcroe my dad got to put on the horse float.
Teacher: Do we want our theme to be cultures of the world or cultures of our class?
Abby: The world – because we have been researching our class culture so we know it but it would be good to research other cultures.
Caitlin: I think the whole world because everyone is enjoying exploring all the different cultures not just the ones in our class.
Cassidy: I think next week we shouldn’t have to do our maths or spelling for homework I think we should research a culture and bring it into school to share to get us a step futher.
Abby: cultures of the world is more fun than cultures of the class
Caitlin: yea we don’t have many cultures in our class.
Nikita: If we did the whole world we would a wider variety of cultures to include in our class theme of culture
Caitlin: And painting the desks.
Andrew: Around the world would be better than the class .
Annalyse: I agree with Nikita, we would only have about five culutres to choose from.
Maia: I do agree with Annalyse and Nikita because it gives us more choice.
Abby: I agree with Maia, if we all had to do England because most of our class are English it wouldn’t be as fun.
Teacher: So are you saying you want to choose a culture to study?
23 children in the class think this is a good idea.
Teacher: As part of that do we want to include the cultures in our class?
Abby: You can choose.
Caitlin: We could study it in groups.
Cassidy: You would be studying a countries culture not the country.
Cameron: We could do it at home and then if we do the same thing we could bring it in and we would get more information and it could be different information.
Bridget: I’m responding to Abby – if we all choose English culture and we were all English Culture then it would be unfair to the rest of us.
Teacher journal:8 children still think they are English
Annalyse: I think that it is funny that some of the people that thought they were English had never been to England.
Hamish: I don’t think some English people are fully English they might only be a bit.
Abby: I agree with Hamish because they might not have been born.
Cassidy: Just because you were born there that does not mean that, that is your culture because you don’t act like that any more.
Teacher: Do you eat English food? Do you believe in English beliefs? English entertainment.
Andrew: I do.
Caitlin: So you are but some people aren’t.
Connor: Now that I have thought about it I think that I am kiwi. I thought your culture was your accent. It is who you are and what you like doing?
Teacher: So who are kiwis and what do they like doing?
Connor: They like watching the rugby.
KJ: They like kiwi dip and chips.
Annalyse: What is kiwi dip?
Discussion about this.
Abby: I agree with Connor but accent is still part of your culture, it is Invercargill accent and English.
Hamish: Accent is part of language
Dalton: You can’t change it if you were born in Australia.
Maia: Kiwis like to wear jandals and eat marmite
Caitlin: and often we go to the beach.
Dalton: I still feel like I am Australian culture.
Andrew: You could still be Australian but your culture is NZ.
Samuel: Where you are born has something to do with it as you take some of your culture with you.
Victoria: Pavlova is kiwi.
David: the buzzy bee is a nz toy.
Lily: Camping and gumboots
Alex: Lamb and lamb chops.
Annalyse:  Watties tomato sauce, I can’t eat fish and chips with out it.
Abby: My sister can’t eat any thing without it.

Rebecca: Fish and Chips on the beach and BBQs.
Nikita: Ferns and  Sheep are very kiwi.
KJ: Kiwi fruit and sheep.
Caitin: Hokey pokey Ice cream and fish and chips (Fush and Chups)
Keely: Kiwis
Caitlin: Dairy farms.
Abby: My family like Paua gathering.
Cameron: When I went to the Marae, the roof was covered with pictures of Maori culture, we had breakfast and got up at 6 and had to watch half an hour of haka.
Alex: I’m contributing to Hamish’s statement, accent might not be part of language, we speak English as other people do but we say it with a different accent.
Abby: We could make a culture cubby hole with a buzzy bee and fish and chip packet etc.
Alex: We have Angus Beef and BLT and we need to hang my NZ Flag.



14/6/12

Cameron: When I was on the Marae we had to greet each other and the woman wore cultural dresses and the men were in front of them and they performed the haka for us and we greeted the men and woman by doing a hongi, it is not just a hand shake you hold hands and touch foreheads and noeses.
KJ: I have been to a Marae where you couldn't speak English.
Cameron: When you hongi you go along the line of people and up on the ceiling at the Marae there are stories on the ceiling about Maori Myths and legends and there is one about captain cook and when the English settled NZ it is also about the treaty of Waitangi.
KJ: Yes and you have hangi and they sometimes dance around it.  
Cameron: Hangi is food under the ground, it is wrapped in leaves or foil and it has hot rocks that smoke it. You have to catch the fish yourself, you don't just get it from the supermaket, that is not proper.
KJ: that is the same with eels too and what we call Kumara the English call potato.
Cameron and KJ showed the class a hongi and Mrs S took a phto.
Dalton: What are those big totem poles.
KJ and Cameron: They tell mini stories with pictures and not writing.

26 June 2012
Please see our photo babbles of the food we made and brought today.  Thank you to all the parents that helped it was a great day!!


After the lunch we discussed camping as a New Zealand tradition that isn't done in every culture due to the weather, snakes, flies and the fact that they may not be able to afford it.


13 children that didn't think they had a culture before say they do now.


Cameron said that camping in Kaiteri is part of his family tradition and cultures as did a number of other children.
Message to all parents: Please read our documentation so you understand what we need help with.

Check out these websites for more information on our culture Reggio project.


http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/high-interest-topics/countries-world


http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/high-interest-topics/countries-world

China is a country south of Mongolia. With a population of 1,280,700,000 people it makes it one of the most common countries in the world. China is very well known for their food.


They enjoy eating rice, noodles, dumplings, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. But unlike many other countries Chinese people like to eat their food with chopsticks not spoons, knives and forks. 

A big part in China's culture is their language. Instead of using letters in the alphabet Chinese people use symbols. Chinese people greet others by saying  NI HAO. This means hello. 

Children from China go to school for eight hours a day. They also go for an extra month more than most other people. In some areas of  China children have to leave school after a few years to help their parents with farming.

A special celebration in China is new years day. During this celebration people walk around holding on to sticks. These sticks support dragons on top. While people walk around with the dragons they move the sticks from side to side making the dragons bodies swerve around.

China is a large country filled with many people. It is a great place to eat their food and learn their language.

 Japan has a very respectful culture. If one is younger than another, the younger one shows great respect to the elder. The Japanese are also very smart. For example, some Japanese teenagers have been known to create their own words, some even get in dictionaries! Read on to find out more about the amazing Japanese culture!


Food

In Japan they must be very precise about their food on the plate, but it also must be tasty. Rice (the main dish) is prepared in many different ways, the Japanese eat rice cakes, rice crackers, sushi and mix rice with lots of different dishes with red beans, fish and vegetables. The Japanese also eat A LOT of fish, they catch more fish than any other country!

Clothes

Usually, Japanese people wear kimonos. Kimonos are short traditional gowns, which come in many different colours. Both men and women wear them. Kimonos are fastened with a long wide sash called an obi. The obi is wrapped around the waist an tied on the back. Although, many Japanese people prefer to wear western clothing. Western clothing is what the Japanese call New Zealand clothing. They like to wear it because it is less expensive and more comfortable.

Celebrations

The two most important holiday celebrations in Japan are New Year's and Bon Obon. Getting ready for New Year's starts in mid-December when everyone cleans and decorates their houses. During the last part of December forget-the-year parties (A.K.A bounenkai) are hosted. However, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are spent quietly with their family. Obon is the "Festival For The Dead". It is usually celebrated in mid-August. It is a Japanese belief that the spirits of the dead family members come back down to earth to visit their living familes. Houses are cleaned and organized for the visits. Lanterns are hung in front of houses to welcome and guide the spirits. Families also visit the graves, where they pray and place offerings of flowers, food and drink. Public dances called Bon Odori are held. Here people build a wooden structure called a Yagura, which is where the musicians play. The dancers dance in a circle around the Yagura. When Obon ends the families let floating lanterns go to guide the spirits back home.

Famous Landmarks/Places

Mount Fuji or Fujiyama is one of the most popular places in Japan for both Japanese and tourists. The Japanese call Mount Fujiyama "The Holy Mountain". Its name means endless life. Kyoto is a city known for its events that happened in the past. Over fifteen of these events have been put into the UNESCO World Heritage groups. Kamakura, a town close to Tokyo is the home of the famous of the famous Great Buddha statue weighing about 100 tonnes. For some time the statue sat in a wooden temple, however when a massive tsunami destroyed Kamakura in 1945, the temple was carried out yo sea, so now the statue sits out in the open air.



There are many important parts of Japanese culture including food-their main food is rice, clothing-their main thing they wear are kimonos and celebrations-their two main celebrations are New Year's and Bon Obon, famous landmarks/places-their three main famous landmarks/places are Mount Fuji or Fujiyama, Kyoto and Kamakura.

By Ashley Cullen

Welcome TopDecklearners and Parents/Caregivers
The children are very excited about learning about their cultures!
Please feel free to read our documentation and see what we have been talking about! We would also love for you to comment, at the bottom of the page!
Also we are starting a class learning website, it is under construction but please feel free to take a look
https://sites.google.com/site/topdecklearnersrolly/
Mrs Stewart

READING - WEEK 2, TERM 2

Click on the link below and work your way through the different coloured challenges for ANZAC day.  Complete challenges in your reading book/on the laptop with a buddy. You must have evidence that the challenge is completed and checked by a teacher before moving to the next challenge.

https://sites.google.com/site/2012sps8/anzac-day/blue-challenge

I am a cheeky, unique girl who LOVES bunnies, surfing and Taylor Swift.
I wonder if Rosie will ever go to a bunny show.
I hear the crowd roar!!!
I see bunnies licking and loving eachother.
I want to be a vet.
I pretend I am touring with Taylor Swift!
I feel excited and happy.
I touch the warm, hard plastic of my microphone.
I worry when there is an earthquake.
I cry when I see dead animals.
I understand life.
I say "bunnies" a lot.
I dream about fun things!
I try new things.
I hope I will get to meet Taylor Swift!
I am a cheeky, unique girl who LOVES bunnies, surfing and Taylor Swift.

I am a funny, sporty, chatterbox who loves my pony.
I wonder what life would be like without laughter and happiness.
I hear branches rustling and leafs fluttering round the air
I see a flood of happiness and smiles spreading through the crowd
I want to be a famous horse rider and go to the Olympics
I pretend that I am sleeping in a cloud of candy floss,
I feel the cold winters breeze blowing on my face,
I touch the lush green grass tickling my toes,
I worry when another earthquake strikes
I cry when I hurt myself or someone else
I understand that we have no power to control natural disasters
I say "random" often
I dream that one day I will be the best rider in the world
I try to be the best me I can be
I hope that one day I will go to the Olympics or represent New Zealand for horse riding
I am a funny, sporty chatterbox who loves my pony

I am a funny,sporty, chatterbox who loves netball
I wonder what life would be like without friends
I hear the laughter of kids around me
I see posters of my favorite band on my walls
I want to be an author and illustrator
I pretend that I go to a one direction concert
I feel the wind blow against my face
I touch the moist, green grass
I worry when another earthquake strikes
I cry when I hurt myself badly
I understand that we all learn from mistakes
I say "huh" or "ya nut"
I dream about haunted houses and creepy clowns
I try my hardest at school
I  will be a silver fern when i grow up
I am a funny, sporty chatterbox who loves netball

Sweet green grass sneaking through their toes.
Summer dreses swaing in the summer breeze.
The smell of shining green grass that just got
spraed out of the mower.
Watching string gliding through hands as they
put up a flag gliding in the air.
However look a little closer and you well see
its the Boniface familys.
After that a old women strolles out with a glass
of sparkly lemanade.

The dark water flows as the heat of the summer day goes by.The slides sliver while children sway and swearve as the deep aquablue water waits until...boom people diving off diving boards.Boom splash
again and again and again until it stops the day is over now people hopout and grab there towels 
and go home but there will be more people coming tomorow.

You're overwhelmed with the twitters and tweets of tuis and bellbirds the second you step onto the brownish-redish deck. The whistling wind tousles and blows your hair as well as the dark green leaves from the majestic weeping willow that stands firm on the emerald green grass that glistens in the morning dew. The scent of the flourishing pink, white and red roses is carried on the wind like a dove on a breeze.A rusty old swing set squeaks and squeals like a little brown field mouse with his long pink tail caught in a trap. As the the sun goes down Scruffy flies home.

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to Room 8b7 for 2012!!

I am really looking forward to getting to know everyone in 8b7 this year!

This is our brand new blog that we will be using during the year to record all the fabulous learning that we do in our class!

I have had a fantastic holiday in the countries of Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. I met lots of children and even some teachers in these countries and had some fabulous experiences seeing how people live and learn.

Check back here regularly for updates on our learning!!

Mrs S

My holiday in Cambodia, with some local children

BLOGGING RULES

* Be safe
* Be mindful of what you say
* Be respectful to others
* Be informative
* Be interesting
When we write on the web the whole world can see it. What we say, the pictures we post, or the
videos we share give anyone who reads it a good or bad view of us. Anything we share can be
saved and viewed by others forever. Because of all of this, we need to make sure that the impression we give to others who read our work is a good one.
Our writing needs to be a true description of places, events, people, or our thoughts or feelings.
We need to treat people who read and reply to our work kindly, even if we disagree with what they write.
We never share personal information about ourselves, such as our surname, age, address, parents’ names, etc.
We need to ensure that we do not use bad language, pictures, or videos.
We are the only people who are responsible for the things written or included in our
online work.
If anything is posted that is inappropriate, offensive, or dangerous, we need to notify our teacher as quickly as possible.  We need to accept the consequences of everything we post online be it good or bad.
Thank you to Miss Signal for allowing us to modify her blogging rules.