Friday, 30 October 2020

Here are some photos showing the different stages of the build for the hide Chrissie and the children are making. They used Isla's design from her "Cone People Hut instead of a tee pee design that they originally thought they would build. With this design they would have 2 opening ends so they can observe different ends of the school and more than one person can be in there to bird watch.

They discussed how to strengthen the design and dug in their main frames a little. For their main frame they used Manuka sticks and when their rope ran out they tied the rest of the frame with cabbage tree leaves that had fallen on the ground ... they did a super job. Ryker discovered bug art in the wood while adding the outside covering that he wanted to share with the class.
Ryker and Maddy were practicing their knots and they were really chuffed that their knots made the frame very strong. We used old branches along the fence line and tied the branches to the frame using the cabbage leaves once again. Each child collected grass cuttings to help cover the hide. There is still a bit of work to do on the outside and inside so they can be comfortable while sitting. They are hoping to make a few bird stands in the bush line where feeders can be hung to attract more birds and Isla is very eager to decorate the area with maybe a flag made from materials found in nature.😀














Friday, 23 October 2020

 We have started ‘Let’s Explore Nature' afternoons with Mrs Lunn and Mrs Preece. Our topic was trees and from there the tamariki set off for a fun afternoon exploring their environment. Isla made a bird swing. Delrio tried tree climbing. Indy, Maddy, and Ryker discovered birds’ nests, bird eggs, and identified trees with the help of an app. We watched the lambs skip along in the neighbouring paddock. We ended up our time in ‘Paradise’ creating perfumes with kowhai flowers, seeds, and other colourful leaves. We used sticks and shells for our mixing and cutting tools and then we had a pop-up restaurant with some delicious looking dishes that the students delighted in serving up to the Kaiako