Leap Frogs

Super Sewers!

2011-12-02T14:14:00.004+13:00

Sewing - slideshow with music

What you need:
a needle,
some wool, and
a piece of hessian.

It also helps if you have patience and quite a bit of determination!

We chose an animal that we saw at Mt Bruce and drew it onto card and cut it out. These animals were traced onto hessian. Then we had to sew around the trace mark. Sewing was very tricky. Even threading the wool into the needle was tricky but some of us could do it by ourselves.

It took a few weeks to finish these. We think they look pretty fabulous. Come into our room and see them with your own eyes.

Raffle4aRide

2011-11-25T15:50:00.002+13:00

We had so much fun this morning! It was Raffle for a Ride day. Some of us were lucky to come to school in a cool vehicle. Have a look at our photos to see us!

Raffle4aRide - slideshow with music

Here are our stories that we wrote about our fun day...

Hannah G came to school on a wheelbarrow and I liked it! Peara

I liked the stock cars. 1 did a donut. Lachlan

Somaya came in a fire engine. I think that it was so much fun. Telaina

I went to school in a triumph with a man. The man was nice! I needed a carseat because my mum didn't want to come! Hannah C

Hayley, Lachlan, Jack, Shaun and Jorja went in the helicopter. We saw it. Anah-Rose

Hannah came to school in a wheelbarrow. Santa pushed Hannah in it. She got a chocolate frog. It was fun. Santa was amazing. Annaliese

A helicopter landed on the field. Kayla

I went in a car. Shaun

It was fun when the helicopter came on the field. Jade

I can see the stock cars and the helicopter. James

I hope I go on a motorbike because it is going to be fun. Hayley

I came to school in a wheelbarrow. It was fun and Santa was pushing me in the wheelbarrow. I had so much fun today in the wheelbarrow. Hannah G

I saw a helicopter land by the bike cage. It was cool. We had a picture. It landed on the field. The other kids sat in the helicopter. It had lots of seats. Tane

I saw the helicopter. It is cool and it is red. There were some stock cars. Max

I went into the fire engine. It was fun. Hannah came in the wheelbarrow. Somaya

Shaun came to school in an up and down car. I hope it was fun. Ethan

I saw the stock cars coming to school. I like the blue stock car. Jack

Ana - Our Very own Kiwi Expert

2011-11-23T10:52:00.002+13:00

Ana - our very own kiwi expert here at Russell Street, came to visit us to help us to answer our questions. She is in Sonita's class and is 7. WOW!! She knows SO much about kiwi. Thank you Ana for coming to visit us and for all of the preparation that you did.

We asked Ana how she became a kiwi expert. She said that she has read lots of books, done research and asked her Dad who is a Scientist.

Manukura answers our Questions!

2011-11-23T10:49:00.001+13:00

WOW!! We are so lucky. Elly put our Kiwi Question Movie on Manukura's FaceBook page. He has answered our questions...

Hello to all my friends at Russell Street School. You have created some AWESOME artwork of kiwi and asked some super duper smart questions. My rangers were REALLY impressed and had to scratch their heads about one or two of them. Here are the answers: (and by the way, I am in the kiwi house now so you can see me when you come back........you will come back......right?

To clear my nostrils if dirt gets in I will shake my beak or snort to get rid of it.

When I find a fat, juicy worm I will put it in the tip of my beak and throw my beak back and jiggle to manoeuvre the worm into my mouth

I have a short triangular tongue. Funny eh?

We don't very good eyesight and so we use our whiskers and sense of smell a lot to help us in the dark

Our eyes do not glow in the dark (but it would be cool if we did

Our ears are in proportion with the size of head so they are not so little..... and our sense of smell and hearing are heightened due to our poor eyesight

I went to Wellington Zoo because two of the stones I swallowed got stuck so a really neat doctor (who normally looks after humans) blasted the big stone with a special blaster thing and so it broke in two and then they removed it. If you go to www.pukaha.org.nz you can view the procedure.

Birds often swallow small stones to help us digest our food. We have no teeth so can't chew so the small stones help with that.

Thank you for being so interested and really smart with your questions. I think you have really cool teachers who get you think and find out wonderful things.....I love that.

Our Kiwi Wonderings

2011-11-09T16:46:00.002+13:00

After our trip to Mt Bruce, we had lots of questions about kiwis. Listen to our wonderings on this short movie clip - can you help us with any of our questions? Do you know any experts who could help us?

Jorja had a great idea - she said "we can google it!!" We might do that if no-one can help us with our questions. We also thought we could look in our books that we have about kiwis. What great inquirers we have in the Leap Frogs.

Willard Home

2011-11-02T20:11:00.005+13:00

We went to Willard Home on Tuesday to share some happiness. Here we are reading.

We are learning to DESCRIBE.

2011-10-25T11:00:00.002+13:00

In writing, we are learning to describe. Today was our first try at this type of writing. We did a great job. Have a read of some of our stories.

I have a red teddy. He is cute. He wears a t-shirt and pants. His name is Tane. By Tane

I have a baby. She is cuddly. She is cute. She is hard to cuddle. By Telaina

I have a rabbit. It is a nice rabbit. It is grey. By Kayla

My dog is called Baba. She is white. She is cute. She has a hear hair tie. My dog is fluffy. By Annaliese

I have a pet. I sleep with him. He is snuggly. By Jade

My teddy bear is soft. He likes icecream and mild. He likes chocolate chips. He is green and he is blue. By Ethan

I have a cute teddy. I love my teddy. By Hayley

I have a white truck. His name is Max! He is lucky to be with me. I'm lucky to have him. By Jack

My barbie is nice. She is nice and furry. By Peara

My Tiga is stripy. Hi is cute. He has a curly tail. By James.

My bear is furry. Me bear has a red tongue. He's soft. By Hannah

This is Leah's teddy. Her teddy glows. By Anah-Rose

Warming up our Brains

2011-09-28T19:45:00.004+13:00

Every Tuesday, Suzanne comes to help us warm up our brains. She asks us a funny question and we have to think about what we might do. Here are some examples from this term... Click on each one to make it easier to read!

Production

2011-09-28T19:28:00.002+13:00

There are only 5 sleeps until production! Today was the first time that the whole school got together to see all of our items. How exciting!

This afternoon, Rooms 4/5 had a dress rehearsal. Elly and Rosie were very impressed how everyone was able to self-manage with their costumes. Ka pai!

Fractions

2011-09-28T18:58:00.004+13:00

What a fabulous punch of learners that we have in Room 4! We have been learning about fractions. We know about halves, quarters and thirds. The bottom number of the fraction tells us how many parts to break the object/group into. *We know that you have to be fair when you are talking about fractions. All parts have to be the same.

Making a life-sized clock

2011-09-23T11:50:00.005+12:00

We are learning to tell the 'o'clocks' so yesterday we went outside to make a life-sized clock! This is what some of us had to say:

Hannah said, "I learnt how to tell the time, 12 oclock."
Telaina said, 'I learnt to tell the time o'clock."
Jade said, 'I can the learn the number and what time it will be."
Hayley said, 'I learnt we put the skipping ropes on the 12 and the little one on any number."
Ethan said, 'I learnt to leave the big hand up at the 12."

Production

2011-09-14T18:39:00.001+12:00

Buy your tickets now!

Our Sonic Pics for Beth

2011-09-14T15:37:00.003+12:00

Today we drew pictures on the iPads and used Sonic Pics to leave a message for Beth - our student teacher...What a shame - we didn't know how to change the direction of the photo!! That's ok - you can still see and hear our messages!

Production

2011-09-13T14:30:00.004+12:00

We are well under way with our production practices. This afternoon we have had a reflection time, talking about the great things we are doing and the things that we need to work on before the big night.

Laken - We are getting to know our item quick.

Sam - We are listening for right timings.

Erin - We are all working together.

Kayleigh - We are making sure we are ready to go before its our turn.

Shaun - We are staying in our Poutini line.

Jack and Olly - We are moving up a level every day.

Helen/Kaitlin - The water movements are going well and we are timed. We are organised with the river bit.

Josh - The icon people know when to go on - we don't need reminding.

Samantha - Waitaiki are flicking over at the right time.

Aimen - Whaitipu are learning to not go too fast. We take our time.

Max - We get in line so we don't waste time when we chase poutini.

Baily - It is really good because people aren't talking too much.

Rosie - The children are managing themselves really well.

Logan - We are getting ready so we can be really good.

Ethan - Poutini is good at hiding.

Hali - People are on stage at the right time.

What do we need to work on between now and the production?

Tawhara - to get off the stage at the right times.

Somaya - need to listen really well.

Emma - listen to your buddies.

Jordan - we need to get better at not talking.

Laken - making sure we go at the right time - we need to listen to the music.

Brooklyn - we need to get better at not talking when we do the freeze frames.

Aimen - Whaitipu and Poutini need to get off the stage at the right timing.

Samantha - The river need to make sure they are moving the whole time...just like water.

Erin - I think we need to try not to pull each other people's arms.

Hali - People need to stop being droopy.

Logan - We have to be patient.

Our Production

2011-09-02T09:54:00.006+12:00

We have been working hard and doing a lot of learning regarding our production. Here is a summary of what we have learnt so far...

Telaina - We made up dance moves.

Kayla - When we did our dance moves, I liked the way we worked together (I worked with Molly) and the other people ran past.

Jade - It was fun to make up the dance moves.

Ethan - The scary taniwha is trying to get us!

Anah - We had to measure our arms for the costumes.

Hannah - We practiced our dance moves with our buddies.

Lachlan - We drew pictures so we knew what the characters would look like.

Jorja - We needed icons to show where we are going. Icons show which place is which. The carrot is near the mountain.

Max - There are all sorts of icons from all over New Zealand.

Tane - We wrote letters to the parents.

Annaliese - We made water costumes.

Hayley - For the water moves, we go in and out.

James - My group has a haka.

I am sure this has made you very interested about our item! We can't wait to show you at the Regent on Monday 3rd October!

Show Me on the iPads

2011-08-25T09:50:00.001+12:00

Production

2011-08-23T21:37:00.001+12:00

Show Me on the iPads

2011-08-18T10:00:00.003+12:00

Production

2011-08-17T20:29:00.001+12:00

Water Exploration

2011-08-16T23:04:00.001+12:00

Our Production Story

2011-08-15T08:15:00.003+12:00

There are many different tribal traditions about the origins of pounamu. The following is adapted from a version given by Tipene O’Regan of the Ngāi Tahu tribe.

Poutini was a taniwha or guardian of pounamu. He feared another taniwha named Whaitipū, the guardian of Hinehōaka, who was the goddess of sandstone. Traditionally, sandstone knives were used to cut pounamu.

Once, Poutini was being pursued in the sea by Whaitipū and took refuge in a bay at Tūhua (Mayor Island, in the Bay of Plenty). There, Poutini observed a beautiful woman named Waitaiki coming down to the water to bathe. Enthralled by her beauty, he captured her and swam towards the mainland.

When Tamaāhua, Waitaiki’s husband, discovered that his wife was missing, he used karakia (incantations) and divination with a small, dart-like spear to find her. He threw the spear, which pointed towards the location of Poutini.

Tamaāhua chased Poutini through the North Island and down to the South Island, eventually finding him at the Arahura River. Fearing capture, but refusing to give Waitaiki up, Poutini turned her into his own essence – pounamu – and laid her in the river bed at the junction of the Arahura and a nearby stream. That stream became known as Waitaiki, and ever since it has been a significant source of pounamu, as is the Arahura River. Tamaāhua did not see Poutini, who slipped past him, and on finding his wife turned to īnanga (a type of pounamu) he grieved for her and then returned home.

Our New Buddies

2011-08-12T08:04:00.002+12:00

Production

2011-08-12T06:55:00.004+12:00

Rosie and I are delighted with the way the children are working together already. Today some of the children were researching, some were designing characters, and some were writing letters asking for things we will need. Awesome!

Show Me on the iPads

2011-08-11T12:02:00.004+12:00

During reading yesterday, we used the iPads to help us with our learning. When we are finished, we can email our learning to Elly to put on the blog.

Production

2011-08-10T20:32:00.001+12:00

What an exciting day! We spent time meeting our new buddies, coming up with some ground rules about how we are going to work together, hearing the story that we are sharing at production and storyboarding our ideas. Here are some photos of our time together. Watch out for lots more posts about our learning in the coming weeks...

Little Miss Muffet

2011-08-10T19:25:00.001+12:00

Watch this fantastic animation that Hannah, James, Kayla and Annaliese made.

Jack and Jill

2011-08-10T19:22:00.001+12:00

Yay! Here is Anah-Rose, Ethan, Hannah, Hayley and Telaina's nursery rhyme animation. Check it out...

Humpty Dumpty

2011-08-10T19:14:00.002+12:00

Watch Peara, Lachlan, Max, Jack and Shaun's nursery rhyme animation. What a lot of fabulous learning that was involved in this!

Hickory Dicory Dock

2011-08-10T19:08:00.001+12:00

Check out Jade, Tane, Somaya and Jorja's awesome animation!

Our Secret Mission

2011-08-09T10:02:00.004+12:00

Today we had a secret mission. For our secret mission, we needed to go for a walk out of Russell Street School. All of the Leap Frogs went. We all needed to put something in the mailbox. I wonder what it is? I wonder where it is going? Elly was very proud of us. We listened carefully so we were safe.

Melting Pot

2011-08-05T12:47:00.005+12:00

We are excited to be sharing some of our learning at assembly this afternoon. This week we have been learning a song called "Melting Pot" with our buddies. The song is about how there are lots of different people in the world. We are all good at different things. We need to work together to make the world a great place to live. This morning we sang this song SO well, that Elly thought we should put it on our blog. Have a listen to this!

RSS Gleek

2011-07-14T09:12:00.002+12:00

We were treated to an amazing performance from the RSS Gleeks yesterday. Check this out!

BOT Report

2011-06-30T20:41:00.002+12:00

This month for the BOT report, I asked the children what they know how to do now they are 5 and are at school. Here are their very cute responses!!

Jack - When I was 4, I couldn't do writing. Now I am 5 and I can do it! I practised and practised. Elly and Marj helped me by teaching me.

Jorja - I have learnt that to be nice to people you have to be kind to them. I don't hit people, I just play with them. I have made new friends.

Max - Now I am 5, I am a good reader. I have been trying to get my mouth ready for the first sound. The teachers have helped me.

Somaya - I know how to count to 20!! I couldn't do that when I was 4.

Lachlan - I didn't know how to write my name, but now I do. Marj helped me, but now I can do it myself.

Ethan - When I was 4 I didn't know how to clean up.

Tane - Finn and Grace taught me how to get onto the server. I know how to save my work there.

Our First Animation

2011-06-30T20:37:00.002+12:00

We are learning how to work together in small groups. This week we made some simple animations. We animated our names. We were working in groups of 4 or 5 people. We needed to take turns and share.

Can you see anyone's name you know? You have to watch very closely, because they go very fast.

Our Reading Responses

2011-06-22T15:57:00.005+12:00

This week, we have been learning how to log onto the server. This is very tricky, but very important too. When we know how to log onto the server, we can save our work. When we can save our work, we can work with excellence because we can go back and keep working on something until it is finished.

We were working on Kidpix to draw a response to one of our books. Here are the pictures that are finished...

I read "Here comes Little Chimp." I drew Mamma Chimp because she was up in the tree. Mother Chimp wanted Little Chimp to come up the tree.

I read "The duck with a broken wing," This is the daddy duck. I chose to draw him because he had a broken wing.

It is a racing car. It pumped down it's wheels. It can't move because its wheels are pumped down. It is from Lightening McQueen.

I read "The Photo Book." I drew the teddy, Nick, James and Kate.

I read "Bingo's Icecream." I drew me. I am going to the icecream shop with my doggie Spencer. When I had my icecream, my icecream fell off. That is up a made-up story.

I read "Bingo's Icecream." I drew Mum, Bingo and Sam and the icecream shop. I put my name up the top so it wouldn't be on my picture.

I read the icecream book with Sam and her mum. I chose to draw a dog and the mum and Sam and the icecream shop.

I read the story "The duck with a broken wing." I drew the mummy duck because she is a very big duck. I did the tree because it is summer time.

Talking and Listening

2011-06-20T13:59:00.002+12:00

When we have news circle, it is important to remember these things...

* We need to look at everyone when we are talking (not just Elly!) because we are sharing our news with all of our friends (not just Elly!)

* We need to give more information so people know what happened to us. Our friends were not there, so they don't know anything about it.

* We need to look at the person who is talking to show that we are listening.

5 and the iPods

2011-06-15T20:40:00.000+12:00

Max - we had to take a photo of 5 things.

Lachlan - We used the iPods to take the photos.

Telaina - We used the iPods to take photos of 5 things.

We had a few problems...

Ethan - Some people took videos on the iPods.

Jorja - Some people didn't get a turn. Some people took too many photos.

Annaliese - When you don't use the iPods properly, you can't see all of the dinosaurs in the photo.

Reading

2011-06-08T14:12:00.003+12:00

We are learning how to read. There are lots of things that we need to remember to do. Here is what we are trying to get better at...

Telaina - I am trying to make my reading sound like talking. I am practising.

Lachlan - I am pointing at the words. I am doing it every day.

Emily - I am getting my mouth ready for the first wound.

Jorja - Looking at picture helps us know the words.

Jade - I am learning to read.

Max - It really, really really helps when you can read.

Ethan - It is important to learn to read so you can read big books.

Camden - You point to the words.

Charlotte - I am getting better at reading my words to Charlotte. I read them each week.

Sam - Reading helps us to get better at writing words.

Have a Look at These!

2011-06-01T19:33:00.005+12:00

Beth took us out for PE this afternoon. We are learning large ball skills. Today we played some games to get used to the large balls. Elly took her camera out...have a look at these gorgeous photos!

Shadows

2011-06-01T19:00:00.005+12:00

We have been learning about shadows. Here are some things that we know...

- Shadows are connected to your feet.
- When the sun goes away so does the shadow.
- When there is shade there is no shadow.
- Shadows follow you.
- The sun reflects onto you and then onto the concrete to make a shadow.
- The sun is on the concrete on a sunny day.
- Shadows are black.

Have a look at our photos. Our buddy drew around our shadow. Our shadows were longer than us! I wonder why that is?

How Exciting!

2011-05-26T07:40:00.004+12:00

In the middle of our learning yesterday morning, an exciting thing happened...a big truck came to take the container away outside our classroom. We all went to have a look to see what was happening. When we came inside, some of us chose to write stories about what we had seen...

Shaun - I can see a truck.

Hayley - A big truck picked up the big box.

jack - A truck lifted the box.

Emily - I see a big box.

Telaina - I like the crane.

Sam - I saw the big truck.

Hannah - I can see a big truck and me and Jorja.

Annaliese - The digger is pulling the box.

James - I can see a big truck. The man is on top of it.

Ella - The truck was big.

Tane - A big truck came and carried the box.

Word Cloud

2011-05-22T17:08:00.004+12:00

I made a word cloud of the names of the children in our class. Can you find your name?

Phonics Song

2011-05-22T16:59:00.001+12:00

Look what I found on Youtube! What a great song to help you learn your letters and the sounds they make.

Making a Winter Tree Collage

2011-05-20T22:19:00.003+12:00

We are making a piece of art that shows a tree in all four seasons. Each week we create new tree! We are using different art techniques to create our trees. Last week we used crayon and dye to make our Autumn tree. This week we used collage to create our Winter tree. We used bumpy card to make a tree with a detailed trunk, branches and twigs. As usual we concentrated really hard! Two more seasons to go and we can show you our finished "Season Art"...

Winter Trees on PhotoPeach

Kayla's Maths

2011-05-18T12:33:00.003+12:00

Elly said we had to draw flowers. I had to do 5 because their was a five on the page. I knew there were 5 because I counted 1, 2, 3,4, 5 in my head.

Anah's Maths

2011-05-18T12:27:00.003+12:00

I had to draw 5 flowers on Kidpix. I knew I had to do 5 flowers because there was a 5 on the page. I know what 5 looks like.

Shadows

2011-05-16T14:03:00.004+12:00

Today we had a brainstorm about shadows. Some of us don't know what a shadow is, but some of us have some really great ideas. Here are our thoughts...

Max - When it is a sunny day and you go walking, the sun makes a shadow if you are going past something.

Telaina - A shadow copies you.

Annaliese - A shadow is when the sun follows and can't get through. It leaves a shadow.

Jack - If it is dark you need a light to make a shadow.

Jade - some shadows are like a rainbow colour.

Hannah - The trees make a shadow.

Shaun - Shadows make a shadow when the sun comes out.

Anah - the sun is out by the clouds.

Ethan - a shadow follows you.

Hannah G - A shadow is where you walk.

Over the next few weeks, we are going to be learning all about shadows. Watch this space for our learning!

Cross Country!

2011-05-12T13:41:00.003+12:00

We were such superstars at cross country today! Everyone ran so hard and Carolyn didn't think we looked tired at all - she said maybe we should all have done the cross-country AGAIN! Carolyn saw us fall down and get back up, run and rest and then run again, and some of us hardly stopped at all. Here are some of OUR comments about Cross Country:

I ran really fast over the speed bumps - James
Me and Kayla didn't stop - Jade
Whne it was startimg time I heard "HONK" - Jack
I you run and go fast get some energy and bring your drink bottle - Anah
I ran and i ran but then I walked a little and ran again - Jorja
I saw my granny and my Mum - Max
I saw my Mum and my Dad - Hayley
My Mum was there and she watched us run - Hannah C
I jumped over the speed bumps - Kayla
When I was running so fast I falled over on the road and I got back up and ran again - Tane
I stayed up running - there was a teacher on the side - Lachlan
I ran with Beth - Peara
I was almost in front of the bunch - Telaina
I saw Peara, she was running with me - Hannah G
I stopped to have a little rest and I just kept going again - Somaya
I just keeped running and I didn't stop - Shaun
I jumped over the bumps and I ran with Tane - Ethan

Fast Words

2011-05-11T11:39:00.004+12:00

At reading time, the children in the Leap Frogs choose activities to do around the room. One fantastic activity is fast words.

Fast words are when we write as many words as we can on the whiteboard.

Have a look at these clever children doing their fast words today.

A Suprise Visit!

2011-05-05T10:37:00.006+12:00

Today we had a surprise visit from Ronald McDonald! It was lots of fun. Ronald McDonald taught us how to keep safe when we are traveling in the car, or walking, biking and scootering.
We need to...
* watch out for sneaky driveways.
* Stop, look and listen before we cross the street.
* Make sure our seatbelts click.

Here are some photos of the visit...

Cross Country

2011-05-04T12:03:00.004+12:00

We are practising for Cross Country. We are trying our best.

Somaya said "We need to do our best to run fast."

Jade said "We can run slowly but for a long time."

Jack said "Big kids run faster than us because they have to win the race."

Anah said "The 6 year olds go faster than the 5 year olds."

New Entrant Singing

2011-04-15T16:05:00.004+12:00

Every Friday we join with Tohora for singing. We enjoy singing our favourite songs together. It is a good way for us to mix with Tohora, learn everyone's name and make new friends. Just ask us and we could sing you a song!

Buddy Challenge Day

2011-04-14T07:31:00.003+12:00

We had so much fun at Buddy Challenge Day. At first, some of us were a bit nervous, but our buddies helped us with all of the activities. Have a look at the photos to see how we were working together throughout the day.

Painting Like Monet

2011-04-07T18:50:00.005+12:00

We had a wonderful day of art today. We looked at lots of paintings by Claude Monet. We noticed his paintings are very blurry and that he liked to paint things outside in nature. We wrote about what we could see in Monet's paintings during writing time.

Then we used cotton buds to paint a picture of a river scene with water and sky - Monet liked to paint water and sky, too. We aren't finished yet but here we are hard at work. Look at the concentration on our faces!

Monet on PhotoPeach

Our Flower Garden

2011-04-05T14:44:00.004+12:00

Look at our flower garden!! It is pretty, beautiful, stunning, awesome, fancy and colourful!

What did we learn?
Hannah said we learnt to mix colours.

Jade said we mix yellow and blue to make green.

Kayla said we make purple by mixing red and blue.

Max knows that we mix yellow and red to make orange.

Well done, Leap Frogs.

Our Word Power Friday

2011-04-01T11:03:00.002+13:00

went - create a slideshow

This morning we did word power, our word this week was WENT.
We had to write it lots of different ways for 3 minutes, then we would move on. We got to use ipods, write it on the computer, write it with paint, use chalk, paint brushes and whiteboard markers. Word power is great fun as it really helps us to remember important words.

We are learning to write basic sight words that will help us in the future, in writing and reading and lots of other areas!

Well done Leap Frogs, you are leaping ahead in LEAPS and BOUNDS!
It has been such a great time working with you at Russell Street School and I am so proud of you all!! I will miss you lots although will check your blog often to see all the exciting things you are up to!!!!
Jess! :)

Statistics – "Sort, Count, Notice"!

2011-03-31T22:42:00.012+13:00

Today we started Statistics with Carolyn.
(Statistics is a very hard word to say!)
We are learning to "Sort-Count-Notice".
We had a pile of dinosaurs – what a mess!
We sorted the dinosaurs into groups that looked the same.
We lined the groups up and counted each line.
We looked carefully to see what we could notice.
We noticed:
The long-necks had the longest line.
Two lines had only one dinosaur in them.
There are six long necks.
There are four stegosauruses.

A fantastic start to Statistics, Leapfrogs!

Animals CAN Dance

2011-03-31T21:59:00.002+13:00

On art day, we read a story called "Giraffe's Can't Dance." In this story Gerald the Giraffe is feeling sad because he is the only animal in the jungle who can't dance. By the end of the story, Gerald has learnt to dance and becomes the best dancer in the jungle. We decided to paint dancing farm animals.

Here are our finished products! What amazing painting technique our children have. Look at the steady hand they had when outlining their farm animals!

Hayley

2011-03-29T12:10:00.003+13:00

Hayley has settled so well into school. Here is the little movie that Carolyn and Hayley made on Hayley's first day.

Handwriting

2011-03-28T14:34:00.002+13:00

At handwriting, we are learning to write our names correctly. If we want to get better we have to practise.

James told us that when you are nearly an adult you have to learn to drive a car. You have to practise and practise and practise so you can do it. It is the same with handwriting! We are "trying and trying."

Max said "you can try your best!."

Lachlan said "I tried myself. I copied it from Elly's writing."

Hayley said "you have to learn to write." "I am learning good a's."

Word Power

2011-03-27T17:35:00.002+13:00

Friday's challenge was to learn to write "are." "Are" can be used in sentences like "Are you going to the park?" or "What are you doing?"

Are on PhotoPeach

Hannah At School

2011-03-22T14:33:00.003+13:00

We enjoyed welcoming Hannah to school yesterday. Here are some of Hannah's thoughts on her first 2 days at school.

Art Day

2011-03-21T19:54:00.002+13:00

We had a GLORIOUS day of art today. No reading, no writing, no maths...just ART!! What a fabulous day.

Our day started with time in the hall with a lady called Rei. We all painted windows and in the windows, we painted a party...all of the lovely things that our window could see.

When we came back to class, Elly read us a story called "Giraffes Can't Dance." In this story Gerald the Giraffe is very sad because he is at the Jungle Dance, but he is the only one who doesn't know how to dance. By the end of the story, Gerald can dance AND he is the best dancer of the jungle. We decided to go to a different setting - the farm and we made some farm animals dance. What fun! We haven't finished these yet (hopefully we will on Friday), but you can get a glimpse of our work in these photos.

Jess (our Student Teacher) taught us about Andy Warhol. He creates Pop Art. We drew pictures of ourselves and our families. We then used crayons to colour in certain aspects of the faces. We finished these by dying each square a different colour.

Leap Frogs

2011-03-19T15:53:00.004+13:00

We had a guided drawing lesson with Carolyn. We used vivid to draw a frog with bouncing legs and a big mouth. Then we used pastel to colour our frogs. We worked hard to blend the pastel so that it looked smooth and flat with no mosquito holes. We sponge painted water for our frogs to swim in. Each of our frogs has a personality all of its own!

Can you write it?

2011-03-19T15:39:00.000+13:00

Every Friday, we get together with Tohora to write lots of words. This week we were getting better at writing "going." Look at the different ways we wrote this word. Can you think of any other ways we could write our words on a Friday?

Going - slideshow dvd

Art for Art's Sake

2011-03-17T18:10:00.003+13:00

Yesterday, we learnt about mixing colours to make new colours. We started with red, blue and yellow. Can you see the new colours that we made? Do you know how we made those colours?

Colours - free slideshow

Lachlan Starting School

2011-03-16T15:06:00.002+13:00

Lachlan has been with us for 3 days now. We love having you in our class.

Christchurch Cathedral

2011-03-16T07:39:00.002+13:00

Yesterday the whole school was involved in creating a HUGE chalk drawing of the Christchurch Cathedral. This was part of our "7 days for Christchurch" - letting the people of Christchurch know that we are thinking of them all.

Maths

2011-03-14T14:52:00.003+13:00

Today in maths, we used the abacus to show numbers as quickly as we could. When we work in maths, we are learning to talk about what we are thinking...I asked the children to tell me different ways we know how to show the numbers.

Max - You can just push them over when you know the number.

Kayla - You could count them and then push them over.

Somaya - You could push them over and then check.

Lachlan - You can count them and push them at the same time.

Max's First Day

2011-03-13T20:16:00.000+13:00

Max - it is so lovely to have you with us in the Leap Frogs. Welcome to Russell Street School.

Music with Jen

2011-03-11T08:02:00.003+13:00

We are so lucky here at Russell Street to have Jen as our music specialist. She works with the children and they LOVE it! Yesterday, the children were learning about pitch.

Our Swimming Day

2011-03-08T15:23:00.004+13:00

What a big day for our newest 5 year olds at school! We went to the Lido today for our school swimming sports. We started by showing our newest learning in the pool. We watched some of the big kid races and the adult races too. After that we got to have a swim in the other pool. After we got changed, we did some relays and played with the parachute. We had lunch in the Esplanade and had a play before we came home.

Here are our favourite parts of the day...

Kayla - "I liked walking in the path where the stones are because it was a cool idea and I've never been there and it was fun."

James - "I liked going in the bus because it is really really kind of scary and because it was my first time on a bus."

Somaya - "I liked going in the swimming pool because I like swimming."

Anah-Rose - "I liked going on the roundy bit in the pool because it was really fun."

Swimming Sports - making a free slideshow

Look at Anah-Rose!

2011-03-08T07:55:00.000+13:00

Wow! Anah-Rose knows SO much about reading!! Watch this video to see. She knows that books have titles, she knows that the pictures tell a story. Keep up the great work!

Kayla's First Day

2011-03-07T18:50:00.000+13:00

Welcome to Russell Street School Kayla!

Reading

2011-03-07T14:51:00.000+13:00

This afternoon we had a discussion about reading. Here is what Kayla and Anah-Rose said about our learning...

Kayla said we have to look at the picture when we dont know the words.

Anah-Rose said we have to point our finger on the words.

Somaya, James, Kayla and Anah-Rose all LOVE reading!! Yay!

2011-03-04T10:49:00.000+13:00

Today we began our Word Power journey. How exciting! We had 10 different stations for the children to work at. Today the goal for Word Power was for the children to learn to write "the." The children were at each station for 3 minutes before they moved to the next station. Look at these photos of the children working hard!

the - create a slideshow with music

Here are some comments from the children...
Jhaz - I liked the chalk outside. I liked writing the words.
Alyssa - I liked writing in the sand. I liked making it with my finger.
Shaiv - I liked writing "the" on the whiteboard. It is so much fun at school.
Atlanta - I liked the paint markers. They make cool colours.
Fletcher - I liked my beautiful "e" on the whiteboard. I practised on school days.

We are Learning to Write

2011-03-03T13:51:00.000+13:00

It is so exciting watching five-year-olds learn to write stories. Today was no exception!
James wrote about Lego. He drew a detailed picture and listened carefully to the sounds in the words he wanted to write. James used the display letters around the room to help him write the "g" in lego. Great work, James!
Anah-Rose drew a detailed picture and did "magic writing" across the page. She knows to start at the left and move across the page, then start at the left hand side again on the next line! She knows a lot about how writing works already. Awesome, Anah-Rose!
Somaya drew a picture in the blank space in her writing book and told me what she wanted her story to say. She understands that the picture and the story work together. Great work, Somaya!
I can't wait to see your writing get better and better!
Carolyn (Your Thursday Teacher)

Anah-Rose's First Day

2011-03-02T17:49:00.000+13:00

Anah-Rose joined us today. Here is her SonicPic about her day. Welcome to Russell Street School Anah!

Somaya's First Day

2011-03-01T21:43:00.000+13:00

Welcome to Russell Street School Somaya. We are glad to have you here.

James' First Day at RSS

2011-02-28T15:49:00.000+13:00

Today was the start of James' time at school. He had a great day. James and Elly made a SonicPic of some of James' favourite moments. Enjoy!

Our Visit

2011-02-22T16:45:00.001+13:00

We had a fabulous morning in the Leap Frogs today. What a gorgeous group of children. Lachlan, Somaya and Max stayed until 10am and James and Kayla stayed until 11:30am. We sang, played games, did some alphabet activities and read with Elly all before 10!

James and Kayla also went for a walk around the playground, had a little play and did some writing. What a busy morning!

See you all next week.

Our First Visit

2011-02-21T21:26:00.000+13:00

I am SO excited. Tomorrow the Leap Frogs will have 5 children visiting for the morning. These are the children who will be starting in our class first.

Here is a nursery rhyme that we will be learning together. Do you know it?

Leap Frogs

2011-02-06T20:23:00.000+13:00

Here is the new blog for the "Leap Frogs." There are currently no children in our class, but it won't be long before the children start to arrive! Robin and Sandi's class is nearly full, so our new five year olds will begin in Room 2.

How exciting for our new five year olds to be starting school. Carolyn and Elly are looking forward to welcoming these children to school. Carolyn will be the teacher on Thursday and Elly will be the teacher on the other days.

This blog will be a reflection of our daily learning. Keep an eye on us to get a glimpse of what goes on each day. You are also very welcome to come and visit us at Russell Street School.