We are going to collect the water off Weka roof and store it in a very large tank so that we have plenty of storage ready for the summer when we need water most.  You can see the edge of the garden above the site in image 3. This is were we need to get the water to go uphill.

We have started measuring and levelling off the site ready for the tank to arrive. We worked out the diameter of the tank and then found the radius. Using this measurement we used a string and centre pole to spray paint the size of the tank.

Then lots of digging and beginning to move soil happened.

We also need to put our pump shed in this area. This will house all the controls for the solar panel to provide us with a power source with which to run the pump.

Today the New Entrant students had great fun working together as a team and trying to win the longest paper chain competition.

We have been learning about bees in the Pukeko Hapori.

One of the activities we completed when The Bee Lady visited was to create a honeybee using play dough and pipe cleaners. We had to as accurately as we could ensure we showed all the parts of the anatomy as a bee.

                         

           

In the Pukeko Hapori students have been learning about insects. First students ordered Countdown Super Insect cards and then scanned them to add them to the app. Afterwards students participated in a STEAM challenge in which the Design Brief was to create an insect using only 3 pipe cleaners. The criteria was that the insect must:

                  

                                                

     

This term students are rotating around 5 different activities to learn more skills and practice what they already know to solve problems and challenges.

Here are some of week 1 blog posts

The Piwakawaka students followed the LAUNCH process to solve a real-world issue, first of all discussing the problem and creating a design they thought would be used by a number of people. Students used the website Tinkercad to create a 3D design and downloaded this so that their prototype could be printed. They created adverts to provide information about their finished product and reflected on the process from start to finish.

Students in the Piwakawaka hapori have been learning about augmented reality (AR) and experimenting with the Makr app to apply this knowledge. They have used this app to create an informative clip for their community. It is great to see the students share their experimentation and knowledge with others and collectively grow their skills.

Who can make the longest paper chain? This activity was a great tool for helping students learn to work together, listen carefully, communicate clearly, and think creatively.