Promoting our wares in Tautoru prior to Market Day
Market Day 2020 was a roaring success, providing a host of wonderful learning opportunities and bringing our community out in force. Māhutonga Matariki are so grateful for the support shown to us and we invite you to watch this space as we decide how to do some good with the proceeds!
It all began with our inquiry, 'Business Time'. We heard from our friends Bobby of Reusabowl and Andy Campbell, getting great insight into what it means to be an inventor. We learned how to go through the Design Process, from blue sky thinking to prototyping and creating. Promotional skills came to the fore as Market Day neared - posters, slogans, advertisements and jingles. In Maths we practiced dealing with money and calculating profit. Read on below for some student perspective.
We started our Inquiry by going through the Design Process of an invention and looking at 'Thinkers Keys' to get our minds creative. We also made inventions, well when I say 'made' I mean thought of inventions to fix a big problem in the world - cats killing native birds. When we finally started coming up with ideas for market day it was really easy, but funnelling it down to my top five was really hard. When I did finally 'funnel' them I didn’t pick what I thought would be the easiest or most fun, I picked them by what was the most sustainable and what was the most likely to get bought. All that work was actually for nothing because I ended up joining a group that already had an idea but I wasn’t that mad because it was a really fun idea - Cups (of lemonade, Cakes and Comics!
- Hunter J
We had to identify a problem for little kids - but what? Little kids have lots of problems... they are always bored and need to learn to grow things. That's where we got the idea of Enviro Jar. When it came to getting absorbed I would give myself a 4 out of 5 as we would often lose track of time and do lots of work, then be amazed to discover it had only been half an hour. We had to think like inventors because we had to be original and also not too costly, especially because people had similar ideas and we still wanted to make a profit of some sort. This is why we partnered with another group doing something similar. I think our work was quality but that's not mine to judge, I'm just glad I did that inquiry and got such an opportunity.
- Greta L
Yesterday Market Day went really well and all of our products were sold. The cost for our product was $2.00 and our profit was $20. I bought a banana seal with a jersey, hat and a tutu/skirt, two jelly cube drinks (strawberry jelly and lemon jelly), a how to draw Homer Simpson book, a Harry Potter spell book with a wand, a cupcake and cookie, two little gardens and lots of other things! - Aila B
We took a lot of time with our product, going through a complete Design Process, to make sure it was eco friendly. Also we thought about how it would be a reasonable price fair for us and others. Our group made exactly $51.10. We would have made around $66.10 but we needed to minus the costs. I am so proud of us, none of us were expecting so much. Next time I want a bit more time so we can make it better, but overall it was really fun, The design process, Making it & Selling it was AWESOME! - Anastasiya SP
Last Friday, we made some musical instruments from our designs. We had lots of fun making these, using our creativity.
Our Inquiry has a music focus and we are working towards our Arts Celebration...
Today we shared some of our musical instruments at assembly...
One, Two, Three, Four... Arts Celebration, Here We Go!
Students have been learning about how music is made, the stories it can tell, about tone and texture and timing. They have been jamming with Andreas, getting into the rhythmic groove. They have begun composing, creating, recording: playing every known and as yet undiscovered instrument, banging on every possible surface with any available implement in preparation for our Music Festival Arts Celebration. This will take place on the evenings of Wednesday 22 August and Thursday 23 August between 6.00pm and 7.00pm at Worser Bay School.
As an audience member, you will begin the evening in your child’s base space and then proceed around the school at ten minute intervals, soaking in the sounds of all other groups as you go.
Be prepared to go on a musical adventure, take a Hero’s Journey, leap over an emotional arc, visit the Island of Animals. Music, perhaps more than any of the other Arts, can be transcendent; let yourself be uplifted by our musical creations. Or let yourself be transported to fantastic places of fantasy! Or join us for some levity and laughter. It will be like some sort of musical Circus!
We are Inventing Because We are Forest Protectors!
We have been thinking about the problems which confront our native flora and fauna and are taking action to do something about it. Before we make anything though we are learning about the design process. Josh Waaka from Goodnature traps explained that they took about eight years to design their trap. It went through many iterations and each time there was an improvement. Trial and Improvement!
We are starting with the Problem, doing research to understand the problem, looking at what exists already in terms of solutions and building on those with our own ideas. We have been developing a design criteria to evaluate our design as we go.
Great discussion, great discovery, great creativity!
