Connected to questions of identity are big ideas around our values and what we care about. Making mind maps before we write is a good way to organise and develop ideas. We are having conversations with each other as we create the mind map, extending and building on other's ideas.
Using a mind map is a great tool for showing what we know, building knowledge in collaboration with others and an aid for memorising important ideas and information.
Traditionally on Friday afternoons, the junior school have had 'golden time'. This is where tamariki have been able to celebrate the great work they have completed throughout the week by choosing how they would like to spend the afternoon. Some people bought board games to share and play, others spent time creating craft, music, lego or marble runs and also had more time to choose play outside.
During this time, the seniors also had 'Friday Games' afternoon. They were able to choose which game they would like to join, after they had completed their weekly reflection.
We have decided to trial a new idea on Friday afternoons this term by combining the whole school together to create a play afternoon called Takaro Tahi (play together).
Our tamariki can still choose the things that they love to do the most (two ball football with John is a big draw card!), but as an added bonus, we now have the 'big kids' playing with and alongside our juniors.
We have been using this time to put out some 'loose parts' like ropes, pulleys, pipes and containers to see what the tamariki would create together.
We have been excited to see how well they work together and help each other create new ways to play. The seniors are experts at helping us tie knots, making swings in the trees and creating a pulley system along the big slide.
Last year we were visited by the wonderfully energetic, FUNNY Maddie Dai, cartoonist with The New Yorker no less. She gave us some great pointers about how to kick start our own cartooning careers.
One thing we have been really working on; The punchline.
Well this guy got the idea!
It is a really complex set of skills but we are getting there. What about these ones?
Now we are getting excited about Te Wheke 2, the next edition of our school zine!
We have been doing a lot of drawing, sketching each other, our teachers and even ourselves!
The rules are simple:
We have begun to delve into the world of statistics in Matariki and Mahutonga, looking at the steps of a statistical investigation and then completing our own. In the kids own words, Statistics is getting people's ideas about questions and showing it.
We were introduced to the cycle and the steps:
We are thinking about the things we care about, about how we share some of these ideas with our families and how we are influenced by the ideas of the people around us. There has been some amazing writing produced recently in which kids have considered the factors which influence and shape their identity. There has been rich learning about DNA or 'Nature', as well as the social factors, 'Nurture' which contribute to our personalities and identity.
Here, a poster of the things which Archie cares about and the ideas he ha in common with his family.
Here, an example of some writing about identity.
When asked what we care about most one of us immediately said 'Scootering!' After that we thought we better do some more digging. And we are reading Holes which has A LOT OF DIGGING in it and has thrown up some really interesting questions for us.
