Monday 24 August 2015

Lake Rerewhakaaitu School Climb our Hill...


A beautiful, crisp winters day blessed us as our school all walked up Rerewhakaaitu Hill.  The impressive mighty Mount Tarawera silhouetted against the blue sky kept a careful watch on us as we all wove through the farm tracks to to the top.  From the top we were lucky enough to see Mount Ruhepehu and Ngaruhoe in the south capped with white snow,  Mount Edgecombe to the north and the mirror like lake or Lake Rerewhakaaitu below us.











Sunday 23 August 2015

I OBSERVE 

I THINK

 I WONDER

Today Room 3 became scientists using our powers of observation!
Miss Coleman brought in some Huhu Grubs for us to look closely at.  



Our first task was to look very closely, making careful observations at the grubs and record our noticings...

We needed to think about colours, shape, textures, smells, sounds, movements and changes.

Some our findings were: It was bumpy, it looked slimy or wet.  It was moving, it was wriggling.  It expanded and contracted.  It has black substance coming out of it.  It had tiny spikes coming out of the white.  It had rolly rings up and down its body.  It was flexible. It was 4 cm long.  The grub reacts when we touch it by shrinking.

We then recorded what we think...

"I think it is alive because it is moving"  "I think the rings might represent its age"  " I think that the front of the grub is its mouth where the nippers are"  "I think the little spikes make it move faster" " I think it has a tail and a mouth" 
"I think when it extends and shrinks up this is how it moves"

Then we recorded our wonderings...

I wonder if the Huhu grub is related to the Huhu beetle?  Where does the Huhu grub live?  Why are they different colours?  How big do they grow?  How long do they live for?  Why do they have tiny holes?  What do the little spikes do? Can Huhu grub see?  What do they eat?  Is there different kinds of Huhu grubs?  Can Huhu grubs be other colours?