Swim to Survive

Treading water

Non contact rescue 

Swim to survive aims to  reduce the number of drownings in New Zealand. Room five has walked to and from the pools each afternoon. After just 5 days there has been a noticeable increase in skills. Our 3 instructors work on fitness and stamina, concentrating on kicking effectively, breaststroke, floating, treading water and sculling. Each student has practiced contact and non-contact towing, taking turns to rescue and be rescued.

Above: Contact towing requires a steady breaststroke kick. Below: Learning how to kick  effectively.

Spider Poetry

Our writing this week has followed the adventures of a spider. Today's writing follows firstly the beauty of the web, the spider that created it and then its' destruction. The children have written both in narrative and poetic styles.

In the early morning light a carefully balanced web lay in the corner of the barn-yard with its' delicate threads glistening in the sun-light. It sparkles like diamonds with dew-drops among the shining lines of thread. 
Hiding beneath the leaf on a branch on a tree lay a big black tarantula ready for tea. It's as still as ice waiting for its prey to come along BUT...
...he does not see something yummy, he sees a big bluebird who wants a big tarantula for supper and tea! The big bluebird grins with delight but is soon is blinded for the spider has covered her eyes. Spider thinks he is safe and sound again but as he turns around he sees his wonderful web has been destroyed.
The spider cried out, "why? Oh!, why?"

I see a wonderful web destroyed.
I hear the threads ripping.
I taste despair within.
I feel broken, thin thread.
I smell the stench of a ripped web.
I feel melancholy.
By Renee

Hanging high up in the tree is a delicately balanced web. This web is covered in dew drops in the early morning light. These dewdrops sparkle like diamonds and glimmer like a rainbow.
Hiding in between two leaves waits Dog Spider. As he waits he becomes hungrier and thirstier, then all of a sudden... "DINNER!" cries Dog Spider happily. As he eats his prey he becomes hungrier. He licks his lips and hides between two leaves...
The victorious spider turned to look at his web BUT!!! it was torn to pieces and not lovely and shining like a diamond. It was dull and colourless.
Dog Spider cried, "My wonderful web, it's tattered and looks old and ugly."
As true as this may be  Dog Spider could not believe it.
Dog Spider was heartbroken.

I see my torn web.
I hear nothing but my cries.
I taste salt water tears.
I feel nothing but tatters.
I smell no more dew.
I am heartbroken.
By Leah

Some of the children imagined that webs had been destroyed by careless humans breaking them.

I hear the footsteps coming.
I taste death coming to me.
I smell revenge coming.
I touch my web
before it dies.
By Titan

A spider web
hangs
sparkling like diamonds
swaying
in the wind.

Fangpire Spider waits, stuck to a leaf, searching the horizon for prey.
"Where be a juicy fly," he whispers to himself, then he spots a fly and he is lured easily to his sparkling web. Now spider prepares to kill... and eat blood.

Spider
waits standing still
focussed on its' target
he moves with cunning skill and gets
his prey.

The victorious spider turned to look at his web. But... it was a hideous mess. the silk was ripped and the once silver web was a dusty grey. Spider howled, " my web. My beautiful web is gone. My kingdom." Now the web is just a ruin.

I see a lost kingdom.
I feel the silk and despair.
I hear my screams.
I taste tears.
I smell the bitter air.
I am heartbroken.
By Dylan

Making Worms Work

Today Room 5 made mini composts using milk containers and carbon/ nitrogen waste. Students layered up waste on base of compost like a sandwich, worms included. The final step was adding lime to activate the compost and a little water. Now the worms will set to work and change scraps into new soil. Go worms!