The Toothpaste Experiment...

Words create worlds - we say it every day! However, this is unfortunately true for negative words too. Even though we can apologise (which is very important) our negative words can leave a mark on others. We showed our Tautoru tamariki the reality of this with the toothpaste experiment.

The children got to let loose on Jess last week, saying unkind words while she squeezed out the toothpaste representing how the words made her feel. The kids then said sorry for what they said and tried to take it back. Jess tried to put the toothpaste back into the tube, which was of course impossible. We scooped and scooped but to no avail the toothpaste was not going back in. This is exactly how our words impact others. Even though we say sorry, our words do not go away and neither does the impact they leave. 

Saying positive words however, has the opposite effect. A study by Fredrickson, Cohn, Coffey, Pek and Finkel in 2008 showed the benefits on individuals after hearing kind words for 28 days straight. These individuals reported more positive relationships with others and improved physical health - let Jess know if you would like more information about this!

We practiced our positive complements outside after the toothpaste experiment. Our students moved around back court in various ways, and whenever Jess blew the whistle they had to stop and complement the person closest to them, a different person every time. 

Tamariki reported feeling really 'good inside' after this small game. Here are some examples of the positive complements we gave:

Remy H - "I like your shiny crocs"
Felix "you are such a great writer"
Vera "I Like your eyes"
Erik "you are a good friend"

The Great Bug Museum

We used egg cartons, boxes, paint and pastels to create our own mounted bug specimens.    We also added wings, eyes, legs and antennae to our bugs. 

NB:    No bugs, beetles, butterflies or bees were harmed in the creation of these. 

Learning Celebrations Term 3 2024

Positive Accomplishment, Growth Mindset and GRIT Galore !!

By now you would have all experienced part three of our ‘reporting to parents’ cycle for 2024. Term 2 provides you with a written report about your child's progress in Reading, Writing and Maths as well as other areas of our NZ Curriculum. However, Term 3 provides us with an opportunity of a different kind. Our Learning Celebrations build on successes since we last met and gives us a time to reflect on those small and not so small goals we set together at the beginning of the school year.

We try to achieve a special time that is age and stage appropriate and a moment in time that is dedicated to your child. We aim to prepare them by helping them reflect on their goals, choosing samples that they are particularly proud of. Funnily enough they always choose samples and things that are usually closely related to reading, writing or maths. This might be because these three areas have regular and incremental steps of progress that can be seen and heard on a weekly basis. The goals seem tangible, doable and are consistently talked about daily. We also have tools that students are really familiar with throughout the school and this starts as soon as they land at school. This does not mean we don't set goals in other areas such as The Arts or health and PE. It just looks different. For example: You will see your child's progress within the Arts in the next few weeks !!

               

As adults some of us find that reflection and goal setting requires some real concerted brain power !! It is the same for our kids too but so important. Reflection helps students become aware of the learning process, their strengths, and areas needing improvement. By thinking about what they did well and what they could do better, students are able to take ownership of their learning.

Reflecting on experiences helps students manage their emotions and builds their process of resilience. It provides them with strategies to handle challenges and setbacks effectively.

“I am proud of my mistakes actually as they helped me learn.” Maddie 6 Years

We know that clear, achievable goals will still provide students a sense of direction and purpose. At this time of the term we are able to see them motivated to share and engaged in their learning journey and onwards and upwards with their next learning steps. It’s ongoing. Setting goals and Celebrating Success means experiencing Positive Accomplishment and Positive Emotions !!

What goals and successes have you celebrated today ?

 

Creativity, Innovation and Fun !!

We are really into the swing of things around our Arts Celebration !! 

Sir Ken Robinson's thoughts and insights around creativity and the importance of the arts in our programmes has been included and shared across many communications and newsletter pieces in the past and certainly something we at Worser Bay School cycle back to often.  It fits in with our aspirations to educate the 'whole child'.

Sir Ken Robinson places the emphasis on the arts, including dance. He believes that these play a crucial role in personal development. Dance helps students develop confidence, self-expression, and a sense of identity.  Sir Ken Robinson believes that engaging in dance can improve students' self-esteem and help them express their emotions and ideas in unique ways.

It has been lovely to see our students shine in different ways throughout this creative process.  We have seen some innovative and creative thinking alongside the movers and shakers and we certainly have some critics and keen evaluators of our dance moves and the music !!  The Arts Celebration has given many avenues to be creative across the curriculum.

Yes, it is still a big secret however I’m sure you have had some clues by now.  

Here we are expressing ideas and our word of the week in terms of movements has been

Exaggeration !!

Out and About at Ākau Tangi - Term 3

Sports and physical skills play a crucial role in enhancing our physical health.   We are always grateful for the varied sports experiences Åkau Tangi provides.  This week we worked with experts in the field of basketball and gymnastics.   Gymnastics involved lots of fun with specific body movements and muscle control.  We also worked on developing our coordination and balance. 

Muscle strength and flexibility was a focus especially on the mats and bars. Strengthening core muscles, in particular, is beneficial for our overall stability and for things that you wouldn't necessarily think of when thinking about big muscle gross motor skills. For example, strength, core stability and good balance supports good posture and even helps with pencil grip when it comes to writing !  

Ball skills, such as throwing, catching, and dribbling help us practise many skills. We had to work hard to develop and improve our hand-eye coordination as well as our spatial awareness.  In Tautoru we are talking a lot about awareness , awareness of self and awareness of others.  This fits nicely together and really helps students understand each other, giving each other what they need in our learning environments,  inside and out.  

Our Social Skills were definitely under the microscope.  We had to dial up our social intelligence, kindness and the skills we know that make good team players.  So much to consider while working with other humans ! .  We fostered teamwork, communication, and cooperation.   The hardest lesson to learn sometimes  is to handle both winning and losing gracefully.  It means being able to celebrate the win but also being considerate and kind too.  We did this well and it is a continuing work in progress.  This is not to say that we don't or can’t experience disappointment, sadness, competitiveness or frustration .  There are no emotions that shouldn’t be felt so we make sure we cover the full spectrum of what we feel daily without lessening the mana of each emotion.   We talk about what emotions mean, how they make our bodies and minds feel and most importantly how we can respond.  This all involves teaching and modelling on the job as it happens.  Ākau Tangi provided us with lots of opportunities to do this. 

We return to school feeling a new appreciation and enthusiasm for sports and physical activity..  Learning sports skills is just a taster and often opens doors for our kids about all the fun to be had when being part of a team.  Boosting self confidence and self esteem at the same time.  

For some it takes a couple of visits, a few attempts or some sheer perseverance,  but each time we recognise improvements and progress.  Health and PE and getting out and about and in amongst ‘it’  is a key part of our local curriculum and Positive Education and Wellbeing Strategy.  We see this as a key part of our job - encouraging healthy life long positive attitudes towards Physical Health and Wellbeing. 

Chewing and Tracking at Our Place.

 

In the last few weeks the kids in Tautoru have been curious about creatures in our environment.  

Off the back of our innovations and inventions inquiry we decided to learn a bit more about the inventions that have contributed to the success of the Miramar Peninsula ‘Predator Free’ Project.  

The Miramar Peninsula Predator-Free Project was and is an initiative based in Wellington, aimed at creating a predator-free environment.  Overall, the Miramar Peninsula Predator-Free Project is part of a much bigger project that set out to restore and preserve New Zealand's unique natural environment by reducing the threat posed by non-native predators.   Mahutonga and Matariki kids participated in the early stages of this project. 

We know that this project targeted rats, stoats, and possums to protect,enhance and bring back local native wildlife. 

There has been lots of community and school involvement over the years so we decided to get involved and see what we could discover.  We wondered if we would discover anything now that we are mostly ‘predator free’.   We had lots of locations where we had seen trapping inventions out and about in our neighbourhoods.

We decided to test out some of the inventions.  We had a go at using chew cards and we put together some tracking tunnels.   While we were on our adventures we found out we knew heaps about trapping, tracking and native NZ species.  Putting out our chew cards was so exciting.   Here are some of the things we shared with each other.  

RESULTS:  

After 2 weeks , we are excited to find that we have had some visitors to our chew cards………but who and what ?  Judging by the teeth marks we think they were ‘invertebrates’ or mice.   We know they are not rats or stoats because the teeth marks are different.   That’s lucky !!!

Tracking Tunnels 

Now that we have discovered the chew cards we decided to try our hand at homemade tracking tunnels too.  We are putting these out and we will check these in the coming days and weeks to see if we can learn more about the creatures in our local environment.  However, through some good old experimenting and wondering we realised that our tracking tunnels were not going to be effective with our original placement of the bait tray at one end so we had to make some changes.   We know that the bait needs to go into the middle of the ‘inked’ section.   We will try fruit, peanut butter and cat food to see what we can attract.  

We can’t wait to see what tracks we find !!  Watch this space. 

Movement + Music = MAGIC !!

Ever had song lyrics stay in your head for the day, after you heard it once on the way to work ? Well that's what we are experiencing at the moment as we gear up for the Arts Celebration !! 

Term 3 is proving to be a very ‘holistic’ and authentic example of ‘valuing the whole child’ and not something that we left to chance either. We recognize that the arts absolutely complement and enhance learning in other areas such as Inquiry, Literacy, Maths and Te Ao Māori. A reasonable story becomes a beautiful poem with the removal of some key words, a poem morphs into a song with a sprinkle of repetition and before you know it you have a haka. Through music we have observed the beauty of movement, dance and actions coming naturally to our students. 

The arts have provided opportunities for students to express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas. They have been active participants in the planning process by creating, performing, and just appreciating the arts and all they have to offer. We are promoting a collaborative working environment where all students have multiple opportunities to shine. This is our mantra for the Arts Celebration. There are no lines, no scripts and plenty of planned spontaneity. You might be asking how this is even possible given the definition of spontaneity. This is never a one person job it takes a village as we always say. We will be needing your help a little closer to the time with some of the finer details.  This information will come out in the next week or 2 so watch this space. 

We have a long way to go yet but savouring each minute at a time.. Without ruining the ‘surprise’, here is a glimpse and some clues into the beginning of our journey. See if you can make some links between all of these and what you might expect to see…