Day: June 28, 2022

Manawatia a Matariki

Last week, New Zealand as a nation marked the first public holiday for Matariki.  Matariki is a time to reflect on the past, celebrate with whanau and look forward to the future.

Kites have always played an important role in Māori culture, particularly during the winter season when they were flown to signify the start of Matariki, the Māori New Year.

Room 3 created some beautiful kites, and stars and enjoyed a yummy Kai, sausage sizzle to signify and acknowledge the celebration. 

Too much Plastic in our World!

In Room 6 we have been discussing the advantages and disadvantages of plastic in our world. On the one hand, plastic is great because it is a durable, hardwearing material that can last a long time. We can use it for storage containers, toys, furniture and so much more. On the other hand, plastic is not so great for exactly the same reason, it is durable and lasts for a long time. This means when we throw anything plastic away, it does not break down like food scraps or organic matter like wood. It stays around for many, many years. We read the story Celia Seagull and the Plastic Sea and discovered how lethal plastic can be to sea creatures.

One day after lunch we decided we would see how much plastic litter we could find around the school. The results were shocking.

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With the help of Miss Eve, our student-teacher we sorted the rubbish into different piles. There were lots of plastic yoghurt containers, chippie packets, drink cartons with straws and spoons and forks. We then spoke about how we could reduce the amount of plastic being used and then dumped. We thought about how wasteful it is to have small packets of snacks and lollies when you can buy a big bag and share it out into smaller reusable containers.

We looked at 12-year-old Lauren Greer’s invention, the Rubbish Taniwha https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/115404552/girls-rubbish-taniwha-reveals-silage-wrap-pollution which collects rubbish in our waterways. We then designed our own machines for collecting rubbish.

What could you do to save our environment from too much plastic?