prototypes - models

This is how our prototypes turned out. We only had a few colours of paint but can you guess which countries they reflect:

It was fantastic to see that all the finished models were functional or worked as puppet theatres. The groups that were finished, presented their theatres, checked off that they had what what was in the brief. They also said what they would do differently when they made their own puppet theatre.

Please return any books, library books, and library cards

Bring in a small box or shoe box - technology - puppet theatre

We will be making our individual puppet theatres soon. Do you have a shoe box or other small box you could send to class? (Actually any size as your child might want to make a larger one). We have quite a few bits and pieces for decorating. Depending on your child's design you might need to have a hunt around to see if you have any items they need. They can let you know once they have designed their final puppet theatre.

Technology and Puppet Theatres

Technology can be televisions, computers and cellphones. They have been created to solve a problem and make life easier. Technology can also involve creating something to solve a problem or meet a need e.g. go-karts are fun, can be used for entertainment and help us to move quickly from place to place. We have been making puppets to perform plays in class but something is missing...a puppet theatre!

In groups (by country) the children designed a brief for their puppet theatre. Here we are in our groups discussing and drawing the designs.

What does our puppet theatre need to have to work?

• a hole for the stage
• a hole at the back for the puppeteer
• to be decorated to look like a puppet theatre. Since we are in groups by country - it needs to reflect something from our country.

Finn made a puppet theatre at home. We were impressed at how he made a small hole at the back and used 2 boxes to make it higher. The curtains were pretty cool too.

After seeing how Finn made his puppet theatre, we set to work making our models in our groups.

We are doing a great job and our models or PROTOTYPES will be finished shortly. Watch this space. Then we will make our individual puppet theatres based on what we have learned. We might need to bring things from home to create our designs.

Family Night Tuesday 5pm - Wednesday if raining

Come to school, buy a sausage and settle in to watch the childrens' performances. They have been working so hard during the year. You can bring a picnic if you want.

DVD SPECIAL OFFER - Family Night only

Looking for a Christmas gift promoting good values for your child/children?  How about ordering a copy of Christine Fuller's latest DVD 'Helping at Home'. This video is an entertaining, and fast moving DVD featuring many large puppets engaging four young children. You will love watching lots of fun activities in and around the home, where the children are encouraged to "stick at it, and not give up."  Running time = 25 minutes.

Normally, the video retails for $20, but tomorrow only, the video can be ordered at Family Night, for $15 with a portion of each sale going to our school. Look for the sign 'DVD orders' outside the school office to make your order. Cash only please. 

Orders can be collected from Miss Bland by 10 December. 

See an excerpt of the DVD here.   

Contact Miss Bland if you have questions.  Email: kirstenb@arahoe.school.nz 

Friday Puppet Show

Our puppet show was in the hall on Friday. Christine ran the show with 20 puppets and she did different voices for all of them. The children said it was really funny. Christine has a surprise for family night. She is selling a DVD of a puppet performance at a special price!

Have you heard of a caiman?

A Caiman is a reptile that we learned about in class. It  lives in Brazil. A Caiman is a smaller type of crocodile. It is related to alligators but alligators only live in China and the United States.

The caiman is a large aquatic reptile found in the swamps and tropical rivers that cover Central and South America. Although the caimans have much narrower bodies, they are most closely related to alligators and crocodiles.

Caimans are found in a variety of habitats throughout Central and South America from marshes and swamps to mangrove rivers and lakes. As with other reptiles, caimans have scaly skin and live a fairly nocturnal existence.

Caimans range in size from the dwarf caiman which measures just over a meter in length, to the black caiman which can to grow to be nearly 5 meters long. The black caiman is the largest caiman species in the world and is found in the slow-moving rivers and lakes that surround the Amazon basin.

Look what Teresa brought in to class. It came from Australia. The children loved seeing the crocodile skull.

SWIMMING STARTS ON THURSDAY

Room 12 swimming starts on Thursday in a half hour slot before lunch.  Please send your child to school with named togs, a towel and a plastic bag or swimming bag for wet things. Goggles are optional.

We are learning to write information reports.

We have been learning to write information reports. Check out the information reports we have written about our families. The children wrote, proofread and filmed themselves. Because the children are at different stages of the writing process, some children may be on to the publishing stage and others may be planning, writing, editing and proofreading.

We Are Who We Are - Puppets

We are all part of communities and during the fair we saw our school community come together to put on a successful fair.

We have been learning that we are part of a family/whanau with its own culture and traditions. We have been making puppets to represent ourselves and our family members. We have LOVED making them.

About the Fair

What a wonderful fair it was! Thank you to parents, supporters AND Room 12 for making it such a success. This is what our stand looked like as we were packing away. Our big sellers were the necklaces, cupcakes and sand game. We sold out of chupachups and lollipops were popular too - lucky we had heaps!!!We had about 10 cupcakes left from all that baking and we could have sold the rest I reckon if we hadn't been closed down. Such fun!!!