Category: Ako | Learn

On Tuesday at 10am, Room 6 went to the stone cottage and I was so excited to go with my friends to see something new. Well it is actually a very old house which is just in front of our school. The house was brown and is made of stone.

The people who showed us around were Patrick,Terry and Josephine who was an old lady who just sat in the living room! At first we went to the living room where there was cool old stuff  like an old picture of Panmure where our school is and where the stone cottage was before it was moved. It was in Mt Wellington near McDonalds.

Next we went to the bedroom, where I saw a picture of Phoebe Dunn with her baby. Terry showed Room 6 around the kitchen, and I saw a doll sitting down in her highchair and  another old picture of Panmure. Later on we went upstairs and some people hit their heads because the stairs were very small and low.

The next room was very interesting. It had an old perfume, corset and a man’s old boots and some old fashion outfits. They looked very pretty! Next we went to the kid’s bedroom. There were lots of dolls in the house and mannequins which scared me and Patrick showed us a map of New Zealand in the olden days. I thought it was a very interesting house to visit.

On Monday it was the first day of school and these women named Kate and Kyla came to room 6. Kate and Kyla work for Auckland Transport. Kate and Kyla came to our class because they wanted to check Room 6’s bike skills and to see if we can ride safely.

Kate and Kyla told us to wear the right clothes. Everyone in Room 6 was wearing the right clothes. Then Room 6 had to line up along the fence near the top court. We had to be from the shortest to tallest so the tallest had to get the big bikes and the shorter people had to get the little bikes.

Some of the Room 6 people went with Kate but lots of people in Room 6 went with Kyla. We had to check our bikes first before we rode on them and make sure to wear our helmets firmly on our heads. This is the A, B, C, D and Q check! A is for air, B is for brakes, C is for chain and control, D is for drop test, Q is for quick release. The others and I went to the top court  and some people went to the canopy.

Next we started riding on the bikes. I was excited to ride on mine. The other people that were with me played a game with their bikes. It is called “The slow game” and it was really fun and we kept on playing the slow game. I didn’t really enjoy it that much because I kept on falling down. In the end I was faster than my friends.

Finally I was very confident and fast when I rode on my bike. I learned so many new things that make cycling fun.

Thank you Bigfoot Adventures for coming to our school and learning some new skills.

This month we celebrated Matariki, on the 14th of July. The whole of New Zealand had a public holiday and we were still on school holidays. Matariki means the eyes of god, and we learned about the god of the wind, Tawhiritamea who threw his eye up into the sky because he was angry that his parents got separated. He blows wind all around us everyday.

You can see in the picture the Matariki cardboard stars we made with cardboard circles and two different coloured wool. We had fun making these.

Last week my class and I learned how to play knuckle bones which is a game Maori children used to play long ago and also my dad said he played knuckle bones when he was young. I had fun playing knuckle bones even though we used little stones.

I am an old wise man. I like being in thunder and storms sometimes, but I’m not lonely. I’m happy to be in nature and I know how to cook and look after myself. Sometimes people make fun of me but I don’t mind. My ancestors have lived here a long time and I have learned everything I know from them. I’m tall and very skinny and can still run fast.I am resourceful.

On Tuesday morning after morning tea we played a ki o rahi tournament out on the field. Rooms 6, 7, and 8 children had to wear our house colours, which are blue for Rimu, grren for Kauri, yellow for Totara and red for Rata. I was in Rimu house. Coach Trey was my coach. Coach trey is really good at ki o rahi and reffing. Room 6,7, 8 were playing, and some people were watching on the wall.  I was cheering for Kauri and Kauri won. Most people had 2 turns but I gave my turn away to someone else. There were 6 rounds and I was in the second round. I helped some people score in the game and I was a guardian. It was a really good day out in the sun with my friends.

Last Thursday we ate ANZAC biscuits. I was happy as the class had to smell, feel and taste them. When I tasted the ANZAC biscuits, they were crunchy, crispy and hard like a rock. The ingredients were butter, flour, baking soda, coconut, and golden syrup. It looked like a hula hoop and was round like the moon. It tasted sweet. A long time ago women would bake these biscuits and send them to their sons and husbands in the Army. Did you know the First World War was in 1915 which is over 100 years ago?