Observations

Well today it was all about 'observing'. In science we are continuously refering to 'what can you see?' but do they really know 'how' to see?

We started off with thinking about what 'observing' actually meant and then the kids brainstormed all the different ways that we can observe something and the large number of synonyms for 'observe'. They loved using the new whiteboard tables to do this.

I decided to use the context of harakeke as we have an abundance of this resource in our school which is under used. After a discussion on the 'what' and 'why' of the tikanga regarding our native flax we were off, armed with craft knives and a set of new bug catchers. It was wonderful to see some of our Yr 8 girls volunteer and confidently read the karakia for us.

Of course, once back in class all the creepy crawlies that we found living on the harakeke were far more interesting than examining the harakeke leaves themselves so we went with that as a starting point. We found many insects and spiders that we were able to identify from the classification sheets we had and just as many that needed further investigation. We only just got started on the harakeke leaves when time was up! Wow that went fast. Can't wait to use the brand new magnifying glasses and microscopes in the next session.