Daisy Chains

We had to pick and make a daisy chain. It was not easy to make one. I was getting grumpy because I couldn't make the cut in the stalk of the flower to put the piece through.

I counted the petls on three different flowers. 1 had 21 the other 25 and the last one had 28 petals on it

 

 on this side of the photo, you can see the petals I took off the flowerhead. It was very hard to count them being so small

This is a closeup of the chain. you can see where we used our nails to cut into the stalks and put the stem through

This is a close up photo of a daisy I picked. I like the brightness of the yellow middle 

BINGO! Get to know a tree

 

What to do

1. Choose a tree

Head into your backyard and choose a tree 

This is a kowhai tree. I had to do some activities for boys brigade so have a bark rubbing, leaves and flowers from the tree we have in the garden.

2. Record your observations

What animals do you notice in and around this tree? We have heard bellbirds, tui's and seen lots of wax eyes in the tree. Mum said the wood pigeons love being in there too. Under the tree is chickens as it is on the edge of the chicken run

Record any interactions between animals and the tree. Look closely for birds and insects on the branches, trunk, and in the surrounding soil.

Consider:

• What reasons would the observed animals have for visiting or living on this tree? The bellbirds, tuis, and pigeons love to eat the nectar from the flowers. The chickens would use the tree to hide in the shade on a hot day. 
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• What else do you notice about this tree?  The flowers are yellow and drop down in bunches. the leaves on the tree are very small and in lines the bark is smooth it's a young tree. Mum said they turn a very dark brown colour almost black colour when very old. When Mum was younger she had three in her yard and used to play and climb in them when the birds weren't in them Pigions used to love them and dive bomb her when flying around the tree
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• Would you notice different things around this tree at different times of day? I think in the mornings it would be more busier with birds waking up
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• Would you notice different things on different days and over the coming weeks. On a wet day, I don't think you would see much. i don't like coming out in the rain so why would birds On a fine day they would be plenty happening the birds would be extra hungry from hiding in the rain
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• Would you notice different things about this tree at different times and over the coming weeks? As the birds go from flower to flower they would eat all the nectar and then be nothing left the birds will leave the tree alone

Conservation Week Bingo

For conservation week we have a bingo board to fill in. This is my something down low. It was to wet to go outside but I found this or mum found this first.

Yesterday while Mum was in my room she found a honey bee on the window sill. It probably flew in on the weekend when the windows were open. It looked pretty sad so we gave it a sugar-water drink and then put it outside on the porch by the kitchen. Mum said the water should give it some energy to be able to fly away back home.

It was really cool to see one up close. I was reading a book yesterday with my reading group about a man who photo's bugs and insects in his garden. This reminded me of that.

Lego Weekly Challenge

This is a white heron and beside it is Mum's version of a New Zealand Falcon. She wanted to make something as well

I'm going to tell you about the white heron. The white heron is on the New Zealand two dollar coin 

The white heron is found in New Zealand on the West Coast on waitangiroto river down at Whatatroa. The Maori name for it is kotuku. You can take a guided jet boat ride to see them from September to January when they are breeding.  Birds make their nests in the crowns of tree ferns or in kōwhai or kāmahi trees along the bank of the river 

We see them on our way to town in the farm paddocks, creeks, and on the river. When we go into lake mahinapua for a look you can always see some before September.

They eat little fish like whitebait, eels, frogs, mice, insects, and small birds like wax eyes. 

Mum said my neighbour has to put netting over her fish pond as she had one that used to come for breakfast and eat her gold fish. It would sit on the roof of the house and wait 

 

It must have looked like a real bird to my cat as this is what it looks like after she attacked it!

Update on Maths

 I got 17 progress-ins this week it was fun this week and harder. For my minutes I got 98 minutes this week. I have 7882 coins in my maths whizz. This week I got 724 coins this week.

Boys Brigade

 Boys Brigade Lockdown Activities 

August 25th 2021 By Toby and Mum

I wasn’t too happy to hear Mum had contacted John while I was out with Dad in the truck to find out about activities for brigade but when she said John had said no we would wait until Friday to see what happens and sort it next week It was ok. I was a little upset I might not get all my stars to carry on to the gold section but mum said im sure there will be a chance to do something to make these days up if and when we can. Then Charlotte messaged Mum and said she was happy to hear I wanted to do some extra things that she would send them to Mum. They weren’t too bad and I got to choose what ones I wanted to do and if I wanted to do them. 

The three tasks were

1. Identify 5 native plants and take a leaf or bark rubbing. 

2. Prepare and cook breakfast, lunch or tea

    Extra star for setting the table

3. Create my own obstacle course and time myself doing it

I thought really, I’m not cooking I can’t do that but after talking to Mum and deciding that it could be an easy one like chicken wraps, Yes that was going to be the first thing I’ll do.

Below are the photo’s Mum took of me preparing, cooking and plating the chicken wraps I made. I really wasn’t into cooking the chicken. I’ve been in the kitchen when the pan has spat at mum and didn’t like it. Mum said she wouldn’t let that happen to me so we started prepping. I first started with cutting up mushrooms and putting them into a pan with some butter. These were for mum’s wraps, I don’t like mushrooms.

I cut the chicken up watching the sharp knife. It was hard to get used to cutting something like chicken but I got there. I put it into a bowl with oil and the crumb mix. Mixed it all around. Mum got the pan hot and I put the chicken into the pan to cook. It didn’t spit but I was still afraid of the pan and dropped a piece right after mum took the photo of me placing the chicken on the pan. We rubbished that piece as you can’t cook it after it’s been on the floor. Yuck 

Mum carried on cooking the chicken after this as I was not going to do it anymore. While mum was cooking the chicken I set the table for us. Placemats knife and fork a glass for a drink and a paper towel for our hands afterward. Yes the knives and forks were just for show as we used our hands to eat these

Once the chicken was cooked she put it into a dish with a paper towel to drain any extra oil off of the chicken.

We put the wraps in the microwave to warm them up I spread mayonnaise onto them added cheese after that to mine and lettuce first to mums ones. Mushrooms for mum’s sour cream for both of them the chicken on top.

They were really easy to make and really yummy to eat. Making them myself I felt really good and if mum lets me I’d do it again. I might even have a go and try something else next time.

Now I have to choose my next activity to do and get more stars 

 

Mrs Kings Day off hunt

 Mrs King gave the whole school a day off on the 31st of August as we had all been working so well over the first week of lockdown. Did you know that this is the last day of winter and we go into spring on the 1st of September. I like September as it's my birthday month. I know lots of people born in September my karate teacher Zephyr my mum and it's also the start of whitebait fishing

This whole scavenger hunt made me think 

Mrs King's scavenger hunt has 30 different things we had to find. The sunny day made it nice to go outside and look for things. Mum decided it would be nice to go for a walk so we jumped in the car and we got very surprised when the police officer stopped her for speeding. He didn't give her a ticket but told her we shouldn't be driving to go for a walk in level 4 we could do it tomorrow in level 3 thou. We were right beside the Mananui walkway so we went there instead of the Mahinapua one that Mum wanted to go to.  

Found something unexpected when Mum got pulled over                      this is the same type of police car as we didn't get a photo

I never noticed the Manannui Walkway before. we travel pass this everyday and I thought it was just some bush. It's a walk that goes down to the beach only takes 20 minutes to do the walk. 

These are some of the things we found along the walk we did

This is what I seen up very high 

it was fun walking through the bush 

      

This weka was hiding in the bush                 this is something round a fishing buoy on a round fence post

This is the beach at Mananui looking down towards our place. Mum said the mountain in the distance is Mt Cook or Aoraki. This is something that makes me happy and helps me relax. I can not see anything in the sky and that makes a big change to the clouds we have had for the last couple of days. 

I wonder where the dog came from that made these prints in the sand? I wonder what type of dog it is? 

                 

These two stones have spots on them. I'm going to paint the other side of these and then put back along the track for someone to find.

  

These next photos were a really cool find.

 

Walking along the track to the beach you couldn't see this hollow tree with stones in them you could only see it when walking back to the carpark 

This next find was very hard to get a good photo this is a white striped mushroom we found on the side of the track 

these tiny pebbles i found on the beach I thought the green one may have been a piece of greenstone

I couldn't find all the things on our walk so I started to look around home as well and these are what I found

When we got home it was time for lunch and mum made me a snack of tatties they smell good

Mum has a plant in her garden that has a beautiful flower this is the tree 

this is a magnolia tree the leaves come after it has flowered

 

This has been very intricate to make. there are lots and lots of pieces to make it this far. I'm over half way through it. i hope I can get it finished by the end of lockdown. it has taken me a few months doing it while it rains with the help of my dad

This is the motor for the forklift. I have a remote to be able to move it when it is finished

This is something colourful in my home. These are my karate belts that I have got. 

When we were at the beach we found the sea and that is wet and cold but that was to easy mum said so I had to think a little more and after chatting to mum about different things my dogs nose is wet and cold 

Something soft

Both my cats are soft and make a sound when they purr

This is Naharla

This is Fluffy

these photo's were hard to get and I had to do some research to make sure they were unique to new zealand in the bowl there are wax eyes eating the bread mum put in it. The wax eye was first recorded  in new zealand in 1832 and since there is no evidence that it was artificially introduced it is classified as a native bird

this is marley sitting at the bottom trying to catch a bird that might drop down Mum says she is naughty

This is my last one and it is the best one of all 

Something that moves 

something that makes me happy 

something that smells good 

something that makes a sound 

something i appreciate 

something special 

something symmetriccal or the closet I could find in my search outside

something I could give away but I am not going to 

something that makes me think

All these things are my motorbike