Waimarino

I hear screams, shouts, counting down from 10. My belly bounces up and down while crazy people energetically play with my mimi blob. Children grabbing onto my ladder pulling themselves up while rocking me side to side. I look up at the cloudy sky when I see a brave girl about to get blobbed. Bang! The girl goes flying through the sky and drops like an elevator into the water. Waves start to form...

They waves sneakily glide under me. I rattle like a snake. They come out the other side of me over and over again. The old platform that floats over ice cold water slightly moves side to side. The trees rumble making bigger waves.

Homework Challenges: Academic Excellence

Improve you study skills - Research Rimu:

Where do you find it?
It can be found around much of the North Island and the lowland forests of the South Island, especially on the West Coast, where the densest populations can be seen.

Why is it important to Maori?
Rimu is used for medicine. The aromatic leaves of this conifer were used in vapour baths.

Also Rimu grows abundantly throughout New Zealand. The bark of the Rimu tree was the most valuable medicinally to the Maori.

- Dacrydium cupressinum

What uses does it have?
Uses:
- The juicy red cup that holds the seed was eaten by Maori.
- The resinous heartwood was split into slivers and tied in bundles for torches.
- Used in beer brewing by Captain Cook.
- Where Kauri did not grow, European settlers used Rimu as the main building timber.
- The bark became a common source of tannin for tanning certain qualities of leather.
- Used most recently for furniture, woodturning and carving.
Medicine:
- The inner bark of the rimu tree was beaten into pulp and put on burnt skin.
- The pulped bark was combined with water and hot stones in a calabash, and dabbed on ulcers or running sores.
- The gum of the young tree was used to stop wounds bleeding.
- The leaves were used on sores.
- The aromatic leaves of this conifer were used in vapor baths.

Why is Rimu the best tree in the school?
Rimu is the best tree in the school because Rimu can live to a ripe old age – 1000 years is not unheard of, although 500-600 is probably more the norm. Also the Rimu tree is very helpful, because you can make useful items out of it. Like tables, carving, woodturning. It can also be used for medicine. The bark off the tree was used helpful when you burn your skin. The leaves were used for sores. There is so much more that is useful and helpful about Rimu. Also the Rimu tree seeds are dispersed by birds like the kakapo, which eat the fleshy scale and pass the seed on in their droppings. Thats special because the kakapo is the heaviest parrot in the world. It’s possibly the longest lived bird species in the world; the low adult mortality rate suggests a mean life expectancy of 90 years, It’s flightless and It’s the only parrot that has a ‘lek’ breeding system.

RIMU
Maori Name: Rimu / puaka.
Common Name: Red Pine
Botanical Name: Dacrydium cupressinum
In Mäori,rimu (often in its doubled up form rimurimu).

One of the prized timber trees Rimu is well known for its strength and durability, often used in furniture, although very little is milled these days. Much of New Zealand’s rimu has been logged, however a halt to commercial logging of the last large remaining forests on the south Islands west coast was put in place in 1999.

Appearance:
Rimu is a slow-growing tree, eventually attaining a height of up to 50 meters. Its lifespan is approximately 800 to 900 years. The leaves are small and awl-shaped. The seeds are dispersed by birds like the kakapo, which eat the fleshy scale and pass the seed on in their droppings.

Current Events - World’s best guard dog?

World’s best guard dog?

P= I predict that this article is about a dog that is guarding his house on the roof.

C = Nothing.

Q = How does he get up on the roof? How long does he stay up there?

S = This article is about a rottweiler standing guard on the roof of his home.

Current Events - Sleepwalker’s lucky escape

Sleepwalker's Lucky Escape

P= I predict this article is about an old man who is camping out in the bushes in his tent and sleep walks in the forest and nearly falls off a cliff.

C = None :)

Q = Did he know he could sleepwalk? How far away was the cliff from were he left?

S = A man who sleepwalks off a cliff and dislocated his shoulder, a fractured leg and a head injury. The rescuers say that he is lucky to be alive.

Current Events - Pajama Bus Thief

Pajama Bus Thief

P= I predict that it will be about a person dressed in their pyjamas and they steal something from the bus.

C = Saskatoon - An industrial city in south central Saskatchewan, situated in the Great Plains on the South Saskatchewan River; pop. 202,340 (2006).

Q = Why would a little boy want to thief a bus? How old was he?

S = Its about a little boy wearing pyjamas that steals a bus and drives it into a truck then into bus.

Current Events - Restaurant bans ketchup

Restaurant Bans Ketchup!

P= I predict that it will be about a fancy Restaurant that does not allow ketchup because it is messy and it stains.

C = Nothing

Q = Why ban Ketchup for people over ten years old? Do you think people will come back to this Restaurant?

S = In Florida a restaurant has band ketchup and salt because the chef thinks that they already have enough ketchup and salt in their meal.  

Current Events - Candy That Doesn't Cause Cavities? Sweet!

Article Comprehension:

What causes cavities?

Scientists believe that streptococci mutans in the saliva causes tooth enamel to wear down resulting in the dreaded holes or cavities.

What was the genius idea the scientists at Oragano Balance came up with to try combat cavities?

They discovered a way to take the bacteria of the teeth.

What was the experiment they conducted to test their thesis? 

They made two batches of mint candles and found people to test them.

Was it successful?

Not yet.