Sound facts

• Sound comes from vibrations. These vibrations create sound waves which move through mediums such as air and water before reaching our ears.
• Our ears vibrate in a similar way to the original source of the vibration, allowing us to hear many different sounds.
• Dogs can hear sound at a higher frequency than humans, allowing them to hear noises that we can’t.
• Sound is used by many animals to detect danger, warning them of possible attacks before they happen.
• Sound can’t travel through a vacuum (an area empty of matter).
• The speed of sound is around 767 miles per hour (1,230 kilometres per hour).
• The loud noise you create by cracking a whip occurs because the tip is moving so fast it breaks the speed of sound!
• When traveling through water, sound moves around four times faster than when it travels through air.
• The scientific study of sound waves is known as acoustics.
• Although music can be hard to define, it is often described as a pleasing or meaningful arrangement of sounds.
• The sound of thunder is produced by rapidly heated air surrounding lightning which expands faster than the speed of sound.

platapus facts

The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal that has a very unusual appearance, it is duck-billed, has a beaver-like tail, lays eggs, has otter-like fur and webbed feet. The platypus is only found in eastern Australia in small rivers and streams within the states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. When descriptions, drawings and even live specimens of platypus were first taken back to Europe for study by British scientists many believed the animal was a hoax, a beaver's body sewn together with a duck's bill as some sort of joke. Platypuses and echidnas are the only two mammals in the world classed as monotremes which means that they lay eggs instead of giving birth. Females platypus lay 2 - 4 eggs, incubating them for two weeks. The back foot ankle spur of a male platypus contains a venom that is powerful enough to kill small animals such as dogs. The venom is not lethal to humans, but it can cause severe pain, that sometimes lasts for weeks. The average length of a male platypus is 50 cm (20 in), the smaller females average 43 cm (17 in) in length. Platypus weigh 1 to 2.4 kg. Platypuses can live more than 12 years in the wild. Their natural predators include snakes, water rats, hawks, owls, eagles and sometimes crocidiles. The platypus is an excellent swimmer, diving under water on average for around 30 seconds to forage for food before coming up for air. Platypus close their eyes and ears when under water, so in order to feed on worms, insects, and freshwater shrimp, they use their sense of electroreception and dig up muddy river beds with their bill to detect the electric fields of prey. The platypus uses pouches in its cheeks to carry prey back to the surface where it is eaten. The platypus eats about 20% of its own weight in food each day. The platypus is usually nocturnal, coming out at night or twilight to feed, sometimes they are also active on overcast days. The platypus sleeps on average up to 14 hours per day. The platypus was hunted for its fur until the early 20th century. It is now an Australian protected species. The platypus is the state animal of New South Wales (NSW). The platypus has been used as a mascot for national events in Australia and is featured on the Australian 20 cent coin.

wolf facts

• Wolves are excellent hunters and have been found to be living in more places in the world than any other mammal except humans.

• The wolf is the ancestor of all breeds of domestic dog. It is part of a group of animals called the wild dogs which also includes the dingo and the coyote.

• Most wolves weigh about 40 kilograms but the heaviest wolf ever recorded weighed over 80 kilograms!

• Adult wolves have large feet. A fully grown wolf would have a paw print nearly 13 centimetres long and 10 centimetres wide.

• Wolves live and hunt in groups called a pack. A pack can range from two wolves to as many as 20 wolves depending on such factors as habitat and food supply. Most packs have one breeding pair of wolves, called the alpha pair, who lead the hunt.

• Wolf pups are born deaf and blind while weighing around 0.5 kg (1 lb). It takes about 8 months before they are old enough to actively join in wolf pack hunts.

• Wolves in the Arctic have to travel much longer distances than wolves in the forest to find food and will sometimes go for several days without eating.

• When hunting alone, the wolf catches small animals such as squirrels, hares, chipmunks, raccoons or rabbits. However, a pack of wolves can hunt very large animals like moose, caribou and yaks.

• When the pack kills an animal, the alpha pair always eats first. As food supply is often irregular for wolves, they will eat up to 1/5th of their own body weight at a time to make up for days of missed food.

• Wolves have two layers of fur, an undercoat and a top coat, which allow them to survive in temperatures as low at minus 40 degrees Celsius! In warmer weather they flatten their fur to keep cool.

• A wolf can run at a speed of 65 kilometres per hour during a chase. Wolves have long legs and spend most of their time trotting at a speed of 12-16 kilometres per hour. They can keep up a reasonable pace for hours and have been known to cover distances of 90 kilometres in one night.

dog facts

In total there is said to be around 400 million dogs in the world. The domestic dog has been one of the most popular working and companion animals throughout human history. Dogs perform many useful tasks for humans including hunting, farm work and security as well as assisting those with disabilities such as the blind. Although experts often disagree, there is scientific evidence which shows that the domestication of dogs could have occurred more than 15,000 years ago. There are hundreds of different breeds of dogs. Examples of these breeds include: Bulldog, German Shepherd, Collie, Golden Retriever, St Bernard, Greyhound, Bloodhound, Chihuahua, Labrador, Great Dane, Rottweiler, Boxer and Cocker Spaniel. The most popular breed of dog in the world by registered ownership is the Labrador. With their gentle nature, obedience, intelligence and near limitless energy, Labradors make for excellent family pets and reliable workers. They often assist police and are a common choice as guide dogs. Dogs have formed such a strong bond as pets, workers and companions to humans that they have earned the nickname "man's best friend". Humans help train various dog breeds to enter in competitions such as breed shows, agility and obedience contests, racing and sled pulling. Dog have superior hearing than humans, capable of hearing sounds at four times the distance. Dogs have a remarkable sense of smell, they are capable of differentiating odors in concentrations nearly 100 million times lower than humans can. The average life span for a dog is around 10 to 14 years. Those involved in dog breeding refer to males as ‘dogs’, female dogs younger than a year old as ‘puppies’ and a group of offspring as a ‘litter’. Domestic dogs are omnivores, they feed on a variety of foods including grains, vegetables and meats.

Enviro hunt

We were talking about what we would see in the enviro medal that is in our school. We looked at some stuff, like what to look out for and what makes us an enviro medal.

We went to see what kind of gardens we would see. We looked at the Migrant Mother’s gardens and we saw the water tank, that a class long ago put there. It watered the plants for them. We looked for little insects.

We went down to the Redwood tree that is the oldest tree in the school. I wonder how long it has been there. It looked like our boss of our school. We hear a lot of cars going past our school and I think it scares the birds away sometimes.

We also went to look for a weta house and there was cockroaches inside it. We had to go through some evil prickles to get through. It was so smelly, it smelled like a dead rat, it did not smell good.

We looked at some plants like the plain tree. We all walked through the new path to go to the gardens. We looked at the glasshouse and the new seats inside the gardens.

We went up to the Totara tree and looked for the bat house. We also saw the blackbirds in the Totara tree.

We walked past the Kauri tree and the Kowhai tree. We all felt tired after that big walk.

Our puppy-Gus

On Friday Ava and I got a puppy called Gus.            

He is a Staffy x Mastiff. Gus is very playful and likes to nibble on anything he can get his paws onto. He loves all the attention that he gets.

            He is the most lovable dog in the world                        (but he likes to nibble hands and knees)

(but he farts a lot and they stink!!!)         

Writing

WALT Set up our writing page correctly.
SC □ margin □ date □ every second line □ blue to review □ red it to edit □ green for growth □ tickled pink Other expectations: □ neat handwriting □ capitals for names and start of sentences □ full stops to end a sentence

Te Reo lesson-Telling the time O'clock

Today my class learnt some maroi learning and this is what we learnt:

How to tell the time:

Ko te aha te wa? - What is the time?

Ko te _____ karaka te wa. - The time is _____

Numbers in maori:
Tahi-1
Rua-2
Toru-3
Wha-4
Rima-5
Ono-6
Whitu-7
Waru-8
Iwa-9
Tekou-10
Tekou ma tahi-11
Tekou ma rua-12


Reflection:
I learnt how to tell the time in maori.

Toolkit:
I followed the toolkit by being curious, engaged and connected.