Kaiaua Primary School Day 1

Today we went to the Kaiaua Primary School to teach the children about biodiversity and invertebrates. We boarded our bikes and headed out around 8:30. It felt like I was back in middle school, riding my bike to school.

Once we arrived things quickly started. It was strange, because when I was in school things seemed to take forever before we could even start the day. We had attendance, settling into our seats, morning announcements, and the pledge of allegiance. None of this happened today. Granted the school has three classes, and this class only has 20 students (though only 15 today).

We started the day off with an icebreaker game. You had to say your name, where you were from, what you want to be when you grow up, if you could be one animal what would it be, and what super-hero power you would want. It went well even though it was really long. Next we played two truths and a lie. The kids flew through the game. Normally it takes forever. Then it was on to real teaching.

Our first activity had the kids separating a group of cards into any grouping they wanted. Most of them grouped the cards by where they live. Next I taught them the difference between a vertebrate and an invertebrate (no back-bone). Then the students separated the cards into these two groups. Third we taught them about the six basic phylum of invertebrates (cnidarian, mollusca, echinoderms, annelids, porifera, and anthropods). It was really funny trying to get the kids to pronounce echinoderm and cnidarian. They were so cute
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Then it was lunch time, after which we took the kids outside for a walk around the campus. We were hunting down invertebrates. They loved it. We saw tons of monarch caterpillars and chrysalis all over the garden. We also found rolly-pollies (slate bugs), centipedes, slugs, spiders, and tons of ants. We lifted logs, dug in the dirt, turned the compost, and tramped through the garden.

Later in the day we did a camouflage game with the kids where they had to decorate/color a cut-out of a moth and hide it somewhere in the room. Can you find them?

One of the students' projects from the day before was to write haiku poems about the tragedy at the Pike River Mine down on the south island. They were beautifully written, and terribly sad.



When school ended, we biked down to the Kaiaua Store for some icecream. Yum!

Working on more directed research project stuff tomorrow, then thanksgiving is on Sunday!!! Weird, I know. Then back to the school on Monday. Two people from the Ministry for Education will be there too! I have to admit it's exciting but a little intimidating.