Social Sciences: Whānaungatanga, Celebrations, and Our Economy
This term, our class is embarking on an exciting 8-week Social Sciences journey exploring Belonging, Celebrations, and How Our Economy Works!
At School We Are Learning:
Groups We Belong To: Recognizing our whānau, school class, sports teams, and cultural groups, and talking about how belonging helps us feel safe, accepted, and connected.
Places & Expressions: Exploring special places in our community (local parks, beaches, street neighbourhoods, marae) and expressions of belonging like greetings (Kia ora, Tālofa), uniforms, and songs.
Symbols of Aotearoa NZ: Identifying formal symbols (NZ flag, anthem, coins) and informal symbols (silver fern, kiwi bird, the colour black).
🏠 Try This at Home:
Talk About Your Whānau: Look through family photos together. Talk about the different groups your family belongs to (e.g., sports clubs, faith groups, local community groups).
Greeting Hunt: Practice different greetings at home or when meeting neighbours (Kia ora, Tālofa, Mālō e lelei, Hello).
Symbol Spotting: On a walk or drive, see how many New Zealand symbols (kiwi birds, silver ferns, NZ flags, coins in a piggy bank) you can spot together!
At School We Are Learning:
Days of Commemoration: Discovering why we have special days in New Zealand to remember the past and honor important people (e.g., Waitangi Day, Anzac Day, Matariki).
Community & Faith Celebrations: Learning how different cultures and faiths celebrate special times (e.g., Chinese New Year, Diwali, Easter, Eid, Christmas) and observe awareness days like Pink Shirt Day (kindness/anti-bullying) and Daffodil Day.
🏠 Try This at Home:
Family Traditions: Share a story with your child about a special celebration or tradition your family enjoys. What foods do you eat? What special clothes or decorations do you use?
Calendar Chat: Look at a wall calendar or digital calendar together and point out upcoming public holidays or cultural festivals. Talk about why that day is special.
At School We Are Learning:
Goods, Services, and Money: Understanding that money pays for Goods (things we can touch and keep, like apples or shoes) and Services (actions or skills people perform, like haircuts or bus rides).
Needs vs. Wants: Learning that limited money means making choices! We prioritize Needs/Essentials (food, warm clothes, shelter) before Wants/Non-essentials (toys, treats).
Class Social Action Project: Working as a class to plan, promote, and carry out a small fundraising or donation drive (e.g., collecting cans for a local food bank or supporting Pink Shirt Day) to make others feel supported and connected.
🏠 Try This at Home:
Supermarket Sorting Game: At the grocery store or during kitchen prep, ask your child: "Is this item a GOOD or a SERVICE?" (e.g., the apple is a good; the baker making the bread is providing a service).
Needs vs. Wants Challenge: When making a shopping list together, ask your child to help categorize items: "Is milk a NEED or a WANT?" "Is a chocolate bar a NEED or a WANT?"
Piggy Bank & Sharing: Talk about what your family does with money: Spending on needs, Saving for the future, and Sharing with others in need.
Science: My Amazing Body
This term, our class is exploring how the human body works—how it takes in what it needs to survive, how muscles and sense organs work together, and how balanced nutrition keeps us healthy and active.
In class, tamariki are investigating:
Human Body Basics: How our bodies take in air, food, and water to survive, move, and grow, and how our bodies clear out waste.
Breathing & Moving: How our ribcage expands and collapses when we breathe, and how muscles tighten (contract) and loosen (relax) to move us around.
Our 5 Senses: How our sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, skin, tongue) send signals about light, sound, touch, smell, and temperature to our brain.
Nutrition & Kai: The main nutrients our bodies need—Carbohydrates (energy), Proteins (growth & repair), Fats (warmth & stored energy), Vitamins & Minerals (keeping healthy), and Water.
To build and demonstrate their understanding, students will be:
Body Mapping: Drawing and labeling diagrams with arrows to trace the path of air, food, and water entering and leaving the body.
Sensory Investigations: Testing light/dark, warm/cool, and strong/weak smells at practical science stations.
Food Classification: Sorting everyday grocery items into nutrient categories.
Healthy Kai Plates: Designing a balanced lunchbox or dinner plate that includes all essential nutrient groups.
Students will share their learning journeys by:
Teaching a classmate or buddy how their ribcage and muscles work during breathing and movement.
Presenting their "Balanced Kai Plate" designs to their peers.
Sharing their annotated body maps and food classification charts on our digital class platform.
Ribcage Check: Have your child place their hands on their ribs (or yours!) while taking a slow, deep breath in and out. Ask them: "What are your ribs doing? Is your chest expanding or collapsing?"
Muscle Detectives: While cooking, playing, or walking, ask your child to feel their arm or leg muscles. Can they tell when the muscle feels tight (contracted) versus soft (relaxed)?
Mystery Bag (Touch): Place 4–5 everyday items in a pillowcase (e.g., a feather, a tennis ball, an ice cube, a piece of velvet). Have your child reach in without looking and describe the texture before guessing what it is.
Smell Test (Nose & Brain): Dab a little vanilla, lemon juice, or peanut butter on cotton buds. Have your child close their eyes, smell each one, and explain how their brain recognised the scent.
Pantry Sorting (Classification): When putting away groceries, ask your child to help sort items into nutrient groups:
"Which ones give us energy?" (Carbohydrates: oats, potatoes, rice, bread)
"Which ones help our muscles grow?" (Proteins: eggs, meat, beans, nuts)
"Which ones keep us healthy?" (Vitamins/Minerals: apples, broccoli, carrots)
Build-a-Plate: Next time you make dinner or pack a lunchbox, ask your child to identify if the meal has a mix of carbohydrates, protein, vegetables/fruits, and water.