special holidays, festivals, etc

Here in NEw Zealand we have a mix of cultures, religions, etc. Of course, all that gives way to CONSUMERISM, CAPITALISM and the huunger for the almighty DOLLAR.


any idea what these things are? have yo uconsidered what effects our greedy society is having on us , our communities and our planet?

do you care? probably not - you're only little squidlets who need not overly concern yourselves with the ways of th eworl djust yet. however! i know some of you are very socially, morally and environmentally conscious. I feel relieved that there are such good people thinking and acting - perhaps the human race will redeem itself.
8>)

my rant aside, i am wondering what you think about the various things we celebrate here. you may realise it is different in different countries. g-man's speech enlightened us about differences in Spain when recognising birthdays.
halloween has only recently become something we acknowledge here. is it a good thing? what is the point of it? do you have any idea what it's all about? or is it just about threatening poor neighbours into giving you treats? that seems a bit rude to me. of course, i'm all for dressing up and having fun too.

let the discussion begin...

Animal Campers Rule!

animal camp is fantastic! our kids must have been the best group. we did cool things and everyone had a great time - i hope.
feel free to post opinions about animal camp. we'd love to hear from other animal campers who may get into blog use like the ROOM5IANS have.
8>)
thanks for a wonderful week... and the gorgeous kiwi

mr woody

sunday drawing fun

its so nice to try to relax [even though i have a camp to take tomorrow] and doodle on a blustery sunday
8>)
who else has done something creative?

clustermap

our clustermap is going off!
we are getting popular in more places - see america exploding with interest? but which countries would you say were notable by their lack of views? and would you have any theories to share regarding those countries that haven't shown any interest - for example, a major world power, with a huge land mass, has no views - it is a former communist regime that used to be oppressive, but now has more freedom. why might it be noticeably missing from our world fan club? or is this too tricky a question for such little folk who can barely read [according to start tests]
;>)

disaster or not?

the recent STAR test results certianly gave me a fight and had me thinking maybe a change of career might be required, but i have neglected to celebrate those results that demonstrated improvements by some of you - i know paper scissors improved - well done!!!!
does anyone else have a success story to tell from that test?
or could you list other subject areas where you think you may have developed or improved your knowledge or skills? for example, room5ian and spud and many others have developed personal research skills. alpha and primprim have developed wiki skills. kittykat has created amazing writing online to share with others in her writing community. hopefully soon the authors of the cheesey problem might publish it online to get feedback from others and have an international audience.
tell me more
8>)
you guys rock

... p.s. be cheerful in the spirit of the egyptian chicken salesman and love life

Prizes for serious Room5ian Bloggers

you blog, you win!!!
Hybrid CARS!
Beach HOuses!
Private Yachts!
OVerseas Trips, all expences paid!

- [prizes may vary and not be the same as those advertised]

Room5ian and Kittykat will announce the winners each Friday after assembly

TERM FOUR TOPIC headsup

start looking into:

* our sun and moon
* our atmosphere
* the greenhouse effect
* our weather and climate change
* environmental issues associated with climate change and habitat change
* eco house design

Blogger Buzz

Search Blogger for "Blogger Buzz" to find a page dedicated to blogger action groups concerned with environmental issues
8>)

ancient egyptian chicken heaven

now that our dear departed chickens have been mummified, we can move on to embalming and preparation for their journey to the ancient egyptian chicken afterlife.

how will you prepare them?

will you use heiroglyphs? wrapping? a decorated sarcophagus? are canopic jars necessary? will you compose some poultry 'spells' to help them negotiate their way into the afterlife? which 'gods' might they have to encounter to gain access to chicken heaven?

we should help them on their way this week and i would like it to be artistic and based on your inquiry learning.

post ideas here for others to comment on.

Homework

week one homework:

1. See if you can find info to work out why a supposedly 'dead' battery will start powering an electronic device after being rolled and rubbed a bit. I often find this is the case, [as demonstrated today with the stopped clock] and i wonder why... [by Wednesday]

2. Learn the meanings and spelling of your word study list. [by Friday]

3. Complete the All Black World Cup loss P.M.I. and work out a 40-60 second speech, based on that P.M.I., to be delivered in groups tomorrow.

4. Mathmate - due Friday

5. Complete your overdue assignments by Friday - Speeches and last term's inquiry project.

6. Start looking for information on the Moon, Sun, our atmosphere and space travel.

term four topics

a list for you to comment on and add to....

maths - algebra, probability, graphing

PE - athletics, fitness

Language - speeches, reading groups

Topic - animal welfare, animal rights - space and space travel - our planet and its influences - greenhouse effect - environemental issues - eco house design

digital story telling - this is something really cool which we will learn properly from experts.

camps - camps will be cleared up in the first week back. details will be sorted. you will know what you are doing.

hope you are enjoying your hols - i am going to enjoy having a bathroom and laundry back - we've had none for three weeks!

Lamontikon

Hi kidlets - i am sanding and painting my new bathroom and laundry so my head is addled from fumes, but i thought i better post before you came rabid with boredom and terror at the prospect of writing speeches, etc. by the way - don't stress. remember? just do your best.

as for creative interests, my comic thing is getting better and i have had flickr inspiration from a dude who has a cool comic called Lamontikon.
the creator seems to be a very nice chap who wrote to me and i found his work and his comments inspirational. i recommend you flex your creative muscles this week before you head back to school to have your creativity and imagination crushed by the mind numbing horror that is school.
huzzah!!!

This is what the famous author guy wrote to me:

"When I started drawing in my pages-of-boxes style, back in1996, the name Lamont spontaneously popped into my headanytime I drew the little mushroom-headed alien I now thinkof as Lamont. Lamont means "the mountain", and is a symbol for the path to enlightenment, and a place from which the view is spectacular. As I drew, I began to unfold a narrative in which the drawings and the character could work, resulting in Lamont's position as Transdimensional Systems Analyst working for an entity and project which remains uncertain. He sits in his office cube, much like myself, and recieves seemingly random graphic datastreams, representing a multitude of perspectives and points-of-view. "Ikon" is simply a reworking of the word "icon", which defines the little images he analyses, and Lamont himself as a symbolic meme-being. I like the way the word "Lamontikon" resonates with known words like"Satyricon" or "lexicon", or "Paragon" and "polygon". Iguess I just like words and symbols, and I like simpledrawings that move the consciousness past the word andstraight to the concept or the thing it represents.and stuff :~) "


So, I suggest you follow your own creative instincts as he has and see what you can achieve.
respect - Mr Woody