What a turn out to our first ever Family Science Challenge!

Thank you for those that registered as it meant we had enough materials to investigate air, forces and energy while making Rotocopters.  We were encouraged to use evidence to explain our thinking and discoveries and had a blast! 

Using Evidence is the capability we have been encouraged to use this term while undertaking science activities.  This requires us to observe closely and report on what actually happens rather than making a theory about what might or could have happened.

I reported on the survey that was completed by our school community last year, and shared a graphic (picture below) that demonstrated the contexts for learning, that our school community considered important.  The words that are bigger, rated as more important by our school community.  We will be trying to reflect some of these in our planning for learning over the coming terms. 

The results have also seen a goal of establishing an outdoor classroom in our ngāhere (forest) on the bottom field so our students can learn about the treasures in our forest and the influences on this ecosystem. We have secured some funding grants to assist with this so look out  to volunteer for some working bees to help this goal come to fruition or let vickim@titirangi.school.nz know if you would like to be included in this project.

One of the ideas I shared at our science challenge was how to help our children learn science.  Consider the following guidelines and Let them Fly  for further information.

• Learning is their journey

• Let them navigate

• Push them to explore

• Watch them discover

• Encourage their questions

• Allow them to struggle

• Support their thinking

Let Them Fly!