Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Day 4 - Chiang Mai


Good morning from Chiang Mai!

We are about to embark on our final day's activities, followed by a visit to the night market which the children are excited about. Their spending money has been burning a hole in their pockets and many are itching to spend it. Many children are thoughtfully talking about the presents they intend to buy for family members. Keep checking the photo and video gallery at the bottom of the blog. Each group takes a camera every day to capture the fun and we have uploaded each evening.

4pm - Another great day, no time to stop! Showers packing, then out for evening meal and the eagerly anticipated night market!

Photos will be updated for today later this evening.

Day 3 - Chiang Mai

Obviously the fun is catching up with a few children as almost all were still sound asleep at 6.15 this morning and needed to be practically shaken awake. Conversely, the teachers jumped out of bed bright and early and, after a 5 mile jog, a quick 20 laps of the pool and a sunrise yoga session, joined the children for a hearty breakfast.

Following breakfast, we split into groups again.

GROUP 1: The children set off for the elephant farm in high spirits. One noisy journey later, they arrived in even higher spirits and rushed to buy bananas for the elephants. They were soon brought back down to earth when, whilst trying to feed the elephants one banana at a time, were shocked to find that these intelligent animals just reached past the children and grabbed whole bunches of bananas that were apparently 'hidden' from view! After the elephant 'show', we took a ride on the elephants through the forest. Lunch was yet another delicious spread and, after a short break, we climbed aboard the bamboo rafts and sailed down the river. Actually, to be more precise, the teachers rafted down the river whilst the children spent most of the time in the water, swimming between rafts and shrieking with delight the whole time. A brilliant afternoon, finished off by (yet another) round of ice creams!

GROUP 2: Bikes, Mud, Team building and The Prem farm.
(Miguel A)
After a refreshing sleep, we got changed, ate, walked to the bikes and we started our long journey to the buffalo farm. We passed picturesque landscape and we felt like we were biking somewhere in the province of the Philippines. Only when we saw Thai writing we realized we were in Chiang Mai. At the buffalo farm we got to plough in the mud with buffalo. Chris, Josh, Ben and I each got 2 house points for being the first to volunteer when no one else would. One of the most memorable experiences was jumping on to a buffalo from behind, I also enjoyed planting rice and eating sugar made from the juice of sugarcane (which was made by making the buffalo walk in circles and a wheel it was attached to crushed it). Later, we biked to the prem center for lunch. Team Building was the next activity. We played 2 games: Sherman Tank and bean bag, my favourite was Sherman Tank because I won with Ben. Next we went to the farm and learned about how prem center recycles everything. There are also boars, goats, chickens, rabbits and water buffalos there. We did a scavenger hunt and we got a first hand experience of farming when we planted cucumber seedlings. I can't wait for the Khantoke dinner and the elephant camp tomorrow.

GROUP 3:
(By James)
Its been so fun in cooking. Heres all the things we learnt so far. We had a long walk all the way to the farm and saw little bunnies. The guide told us all about the plants and farm animals. After that we started to collect the ingredients for our fried rice and soup. Later we rode on the van back to start cooking. The head chef explained and showed us what to do then we started cooking soup with chicken and vegetables. Not long after we listened on how to make fried rice with a lot of ingredients. In the end when we ate it it tasted so good.

(By Paco)
Today has been really fun we did many fun activities including; arts and crafts and cooking. The first thing we did was to meet with the chefs and farmers to collect some of the ingredients for our meal. Once we had done so we took the items back into thee nearby kitchen and began cooking. We prepared three Thai dishes for us to eat, a dessert made from coconuts and plant seeds, a soup containing chicken and other vegetables and a platter of fried rice. All were delicious. Once we had finished our lesson we headed towards another building in the PREM campus, where we started our arts and crafts. All the activities there were also really great.

Day 2 - Chiang Mai

There has been a technical hitch here: IT department for the Prem changed password settings and so we were unable to post any pictures last night. However, its all sorted now and there are lots more photos in the gallery at the bottom of the blog:


Update for Day 2: Another early start, a huge breakfast and then a fun filled day for all:


Group 1 went cycling to a buffalo farm and got ridiculously muddy. Nina, Leif and Andrew decided to give themselves a mud bath (I hope parents are looking forward to the washing when they return!) whilst most others happily plunged up to their knees in the rice fields and helped to plough the field the traditional way using water Buffalo! The children were then able to ride the buffalo, before heading back to the Prem Centre on bikes. We visited the Prem farm in the afternoon and learnt about sustainable living as well as planting some banana trees.


Group 2: The children enthusiastically made their own lunches and the teachers, not wanting to leave anything to chance, made their own equally enthusiastically. The menu was the same as with Group 1, and many children all agree this has been their favourite activity so far. Perhaps its time to book your table at home and call on your children to cook you a thai style meal!


Group 3: Day started with a trip to the orphanage. Our kids were a bit shy at first, especially the boys, but by the end of the session they were having a great time playing with the children and it was hard to say goodbye. Next we went to FORRU which is an organisation designed to replant the forests. After a potting activity, the children then went on a nature trail through the muddy forest which was quite an adventure. The final activity was a visit to the Doi Suthep temple which was amazing despite the rain and the hundreds of steps that it took to reach it. All in all, a tiring but fantastic day!


In the evening we visited a food court. The children were encouraged to try new and different foods. Many did and relished the opportunity, whilst others opted for slightly less 'traditional' Thai fare: steak and fries! Nevertheless, it was a lovely evening and the children enjoyed their independence. Following the meal we played ten pin ' disco' bowling, before heading back home.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Chiang Mai - Day 1 - evening


All three groups had a brilliant day today. Group 1 enjoyed the fruits of their efforts in the kitchen this morning, and had a smal banquet at lunch time.

MENU
Starter: Gaeng Jieud Tom Leung (Clear soup with tofu/pork and a whole host of herbs vegetables and spices)
Main: Khao Pad (Egg fried rice with chicken and vegetables)
Dessert: Saa Koo Peak Kao Pode (Corn, coconut cream and tapioca)


Group 2 visited the Buffalo farm and enjoyed seeing the traditional way of rice farming, as well as getting interactive with the mud!


Group 3 had a busy day! They visited an orphange, a buddhist temple (with 306 steps!) and finally a trip to a local forest conservation program where they were able to plant saplings.

Dinner was at 6.30, so we had just enough time for half of year 6 to play a huge game of football, whilst the other half played capture the flag and poison ball. After a hot and sweaty hour (especially Mr Paddington) we had showers then ate another delicious meal. Finally, our already packed day was ended with a nigh time fun swim.

The teachers, having worked hard to tire the children out all day, were able to reap the benefits as many children insisted on turning lights out and falling asleep at least 20 minutes before official "lights out!"

What a brilliant first day.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Good Morning from Chiang Mai!




After a long journey, we finally arrived last night although it was close to midnight (Manila time) before the children dropped off to sleep.

Slightly bleary eyed, the children have just had breakfast and are about to start the day 1 activities!




Look at the photo gallery at the bottom of the page for photos and the odd video of each day. The code to view these was sent out in the pre-trip information.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

FOBISSEA



What a great few days the FOBISSEA games were. Check out http://www.fobissea08manila.com for more pictures of the event.

Chiang Mai

The Chiang Mai trip is just 3 days away! We will update the year six site each day with news of what we've been up to. we will also place photos and video links in to the Box.net atthe bottom of the page.

Friday, June 6, 2008

If you liked World Maths day....

If you enjoyed competing against other children from around the world at maths problems: Check out TUTPUP.COM It is a cool web site where you can compete with others in Maths or English probelms. the best part is, you can choose your skill level and build up your points. Check it out if you are bored!

ABS-CBN trip


Our recent trip to the ABS-CBN studios was a brilliant way to end our Media and Debate topic. We got the chance to watch two morning news shows being filmed and speak to some journalists / presenters who worked on the channel. We also visited the "Wheel of Fortune" studios and got to spin the wheel (no prizes awarded unfortunately) One of the highlights was appearing on a radio show and greeting Manila! Visit the Photo Gallery for more pictures.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

SUPERLAME!


SuperLame is a fun and free website where you can add comic balloons to any pictures you upload. You can see a couple of quick ones from me here. When you've finished, you can save the picture or email it.

The great thing about the site is how quick and easy it is. With the drawing tools so easy to learn, you can concentrate on the fun bit, which is deciding what speech or thoughts to add to your pictures. If you took a series of photos you could actually make your own comic strip!

Busy time!

The last few weeks have been crazily busy with exam preparation, exam week, reports and also the FOBISSEA arrangements! Lots of stuff to write about; especially the year 6 ABS-CBN trip and some great pictures to share. I will try and post these up this week.

Mr T

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Cool new Web Site alert!

Mr Millington has found this amazing web site: try it out... you can create movies / cartoons / pictures and lots more!

Kerpoof


You can easily become a member and then publish your stuff to the net! People can comment and grade your work and you can grade other people's!!

Interdependence and adaptation

The recent science topic has sparked off mnay interesting discussions:

Here are two great web sites all about food chains. Try the game out!!

Food Chains

FOOD CHAIN GAMES

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Energy Hogs!


Check out this web site and hunt down the energy hogs! There are loads of brilliant activities that wil help to give you a better understanding of how you can make a difference to the environment and save energy at home and school. here are a few activities you might like to try, such as keeping and energy diary. For those of you who enjoy playing with numbers - there is a section where you can log the amount of power your home uses each month. Show this to your parents, try the games... HUNT DOWN THOSE ENERGY HOGS!

Chiang Mai information

The year is zipping past... it will son be time for our annual Year 6 Thailand trip.

If you or you rparents need to find out information, watch the slide show presentation or watch a few videos from last year... look in the "stuff" folder and you will see a Chiang Mai folder. Keep looking in this spot from time to time for copies of letters etc about the trip

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Forces


This week we begin our new science topic; FORCES.

During this topic you will learn:
- how we measure forces
- the differnece between weight and mass
- more about gravity
- friction is a measureable force
- about air resistance and upthrust
- how to plan and conduct a fair test related to forces.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Literacy and ICT

For the next two weeks we will be looking at non-fiction writing. The task will be to produce a virtual tour of corregidor. The text will attempt to inform and persuade people to visit. The tour will use images, sounds and video. Once these have all been completed we will post them on the blog for parents.

To be one step ahead of the rest, visit some web sites where you can see a virtual tour for yourself. (our school web site is a good starting point) Often hotels have their own tours.

Corregidor "e book" - this is a good starting point when you are thinking about what your virtual tours will look like.
Anahita found this site which is also great! Corregidor panoramas

Phone number puzzle


Use any 7 digit phone no.

Write down the first three digits of your phone number
Multiply by 80.

Add 1
Multiply by 250
Add the last 4 digits of your phone number.

Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again..

Subtract 250.

Divide number by 2
Recognize the number?
by Anahita's family

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Corregidor Photos

Here are just a few of our photos from Corregidor. The children will know the password, enjoy!

The puzzle of the cats in the bags!


Can you solve this puzzle?

There is a bus with 7 girls .

Each girl has 7 bags.

In each bag, there are 7 big cats.

Each big cat has 7 little cats.

Each cat has 4 legs.

Question: How many legs are in the bus?

Can you work out this problem? Click on the cat to reveal the answer!

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Corregidor Trip


The parents of year 6 children are ecstatic about the trip to Corregidor, already rumours of all night parties, 3 day holidays and lazy mornings have reached our ears.

The children of year 6 are excited as it means they get to spend 3 days with their friends learning all about Corregidor Island in world War 2 and also studying coast lines as a follow up to their class work.

The year 6 teachers are quite excited about being able to get their own back on the children and torture them for 3 days, in return for all the terrible days of teaching they have to endure with the little monsters. Mr Cosgrove is already planning an hour long DJ set, Mr Turner is going to play his guitar and sing and Miss Ashman is planning some dance lessons!

For up to date news of how the trip is going, check this site out from Monday!

Corregidor update. . . Day three!

It was a bit harder for the boys to wake up this morning, but once
they had been rudely awoken by me, tickling their feet. . . The noise
levels soon returned to normal and energy levels were quickly restored
during breakfast. We then set off for a beach study where the children
sketched some man made coastal features. Following this we took a
scramble over the rocks to a natural arch. . . Jin Hong and Dinnaga
both managed to get wet trainers which Mr Cosgrove and Mr Turner found
very funny! This afternoon finished off the trip with some team games,
a final swim and of course a visit to the gift shop! Its been a
brilliant trip, both fun and educational. . . Something all of us will
remember for a long time to come.

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Corregidor update . . . Day two!

After an early start and a tasty breakfast, we all set off on a long
hike around the island. During the hike we visited some world war two
japanese tunnels, the bat cave and the remains of the bombed out
hospital. It was a long hot walk but we soon recovered our energy
thanks to another tasty meal. This afternoon we sketched some coastal
features, and raced along the assault course before cooling ourselves
down with some ice cream and a refreshing dip in the pool. Tonight we
will be exploring the Malinta tunnels once the sun goes down. . .
Another busy day! Despite the water problems, all the children are
smelling of roses and one or two of the boys have even developed their
own method of washing. . . Al fresco style!CLICK HERE TO VIEW!

Monday, January 28, 2008

News from corregidor....

We all arrived safely and spent the day touring the island. Highlights
included exploring the gun batteries, climbing the spanish lighthouse,
swimming and discovering some bats, a secret tunnel and a snake skin!
Following dinner, we will be heading to toast marshmallows and watch a few
performances. . . I just hope Mr Cosgrove has been practising! The
children are all having a great time and the teachers are trying to
tire them out as much as possible!

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Micro-organism Log

The children have been asked to leave pieces of bread in a freezer, in the fridge and at room temperature on a plate. They are then going to keep a log and write down any changes they observe!

Warning: You will (hopefully) see mould and fungus growing. DO NOT try to eat the bread, it could contain microbes which are harmful!

Year 6: Please hand this log in on Thursday 7th February.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Design Technology


DESIGN A BOMB SHELTER!

The children's task was to design a bomb shelter able to protect an Egg from a 2 k.g. weight ropped from a height of approximately 3 meters.
Here were their instructions:
You can only use the materials below.
You must first think very carefully about your design (remembering the work we did on strong structures) and how you will use your materials economically.
Materials
  • 2 x 50c.m. length of 1cm squared pine wood
  • 10 sheets A4 paper
  • 1 sheet of grey (thick cardboard)
  • 2 sheets of thin white cardS
  • ellotape / masking tape / paints as needed
  • 10 straws
  • 10 pipe cleaners.


The children came up with some ingenious designs, as you can see from the photos:


Science - Micro-organisms



Our science topic is called "micro-organism". A micro-organism is a tiny living organism that can only be seen with a microscope.

FACT: Did you know that there are more micro-organisms on your hand, than there are people in the whole world?

There are 3 types of micro-organism:

  • Fungi
  • Bacteria
  • Viruses

Some micro-organisms are helpful, others can be harmful. Click on the link to find out about 'Bacteria in the cafeteria!'

Interactive Micro-organisms!