Good Bye New Zealand

As I begin to pack our bags for our return trip to New York, I've had time to reflect on our life here over the past year. It's been a wonderful experience living in New Zealand. I've made some good friends. I've tried different things. I've seen beautiful, memorable sights.

Working in the schools has been a valuable experience, giving me the chance to see other teachers in action. I'm very grateful to those who opened up their classrooms to me and shared their insights and passion for teaching, and to those who have steered me toward the educational books that have so influenced New Zealand education. Having the time to read, discuss and reflect has been priceless.

Perhaps one of the best reasons for travelling is that it gives you a chance to think about your own life in a way you could not before you were exposed to a different culture. Living in a foreign country has reminded me how much I enjoy my life back in New York and how much I miss teaching at Cottage Lane. While I'll miss my beautiful New Zealand, and I know that my life is richer for having spent time here, I am excited to be heading home. A year is a long time to be away.

Thanks to all of you who have been reading this blog. How I've loved reading your comments!

See you all soon! If you're around Cottage Lane at the end of August, please stop in. You know I'd love to see you!
~Ms. Christie-Blick

North Island, New Zealand

As you'll recall, New Zealand is made up of two large islands (plus some smaller islands). Although we've spent most of our time down on South Island, North Island is not to be missed! Here are some pictures we took while exploring the mountains, the forests, and the caves. Can you tell that the mountain in the photo above is a volcano? Would you go inside a cave with just the light on your helmet to see?

North Island also has some awesome geothermal features! That means it has geysers, hot springs and mudpots. They are fascinating and beautiful. They are also fun to watch because the heat inside the ground heats up the groundwater, causing it to shoot high into the air as a geyser. Sometimes the water boils and bubbles in a mudpot, making a blurping, blubbing sound.

Click here to listen to, and see, mudpots in action!

Click here to see an animation of how a geyser works.

Click here to see hot springs in other countries.

Visiting The Kingdom of Tonga

Chirpy and I completed our last set of school visits in the Kingdom of Tonga. What amazing sights we saw! This is a different country from New Zealand. We flew four hours north from my home in Christchurch, NZ, to reach the main island.

See if you can find Tonga on Google Earth. When you do, you'll see that it's an archipelago. It's a difficult word to pronounce, so click on the word to hear the pronunciation, and then try saying it aloud. An archipelago is a bunch of islands. Tonga is an archipelago because it is made up of 169 islands, although only 36 of the islands have people living on them.

Because it's so close to the equator, it stays warm all year round. Even though it's winter there now in June, the days are warm and sunny, with highs around 80 F. They also get lots of rain throughout the year. That means there are lots of beautiful, tropical plants growing all over the islands. There are also coconut trees and banana trees in people's yards, as well as just growing wild. See the banana tree growing at this school?

Even if you live on a beautiful, tropical island, you still have to go to school, so that's what the kids of Tonga do every day, Monday through Friday, just like the kids in the United States. Chirpy and I found many differences between the Tongan schools and Cottage Lane, however.

You'll notice in these pictures that the students wear uniforms. On Wednesdays and Saturdays mothers wash clothes, so the kids can wear whatever they like to school on Wednesdays.

The adults, both men and women, usually wear skirts. All of the teachers, and other government workers, are required to wear a taovala over their skirt. In the photos you can see the taovala tied on top of the skirts. Most Tongan adults wear skirts and sandals to keep cool and comfortable, and because it's part of their tradition.

The taovala is made out of plant leaves. The leaves are soaked in water, then hit with a wooden hammer until soft. They are then woven together to make the wrap-around. There are many different types of taovalas, and different designs are woven into the taovalas. It reminds Tongans of their traditions. In this photo, you see some young men in their skirts and taovalas walking past the fruit and vegetable markets.

One of the mothers made a taovala for me, so I too had one to wear to school each day. In this photo you can see some of the mothers making taovalas while they're waiting for their children at school. The mother on the right in the blue shirt made mine. I was delighted. The Tongans were pleased that I would wear one because it showed I respected their traditions.

The country of Tonga is a poor country. It doesn't have many natural resources like the United States, and until recently, it hasn't had the help of other countries. The result is that the people have a much simpler lifestyle than the typical American. Their houses are smaller and not as strong; the people don't own as many things; and many of their roads and buildings are in need of repair. This photo shows a typical house in Tonga. Notice the roosters in the front yard. Most families have roosters, chickens, and pigs. They run free around the neighborhood until they're cooked for dinner.

Many of the school buildings are also in need of cleaning and repair. Most classrooms have no books for the children to read, paper to draw on, or crayons with which to draw. They are given notebooks to write in, but these need to last them all year. This photo shows the entrance to one of the classrooms.

Many of the classrooms are overcrowded, with 40 children per class. The teachers do the best they can, but it's impossible to give individual help in classes this big. This photo shows a typical classroom. Notice that the teachers try to make the classroom as nice as possible by putting up children's work and instructional posters. If you click on this picture to enlarge it, you may notice that some of the posters are in Tongan but many are in English. At school, the children learn both languages.

Often, the school play areas are very muddy because there's so much rain in Tonga. Also, the pigs get in and tear up the grass looking for grubs in the soil. The schools cannot afford playground equipment likes slides and swings, but the kids always find fun games to play. The boys especially like playing in the mud. Since shoes are not required they don't have to worry about getting them dirty! In contrast, most of the girls don't like getting muddy. Click here to see a video of the girls playing on the playground.

In addition to the main island, I visited four other islands in Tonga. Some of the islands were so small that they had only one village and one elementary school on the whole island. To get to them I had to fly in a small plane for an hour and then take a boat for another hour. In this photo, an officer from the Department of Education is leading the way back to our boat (at the end of the jetty on the right) after one of our school visits.

To get to some of the schools I then had to walk through the bush (wilderness) to get to the village. This photo shows a boy in front of his house on one of the small islands. There are no cars and no roads on this island. In the village, and at the school, there is no electricity and no running water.

There are only 17 children and 2 classrooms at this school. The 5 to 8-year-olds are in one class, and the kids 9 - 12 are in the other class. There are two teachers. One of them is also the principal. When the children are 13, they have to move to another island and live with a relative if they go to high school. There is no high school on this island. In this photo, the younger kids have joined the other class while their teacher is at a principal's meeting. I gave paper and crayons to the school. The kids drew pictures for my American students in return. They liked the idea that their pictures would travel all the way to the United States!

You may be wondering where I lived while I was in Tonga. I stayed in the homes of teachers. They were very good to me and helped me understand Tongan culture. I learned a lot from them. I lived with Teuloi and her family on the island of Tongatapu for a week and a half. She teaches 8-year-olds at Longolongo School. This is a photo of Teuloi in her front garden.

I stayed with Losana and her family for a week on Va vau Island. She teaches at Va vau High School. She is also the assistant principal. Her husband is the principal. This is a photo of Losana looking at sea urchins on the coral reef. It was interesting to talk with these teachers in a country so far away from my own, and so different in so many ways, and discover that we had so much in common. We all work very hard to try to do what's best for our students.

I had many wonderful experiences in Tonga. I saw many sights that I had never seen before. Conversations with the Tongans made me think about our American society, our values, and our schools in a different way. My life is richer for having known them. I come away with a great deal of respect of the people of this small kingdom in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean.

Christchurch vs. Manhattan

When I tell you that Christchurch is the largest city here on South Island, in New Zealand, you probably picture a city like Manhattan. While it's true there are some similarities, they are very different. The most noticeable is the size. While Manhattan is home to about 8 million people, less than half a million live in Christchurch. In order to accommodate all of those people, Manhattan has many skyscrapers. Christchurch doesn't need to build such tall buildings. There wouldn't be enough people to live and work in all of them!

Here are some pictures from around the city. In the photo above you'll notice there are some tall buildings, although they aren't tall enough to be called skyscrapers. The trolley you see runs on tracks and is touching electric wires overhead. It takes tourists around the city and doesn't cause any pollution since it runs on electricity rather than gasoline.

In the middle of the city is a large, open area. It is often used by buskers. These are people who perform for anyone who is passing by. They ask for donations after their performance. The people decide how much to give depending on how much they enjoyed the show. This juggler has drawn quite a crowd for his performance!

Also in this large courtyard is a large chess set. Anyone who wants to can play. As you can see, the chess pieces are very large, although they are lightweight for easy moving.

While some of the buildings are quite modern looking, like the Art Gallery in this photo, other buildings are very old looking.

The early settlers came from England, Scotland, and Ireland. They missed their homeland when they moved to New Zealand, so they built some buildings that would look similar to the ones they left behind in their own countries. This building, made of stone, looks like it belongs in England, Ireland or Scotland. It used to be a university, but now it's a cultural center for the city. There are specialty shops and restaurants here, as well as movie theaters, and theaters for live shows.

One thing both Christchurch and Manhattan have in common is a large, beautiful park. Instead of Central Park, Christchurch has The Botanical Gardens. It has many lovely gardens, as well as grassy areas for picnics, and a little river for kayaking.

One of my favorite streets in Christchurch is New Regent Street, pictured here. The shops and restaurants are built to look like a street in Spain, with each one a different color. If you enlarge this picture, you can see teddy bears escaping from a shop window!

There are many fountains and gardens around the city to make it look beautiful. One of my favorite fountains is this one outside a restaurant. Does it remind you of dandelions? We went to this restaurant for dinner once. The fountain and pond looked even more beautiful at night all lit up.

The River Avon flows through the city. There are lovely gardens and grassy areas all along it so people can take a relaxing stroll, or sit on its banks and have a picnic lunch. It's very shallow, but it's deep enough for small boats. Some people rent kayaks and go kayaking on the river.

You won't be surprised to learn that the river bank is Chirpy's favorite place in the city. He makes friends wherever he goes!

We're lucky to live so close to this lovely little city, just a 20-minute drive away. There's always something interesting or fun to do: watching a show, looking through a museum, shopping in the New Zealand specialty stores, picnicking in a park, or just walking along the streets looking at all the sights. Do you enjoy going into the city?

Chirpy Visits Australia

Chirpy and I have just returned from a two-week vacation in Australia. My friend, Nancy from New York, joined us. We had a GREAT time!

Although many Americans get New Zealand confused with Australia, they are very different countries!

If you look at Google Earth, you'll see that both of the countries are in the southern and eastern hemispheres, but Australia is much larger than New Zealand. It is located northwest of New Zealand, which means it's closer to the equator. This is good for me, because it's fall here and getting cold in New Zealand, but it's still nice and warm in Australia. Some people call the country Oz. The people who live there call themselves Aussies.

We flew one hour to the North Island of New Zealand, and then changed planes and flew three more hours northwest to get to the city of Sydney in Australia. Sydney is a very big city and has lots of highrise buildings, just like Manhattan although not as many.

I took this picture from a boat in Sydney Harbor. Can you see the tallest building in Sydney? It is very narrow - just big enough for an elevator. At the top is a circular building - a revolving restaurant! We went to the restaurant at nighttime and ate our dinner while the restaurant slowly spun around. An hour and a half later, we had seen all of Sydney with its bright lights and beautiful buildings. What an experience!

The most famous structures in this city are the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Bridge. Many people recognize them in pictures before even reading the names. At night they are all lit up and look really beautiful. In this photo you can see the opera house to the left of the bridge if you look closely (or click on the picture to enlarge it). There's a close-up picture below.

We took a tour of the opera house to learn about its architecture. It was very interesting to hear about the man who was so creative that he was able to design a performance hall that looked like no other building in the world. Since it sits right on Sydney Harbor, he wanted it to resemble the boats, sails, shells, and the waves. Do you think he succeeded?

One evening we attended the ballet of Don Quixote (a Spanish name pronounced don-kee-hoe-tee). We enjoyed the ballet and just being in this famous building, and we LOVED the views of the city and the bridge from the balcony during intermission.

Australia is the home of amazing animals found nowhere else in the world! One day we visited a wildlife park to see a wide range of its animals. The most famous Australian animal is the kangaroo. When my family and I lived in Australia many years ago we saw kangaroos in the wild. They are afraid of people and hop off quickly. Do you see its powerful-looking tail and feet? If it feels threatened, it will stand up, rock back on its tail and then kick its enemy with its feet. It may also hit with its little hands, making it look like it's boxing.

In this park the kangaroos are very tame and used to people. You can even buy ice cream cones filled with hay and seeds to feed the kangaroos!

A kangaroo is a marsupial. That means the female has a pouch in front of her stomach. When she has a joey (a baby kangaroo), it rides in her pouch so she can keep it safe. As you might have guessed, the adult kangaroo can jump far and go very quickly with those long feet and strong legs.

Another marsupial is the koala. Some people think it's a bear, but it's not. Since it's a marsupial it also has a pouch for its baby, just like a kangaroo, so don't call it a koala bear! The koala in this photo looks fake, but he's real. He turned just in time for me to take the photo. If you're still not convinced, click below!

Click here to see a koala in action. Isn't he cute?! I got to pet one of the koalas. Its fur was very thick and soft. Its breath smelled of eucalyptus leaves - its favorite food.

Both the kangaroo and the koala are nocturnal animals, so most of them were asleep when we were at the park. We were lucky to see some that were awake between naps.

Do you know the song, "Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree"? There are many kookaburras in the forested areas of Australia. A gum tree is a eucalyptus tree, and there are lots of them throughout the country.

Kookaburras make a noise that sounds like they're laughing. When one starts that gets all of the other kookaburras in the area "laughing" as well! It's lots of fun to hear them. Click here to see the kookaburra song and hear a real kookaburra.

There are also many colorful birds in Australia. This is a picture of a lorikeet. Isn't its coloring amazing? I got this close-up picture in the wildlife park, but we saw many flying in the wild. It camouflages itself among brightly colored fruit in trees.

Needless to say, Chirpy liked the birds the best. In this photo you see he's having a cultural exchange with an Australian pelican. He learned that there are many pelicans around the country, especially near the coast where they can catch fish in that long bill. The pelican has the longest bill of any bird in the world. Click here to find out more interesting facts about the Australian Pelican.

After a week in Sydney, we took another three-hour plane ride to get to the center of Australia. We wanted to see the famous Uluru (also called Ayers Rock). Here is a picture of it from the plane. It's a mountain in the middle of a desert. It looks strange because all of the other mountains have eroded away, leaving Uluru by itself. The native people of Australia are the Aborigines (just as the native people of the United States are the Native American Indians). The Aborigines believe that Uluru is very sacred, or holy. They have many legends about the gods and goddesses who formed this mountain.

One day we walked around Uluru. There is a walking trail near the base of the mountain. We began the 11 kilometer walk early in the morning when it was still cool. Soon however, the sun began beating down on us. The red earth soaked up the heat and radiated it back. The flies came out and pestered us mercilessly. It was hot and dry. Three hours later we reached our starting point. We had made it all the way around. We were glad we had experienced Uluru up close. It was so interesting and beautiful. Later we agreed it had been one of our favorite days.

You're probably wondering why the earth is so red in the Australian outback. There's lots of iron mixed in the soil. Iron is red so the dirt looks red.

On our walk around Uluru we met Jordan and his mom, who were also taking the walk. They're Aussies from Perth, a city on the other side of the country. Jordan is nine years old. He liked meeting Chirpy and holding a bird that had come all the way from New York. He'd like to visit the United States some day (And go to Disneyland!).

One morning we rode camels through the outback. As the sun rose on Uluru in the distance we could hear dingoes howling. Dingoes are wild dogs, similar to our wolves, but they look very different. I had hoped to see them, but they stayed well-hidden from our camel train. Click here to see pictures and to learn more about dingoes.

As usual when visiting another country, we learned lots, had loads of fun, and had new experiences we will long remember.

Click here to go to an Australian kids' Internet site.

Boy with a Thorny Devil.

Chirpy Just Wants to Have Fun

Playgrounds!

Aren't they wonderful?!

I wonder who invented the first playground?

I wonder how playgrounds have changed over time?

I wonder if playgrounds are different in different countries?

Chirpy checked out nearby playgrounds here in New Zealand.

Which one would YOU like to visit?

In this photo you can see that he made some friends.

These Kiwis live close by and often bike to the park.

Here's a larger playground with lots of things to climb.

Younger kids needed help on the climbing wall and some of the climbing frames, but the older kids had no problem.

Does this look like your kind of place?

Maybe you'd prefer a playground, with a wading pool, right next to the beach?

This photo was taken in February, which is summertime here.

The New Brighton Beach is on the other side of the playground.

As you can see in this photo, it's a lovely, big beach, with a pier that's great for walking, or fishing, or watching the surfers.

Unlike beaches in America, beaches in New Zealand never get very crowded, so there's always lots of room to play!

We live in the little town of Sumner.

Here is a photo of our little playground at Scarborough Park.

It also has a wading pool and it's right by a beach, so you could play at the park, cool off in the pool, and then go build a sand castle.

There's a cafe and ice cream shop here called Scarborough Fare.

You won't understand why this is funny, but your parents will!

Here is a very different playground.

It has lots to climb, plus it has a zip line!

It ALSO has a skateboard and bicycle park.

It's really built for big kids, your age.

On the other side, there's a smaller playground with play equipment just the right size for little kids.



Here's a photo of a kid about to ride the zip line.

Click here to see the zip line in action!

What do YOU wonder about playgrounds?

Reading. Reading? Reading!

Visiting a country is a wonderful way to get to know a place. Living in a country allows you to get to know the people. Reading, allows you to really understand the people and the place. It can also keep you out of trouble! Let me explain.

Throughout my time here in New Zealand, I have been reading often and from many different sources. Why? Because it's interesting and fun; also because it helps me have a richer experience living in my new country. It gives me a deeper understanding about why the country is the way it is, and why the people think and act the way they do.

Reading the local newspaper every day has taught me a lot about the good and bad things in the society. Although I would like to think that no bad things happen here, I know that's not realistic. I think it's better to know the truth.

Reading fictional and non-fictional books about New Zealand has given me lots of information and insight into Kiwi culture. For example, I now know that Captain Cook sailed to New Zealand from England in 1770. He told the English about this country and they sent people over to colonize it. At first the Maori people welcomed these white people to their land, but then fighting broke out. A treaty was signed between the two groups over a hundred years ago. Unfortunately, they did not always deal fairly with each other, so there are still some hard feelings between these groups even today.

In a historical fiction book I read, The Rose, I learned all about living in a little coal mining town of New Zealand in the late 1800's. Although the people in the story were just make-believe, the author described that period of history and the town so well, I could feel the cold, damp, bleak winters of the west coast as the miners slogged to work every morning to get to the mines.

Another interesting book I read was Jack's Hut, a series of true stories written by a woman whose family used to visit a little vacation house up in the Southern Alps.

A few weeks ago, when I was driving through these same mountains, I discovered the real Jack's Hut!

In this photo you see me in front of the house with the book.

After visiting the area I could really imagine what it would have been like for the author living here in the 1960's.

While in New Zealand, you know that I'm also learning about the schools. It's interesting to find out what another country thinks is important to teach their future generation(Kids!). What knowledge, skills, and values you children of today learn will determine what kind of society we have in the future when you become adults. That's why I think teaching is the most important job in the world. Luckily for me, in addition to visiting classrooms and talking with teachers, I've discovered a great teacher supply store with a wealth of books about teaching in New Zealand, and I have the time to read them and think about them!

One type of reading material that can be fun, and exciting, but also very tricky, is the brochure. I get very enthusiastic about visiting the great places I read about in brochures, but they don't always turn out to be as wonderful as promised. I have to remember that the author is using persuasive writing to try to convince me to come, so I must read it very carefully and imagine what it will really be like before I take the journey or spend my money!

Wherever we travel in New Zealand, we make sure to take along a few little guide books to the birds, flowers, and trees. Seeing them in real life is great, but knowing more about them makes my life richer. Nature is fascinating! For example, did you know that kiwis have their nostrils at the tip of their beaks? (See top picture of this posting. Chirpy and his new friend, a kiwi, are reading a folktale about the kiwi.) Kiwis are the only birds that use smell to find food underground. They tap their long beaks along the forest floor smelling for worms and insects, but then have to blow out their nostrils because dirt gets up their nose!

Finally, I also told you that reading can keep you out of trouble. It's true! Check out these signs that I've seen on my travels around the country. They further prove that reading is important! It could save your life!! Good thing you're reading this, eh?!!

Wainoni School

Once upon a time,

not so very long ago,

at the end of the world,

I met Tiger Lily.

He was sitting at his desk in his classroom at Wainoni School. Even though he had a girl's name, he's a boy and the kids loved him anyway.

Tiger Lily was a very special teacher, in a very special classroom, in a very special school. His students were ages nine to twelve. That meant that some of the kids would have Tiger Lily for their teacher four years in a row. Lucky kids! Jayden, here at the entrance of the school, is one of his students.

Sometimes the students worked hard at school, like when they were working on Math problems. Since the children were different ages, and had different abilities, they got different sheets to practice their Math.

Other times, they got to try out cool programs on the the school's new computers. Fisi took a photo of himself on the computer. At the click of a button he turned it into a "drawing".

Tiger Lily, like all dogs, had a master. Her name was Miss Scott. Sometimes, he let her teach a lesson. The kids liked her a lot. She was funny, and kind, and fun-loving. She was also very strict with them, so they knew she cared about them and wanted them to do their best.

Their classroom was called Totora. A totora is a native tree growing in New Zealand forests. Miss Scott reminded the kids to stand tall, like the totora tree. They should behave in a way that they could always stand tall and be proud of themselves. They promised they'd try.

Wainoni School students were a wonderful blend of Maori, Pakeha, and Samoan. As you know, from the other postings on this blog, the Maori people were the first people to inhabit these islands that make up New Zealand, just as the Native American Indians were the first people to inhabit what is now called The United States. Te Rata (the boy on the left) is Maori. Dylan is Pakeha. That means his family was originally from a European country (maybe England, or Ireland, or Germany). The Samoan children, like Fisi in the photo above, have parents or grandparents from the island of Samoa, which is not too far away from New Zealand. You can find it on Google Earth. You will see that it is north of New Zealand.

Sometimes, when a student was very well behaved, Tiger Lily took him out for a quick walk around the school yard. Michael was the lucky one this day. All the kids liked to have this privilege.

During my two weeks at Wainoni School I spent most of my time watching and learning. However, I did get to teach some reading skills, and I got to read to the students. I wasn't sure which book to choose as a read-aloud, so I emailed Mr. Freeley at Cottage Lane, and described the kids in this class. He encouraged me to read Holes, a book read by several of the 5th grade classes at Cottage Lane. Good choice. Tiger Lily's students loved it. Thanks Mr. Freeley!

Every Friday, for the last period of the day, all 150 students in the whole school (5-year-olds to 12-year-olds) got to choose an activity. Every two weeks the options changed. This week they could choose one of the following: gardening, make-up and jewelry, sports, playground time, computers, arts & crafts, cooking, or water play. Kids from different classes and different ages were mixed in together so they got to know each other. Older kids helped the younger ones. Which activity would you choose?

Didn't the girls do a good job on my make-up and nails?! (Click on the photo to enlarge.)

Look at the beautiful necklaces they made!

Cooking was a scrumptious choice!

The kids had a blast during the water activities!

Tiger Lily's students LOVED the Culture Books from my Cottage Lane students so much that they wanted to create Culture Books to send back to America. They had fun thinking about their culture and what makes it special.

They asked lots of questions, such as, "Do the American kids play rugby and cricket at recess?" and "Do the American kids eat Hokey Pokey?"

They made wonderful Culture Books. They would like to visit the United States some day, and hoped the Cottage Lane kids would visit New Zealand some time.

What about Tiger Lily? Well, it had been a busy week, and by Friday afternoon, like teachers everywhere, he was exhausted!

The Wainoni students lived happily ever after....

Global Warming

888Have you been hearing about Global Warming?777

It's big news in New Zealand, in the United States, as well as in most other countries of the world.

888It affects you so you need to know about it.777
2500 scientists from 130 countries have recently completed their report. They have been working together for the past six years to come to this important conclusion:

8888Human activities are causing the earth to get warmer.7777

Why is this important?

Why is this bad for everything that lives on our planet?

The planet needs to stay in balance. That is, there needs to be the right amount of hot and cold, dry and wet, oxygen gas and carbon dioxide gas in order for plants and animals to live here. These are the earth's systems. They need to stay balanced.

What happens if the earth's systems get too unbalanced?

Scientists say that ocean levels will rise. People who live near the ocean will be flooded. This is called "coastal flooding". Click on the photo above to enlarge. This is the town I live in, in New Zealand. See all of the homes that are near the ocean ? They would be ruined by coastal flooding.

Some areas of the world will become hotter and drier. They will have a drought. It is hard to grow crops or raise animals for food for yourself and others if you are in an area that is having a drought for many years.

Some areas will become colder, with more freezing temperatures. Some areas will have more storms and stronger storms. In other words, we will have climate change. The picture above is one I took when visiting the city of Auckland, on the North Island of New Zealand. Many people would be affected by coastal flooding in this city. Many offices and businesses would be flooded.

Many plants will not be able to grow if the climate changes too much. "Climate" means weather over a long period of time. If plants can't grow because the climate has changed, animals will lose their food and habitat. Many will become extinct.

Lake Tekapo, shown in this picture, is in the mountain range called The Southern Alps, a few hours' drive from my home. This area could also be affected by Global Warming. If these mountains get too much snow, or not enough snow, year after year, the plants cannot survive.

Beautiful areas throughout New Zealand will change forever if there's too much Global Warming. Many areas around the world would change.

...What's the good news?...

The good news is that people can help keep the earth's systems in balance. Earth's hot and cold, and dry and wet, are kept balanced by the amount of carbon dioxide gas there is in the air and the oceans. Having too much or too little gets all of the systems out of balance. I took this picture from the deck of my house. If you enlarge the picture you can see the ocean just beyond the houses.

How do we keep the amount of carbon dioxide balanced?

The carbon dioxide has gotten out of balance, and continues to get worse. People have created too much air pollution. The air pollution has carbon dioxide in it. The good news is that if we cut back on air pollution we cut back on the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. This will help carbon dioxide get back in balance!

How do we stop creating so much air pollution?

Cars, planes and factories are the biggest causes of air pollution. They burn gas and coal to run, and this causes air pollution.

However, they also use filters to trap some of the pollution. Using better filters will trap even more of the pollution before it goes into the air. Using cars and factories that burn products other than gas and coal, that don't create air pollution, will help the environment. Using solar power, water power, or wind power (instead of coal or gas) to make electricity will help a lot.

888What can a kid do to help the planet?777

lRide with a friend so fewer cars are used.

lRecycle products, so fewer new products need to be made in factories.

lUse only the electricity and water you need, and don't waste.

lTalk to grown-ups about Global Warming and the future of our planet. They can vote for people who will set up laws to protect our environment. Remind them that it's important to you and your future children.

88Working together, we can keep our planet a beautiful place to live for plants and animals and us!77

Click here to see animated movies about Global Warming.

Click here to play Climate Change games.

Click here to read more about Climate Change.

Click here to go to Recycle City and see how the townspeople are taking care of the environment.

Click here to see the EcoKids' club house and play environmental games.

Click comments below to share one thing you've learned about, or wonder about, Global Warming or Climate Change.

Kea, Kaka, Kiwi and More

What do kea, kaka and kiwi all have in common?

They are all birds that are indigenous to New Zealand. That means they were one of the first animals here. While some birds have been brought into the country by people, these birds were here even before the first Maori people sailed over from their Polynesian islands.

In North America, we see parrots only as pets in cages. Here they are wild and fly free. In the photo above, a kea is looking for food in the parking lot. A few minutes later he flew onto the roof of my car and I saw his little head upside down out my window! When I didn't open the window, he began pecking on the glass to try to get in. People in the car nearby got out to take pictures of the keas and left their car door open. Big mistake! Just as you would expect, the cheeky kia flew into their car looking for food! It was very funny watching them chase him out! :)

The three keas in this photo are about to get into trouble for pecking on the boat. You can tell they are a type of parrot by looking at the shape of their beak. Look back at the Camouflage Game page to read about more kea antics. Click here to learn more about keas and to hear their parrot voice. What does it remind you of? What do you think it would be like to have one as a pet?!

When my class was research- ing infor- mation about New Zealand as part of a unit on reading non-fiction, they were surprised to read about a New Zealand bird called a kaka. They gave me strict instructions to find one and send back pictures. Here they are!

Unfortunately, there are not many left in the wild, but I was able to see one in an animal conservation park. As you can see, it is also a parrot, and it looks very similar to the kea. It uses its strong beak as a "third leg" to help it climb.

To hear a kaka, click here. To learn more about kaka and to see kaka chicks, click here.

The kiwi is the national bird of New Zealand. How sad that it is now endangered! Click on the picture to get a better view of it. It's well-camouflaged.

There is a very real concern that it may become extinct, so animal conservation parks are breeding kiwis and then letting them go in the wild to see if they can increase the population. I saw this kiwi in a conservation park. It was in a darkened habitat because it is a nocturnal bird. I was surprised to see how large it is. It's as big as a chicken! It uses its exta-long beak to get bugs and worms from the forest floor.

One of the reasons it's almost extinct is that the kiwi cannot fly. It has very small wings for its large body. Although it can run very fast, often it can't get away from its predators - rats, possums, dogs and cats. These predators also eat the kiwi eggs. Click here to learn more about the kiwi and to hear its creaky nighttime call.

Have you ever seen a bird that can fly AND swim underwater? The shag can! I've watched this bird dive right into the ocean and stay under for 18 seconds looking for fish! He can then fly away with his catch.

The Little Blue Penguin can swim, but can't fly. It has flippers instead of wings. It has marrow in its bones, instead of having hollow bones like most birds. This gives him more weight so he can swim deeper in the ocean.

This Little Blue Penguin lives in a conservation park, but others live on islands off the coast of New Zealand and Australia. Look, Chirpy's made a friend!

Other interesting birds found only in New Zealand are

the pukeko,

the takahe,

the weka.

Aren't they strange and wonder- ful? What do they all have in common with the kiwi? They can't fly!

We've seen pukeko and takahe only in conservation parks, but we've seen plenty of weka running across the road. They're too fast to get a picture of them in the wild! I have to show you the photo I took at a conservation park.

Click here to learn more about the pukeko and see its brilliant colors.

Click here to learn more about the takahe and to hear its squeaky cry.

Click here to learn more about the weka and to see a cute picture.

You've probably seen white swans in New York. There are plenty of them at Rockland Lake. Have you ever seen a black swan? In the estuary near our house there are hundreds of them! Aren't they beautiful?

Since New Zealand is made up of two large islands, North Island and South Island, one is never far away from the ocean. That means lots of seagulls! Click on the seagull pictures to see their new friend! :)

Seagulls are very clever birds. When they find a closed shell, they drop it from the air onto the hard sand on the beach. The thump on the beach makes the creature inside let go so the bird can open the shell and eat the creature!

I never used to be very interested in birds, until I met Mrs. Weiss. She was an amazing teacher at Cottage Lane. She was fascinated by birds and would often tell us real stories about birds she had seen or heard about. This got me paying more attention to birds. Once I did, I started to realize how interesting and how clever they are! My life has become more interesting because I have become more interested in another aspect of life, all thanks to Mrs. Weiss. I hope you too will start noticing birds more, and the next time someone tells you you're a "bird brain," say "Thank you!"

Inside a Rainforest

You've probably read about rainforests and how important they are to our planet earth. They have so many plants growing in them that they play an important part in creating oxygen for us to breathe. Plants take in carbon dioxide and "breathe out" oxygen, while people breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Without plants, all animals (including human beings) would die!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take a walk inside a rainforest? Each one is a bit different, of course, depending on what continent it's on, but they all have certain things in common: 1) They are in a very wet climate so they get lots of rain; 2) They are in a moderate climate so they don't get freezing temperatures; 3) The climate is just right for so many plants to grow that you can hardly see the forest floor!

Join me now for a walk through a rainforest in New Zealand, and you'll see what I mean.....

The first thing you notice is the color green, not just one green, but many different greens! Masses of greens everywhere you look - high and low, near and far.

There are so many plants that you can't even see the ground. In some places, you can't see the sky either, because the plants are over you as well as under you. The trees grow extra tall here because of all the rain and the warm climate.

Smaller plants fill in every- where they can, covering every bit of soil. Some plants don't even need the soil. They grow on top of the larger plants! Just look at all of the moss, ferns, and other plants growing on top of this tree trunk.

You also become aware of how soft it is in the rainforest. Does that sound strange? Let me explain. When you walk along the path, instead of walking on hard dirt, as you would in a regular forest, you walk on spongy soil. The dirt is wet from all the rain. It also has leaves that have fallen off nearby plants mixed into the soil, making it feel soft, like a sponge, when you step on it.

Walking on the green moss, that covers most everything, is even softer. It's funny because it's such a tiny plant, but because there is so much of it, it covers everything like a soft, green carpet. Can you see it in the picture? It grows on everything - tree trunks, branches, soil, even rocks.

It's cool and a bit wet in the rainforest. Even on a very hot day, all of the plants keep the air cool and moist. Most of the path is shaded from the sun, with the plants dripping from a recent rain shower keeping the trail muddy.

One of the most abundant plants in the New Zealand rainforest is the fern. That's why it's New Zealand's national symbol. There are many different kinds of ferns here that I've not seen anywhere else. There are even ferns that grow as tall as trees!

It's very peaceful here. The sounds of the rainforest are very soothing: raindrops on leaves, birds singing, a light breeze blowing the upper branches of the trees, the rushing water of a river.

There are many birds in this rain- forest habitat. Can you see why? The trees, bushes, and ferns are used as shelter and as places to hide from predators. They also provide food. The birds eat their nuts, seeds, leaves, and berries. In addition, bugs also use the plants for food, camouflage and shelter, so the forest gives the birds even more to eat - the bugs! Those of you who've studied Ecosystems in fourth grade know what that's called - a food web!

Suspension bridges have been built in a few areas to link the trail on both sides of the river. They are very useful, and lots of fun to walk across. Since they are suspended (hung from metal poles on both ends), they swing freely as you walk across them. It's a good idea to hold on as you walk!

Rainforests are incredibly beautiful habitats for a wide range of animals and plants. The bark, roots, sap and seeds of many of the trees are used to make medicines and other products for people. The plants turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, allowing animals to live on planet earth. Shouldn't we all help to make sure these habitats continue to grow and thrive?

Camouflage Game

To play the camouflage game you will need very sharp eyes. First, you need to know what the word means.

Camouflage - hide by blending in with the natural surroundings. (Click on the word to hear how it's pronounced.)

Many animals are very good at camouflaging themselves in order to hide from their predators. Why? They don't want to get eaten!

Here in New Zealand, I've seen many animals that use color to camouflage themselves. They really blend in with their habitats so they're sometimes hard to find. Below are some photos of animals. Can you find the animal in each photo? (Hint: If you can't see the animal, try clicking on the picture to enlarge it and look again carefully.)

Can you find the animal in this photo? He blends in well on land and in the sea. His main predators are whales and sharks. He is really well camouflaged!

Here's a close-up picture. Can you see the New Zealand Fur Seal? When I visited the seaside town of Kaikoura I saw many seals sunbathing on the rocks. Some of them I didn't see at first because their grey color blended in with their surroundings. When I walked out on the rocks, I almost stepped on a sleeping seal!

Here's a little fella that also lives on land and sea. He's found in New Zealand and in Australia. His predators are also the whales and the sharks.

He's a Little Blue Penguin. Isn't he cute?! He doesn't need the freezing cold temperatures that other penguins need. His stomach is white, so when he's swimming on the surface of the water, a deep swimming shark looking up will see only the white of the sky above him. He won't even notice that part of the white is a little penguin!

Can you find the blue heron in this photo? He blends in so well with the water and branches that I didn't see him until he moved.

I saw what looked like a rock, or a clump of dirt on the path in my garden. Can you tell what it is?

On closer inspection, I realized it was a hedgehog. Can you see its nose and paw in this picture? To hide from its predators, it usually curls up in a little ball and blends in with the dirt and plants. It can also use its sharp spines to keep animals from trying to eat it.

The gecko in this picture is very hard to find when he stands still. He blends in well on the forest floor because he's the same color as the rocks, leaves, dirt, and tree bark. Camouflaging himself keeps him safe from being eaten by birds.

Another type of lizard that also lives in New Zealand is the tuatara. Look how he camouflages himself in the dirt. He is trying to hide from hungry rats or weasels.

This kea, is pretty easy to see standing on a fence, but imagine him amongst tree branches. His colors would help him camouflage himself.

The kea is a tricky bird that makes trouble. He is always looking for food. If a backpacker leaves her pack on the ground, a kea may come along and unzip it to help himself to food inside. In New Zealand, if you leave your car parked in an area where there are lots of keas, they will eat the rubber around your car windows to try to get in to find food.

I've also heard a story about a man who was being bothered repeatedly by a kea who kept coming back and trying to steal his lunch. The man threw his car keys at the bird to scare him away once and for all. The kea dodged the flying keys. Then picked them up in his beak and flew away with them!

Aren't animals amazing!?! Want to learn more about animals that camouflage themselves for protection? Click on Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, for some more good examples.

Here's a fun game my science students used to enjoy. You will need a partner. You both need paper, and crayons or markers. Title your papers "Camouflaged!" Without letting each other see your work, each of you draws a picture of an animal (real or pretend) that uses camouflage to hide from its predators. Now quickly draw its habitat all around him.

When you're both finished, take turns showing each other your pictures. Can you find the animal in ten seconds?!

If you find the animal, you get one point. If you can't, your partner gets one point.

For the next round, try drawing a different habitat with a new animal. The winner is the one with the most points when you have run out of time.

Tell me who won (first name only) by clicking comments below, and then typing the name in the box.

Bungy Jumping

New Zealand is the home of many adventure sports. When I say "adventure sports" I mean wild and crazy activities that people in other countries wouldn't even THINK of doing!

Bungy jumping is one example. When you bungy jump, you jump off a bridge, face first, with a whole bunch of very long rubber bands tied to your legs. Just before crashing at the bottom, the rubber bands pull you back up so you bounce several times before you're left dangling upside down. Does this sound crazy to you? Would you pay $100 to do it?? Some people do!

Recently, I visited the famous Kawarau Bridge to watch the bungy jumpers. This is where bungy jumping all began. "Go to the edge of the world. Then jump off," is the saying for the A.J. Hackett Bungy Jumping Company.

8Imagine this....

You walk out onto a bridge that is high above a gorge, with a river flowing swiftly at the bottom. They tie a harness around your legs and your ankles, and then you take baby steps onto a platform on the outside of the bridge.

Looking down, you can see the rushing water far below. On both sides of you are the rocky walls of the cliffs that stretch down to the water's edge. Standing on both sides of the bridge are people watching to see if you're going to chicken out.

The person in charge tells you to dive head first off the platform. Everyone holds their breath waiting to see if you'll do it, or if you'll inch your way back to the safety of the bridge. Your heart is beating so hard and so quickly it feels as though it will break through your chest. It's impossible for you to get a deep breath. The instructor counts loudly, "One...two....three...JUMP!"

You dive head first over the edge! As you plummet toward the bottom of the canyon, everything becomes a blur as you wonder if your life is about to end. The wind pulls on your face. Your hair is a mass of frenzied dancers as the strands twist and twirl around each other. The sounds of the people above are drowned out by the roar of the river below as you get closer and closer. It seems like you've been dropping a long time, but it's really been just seconds.

At long last, the rubber bands feel the tension of your weight and pull you back up. You're saved! You feel yourself make a few large bounces before coming to rest, upside down, your head a few meters away from the river.

You're relieved to see the pick-up boat come and get you.

Click Here for Bungy Dive Video

Did I bungy jump you're asking?

Not I. Instead I went black water rafting, another adventure sport, but that's a story for another blog posting....

Would YOU go bungy jumping?!? Do you think your teacher would bungy jump???

What's a Fiord?

In New Zealand, I've seen many advertisements for their fiords (spelled fjords in other countries). Click on the word fiord to hear how it's pronounced. This made me curious. I wondered what a fiord would be like. The dictionary says that a fiord is a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between steep slopes. What would a fiord look like? How do you get inside a fiord? What would it feel like? I had to find out!

We packed the car and headed toward the southwest part of New Zealand. On the map we could see the fiords. They looked as though a giant had spread his fingers wide and then pushed in the land along the coast. Once the fingers were removed, the ocean then filled in the remaining holes. That got me wondering how the fiords were really made. Researching, I discovered that these fiords were made when large sheets of ice, called glaciers, slid slowly toward the ocean over millions of years and carved out the land. The valleys they created near the coast were filled in by the ocean so they are now called fiords. These fiords have been here for over 13,000 years!

The driving time to the fiords was about eight hours, but we stopped in towns along the way to spend the night and to explore. We came across this sign and phone booth on the way. Click on the photo to read the words on the sign. Do you see the distances? They're in kilometers. Did you notice the New Zealand flag?

We visited two fiords, Doubtful and Milford. The first one was named Doubtful because the English explorer who discovered it was doubtful that his sailing ship could sail up it from the ocean. He didn't think there would be enough wind to fill the sails and keep the boat moving, so he just named it and continued to explore the coast of New Zealand. He never knew the beautiful sights he missed!

To get to Doubtful from the land side, we had to take a boat across the large lake you see in this photo, and then board a bus to take us down a private road to the water's edge. While on the bus, we could see the fiord in the distance.

Here is a picture of Doubtful. Doesn't it look exciting and mysterious?! Just looking at the picture makes me want to go back there again! You can tell we're near the top of the mountain when I took the photo. If you look closely, you can see the road far down near the fiord. We still had to get all the way down there! Remember that the dictionary said that a fiord is between steep slopes? It's right!

At long last, we boarded the ship and found our cabin. A few minutes later, the ship began its journey up the fiord, out toward the Pacific Ocean. Everyone ran out on deck to see the sights! As you can see from the photo, it was a grey day, with a drizzling rain off and on, making the area seem almost magical. This is often the weather in these fiords. That's what makes the hillsides green, so thickly covered with plants that you can't even see the ground!

After a several hours, we reached the ocean and the boat began heaving back and forth in the rough waves. If we had kept going, we would have reached Australia. However, since this was to be just a two-day trip, the captain turned the boat around and sailed far enough back into the fiord that the water was again calm and we could anchor for the night.

As you can see, some of us went kayaking before dinner. It was an awesome feeling to be in such a little boat at the base of those tall mountains. It was so quiet and peaceful in the fiord. The only sounds I heard came from the birds, and the people in our group. There were no other boats, no automobile noises, none of the regular sounds one hears in a city. They were replaced by singing birds, splashing paddles, and friendly laughter. I knew I would remember this trip for a long time to come.

After a delicious dinner prepared by the chef on the ship, we were entertained with a slide show by one of the ship's crew. She showed us pictures of the plants and animals in the fiords, and imitated the sounds of the birds so we would know what to listen for that night and the next morning.

She was right. On our nighttime stroll around the deck of the ship, we could here the squeaky sounds of the kiwi birds foraging for food on the mountainsides. In the morning, the first sound, loud and clear, was the bell bird, sounding very much like the chimes of a bell.

After a hearty breakfast for all, the captain set sail, reaching the dock around 10:00 am. Then it was back on the bus to travel up and over the mountain, and then on the boat to cross the lake back to town. It had been a beautiful trip, filled with interesting information, new sights and new sounds. The best part was knowing that we would get to see another fiord, Milford, in a couple of days.

Here are some photos from the Milford fiord. This was also a beautiful trip, with the mountains even higher, and more magnificent than at Doubtful. We learned that every fiord is different, and that if you ever have an opportunity to travel inside a fiord, go for it! You will be amazed by what you see and hear!

Chirpy in New Zealand

Look who's flown all the way from New York to New Zealand (with the help of Qantas Airlines) - Chirpy!

Chirpy was given to me by one of my 4th grade students last June. My problem is that I now can't remember who gave me this cute little bird! Can you help? Please click Comments at the end of this posting and tell me if you know who gave it to me. On the last day of school, the class submitted possible names. "Chirpy" won.

So, what has this little robin from New York been doing while in a foreign country you might ask?

He loves to sit in the garden at his new home and listen to the birds. Many of the birds here are different from the ones back home. He is also happy to know that there are NO snakes in New Zealand, so he feels very safe.

Chirpy loves being out in the countryside. There are so many beautiful places to see in New Zealand! This area is one of his favorite because it's by the ocean, and in the hills where the sheep run free and the birds sing all day.

He also likes being up in the Southern Alps. They are very tall mountains. When we were there the lupine flowers were in bloom covering the mountainsides. The mountains are so high that there's snow on them even in the summertime.

But Chirpy can't just play every day. Sometimes he has to go to school. The Kiwi kids love Chirpy! They think he is very cute.

Here he is being read to by a 7-year-old boy. Chirpy LOVES reading books, ever since he visited Mrs. Acito's room at Cottage Lane and discovered all of her beautiful books. If you haven't seen them ask her about them! Many of the children in this class read to Chirpy and everyone enjoyed the afternoon.

Some of the older kids found a book for Chirpy they KNEW he would love. Can you tell why?! (Hint: Enlarge the picture by clicking on it. Then click the back button.)

They also wanted to show Chirpy a globe so he could see his route from New York to California, and then California to New Zealand's South Island. Click here to go to Google Earth and see if you can find the same route.

When Chirpy isn't reading, or thinking about traveling, his favorite school activity is RECESS! He loves playing with the kids and the kids love playing with him. He especially liked this game with the geometry building set. Not only did the kids build neat things with them, but they could also tell whether they had built a pentagon, hexagon, or octagon.

One of the kids even made Chirpy a special nest during his free time. Wasn't that kind of him?

If you have any questions or comments for Chirpy, just click Comment at the bottom of THIS POSTING (Don't scroll all the way to the bottom of the page). He's flying up to the town of Kaikoura for a few days, but when he returns he'd be happy to answer your questions.

Maoris

The Maori people were the first people to occupy New Zealand, just as the Native American Indians were the first people to occupy what is now called the United States of America. The first Maoris came here by canoe, in the 1200's, from the Polynesian Islands north of New Zealand, so they look Polynesian. This photo shows an archway welcoming people to a Maori area. It is made of wood and shells, and is designed to keep evil away.

Captain Cook, a British sailor, explored this area in the mid-1700's . He discovered New Zealand and told people about it back in England. Over the years, more explorers came. Then people from England who wanted adventure and a new life began moving here. By the beginning of the 1800's, there were several towns filled with English people around New Zealand. As word spread about the good life out here, more and more people came. Some of the land was bought from the Maoris. Some of it was stolen.

Today, the Maoris work and live in all parts of life. Those who stay in school and get lots of education get the better jobs, earn more money, and have an easier life. Sometimes people discriminate against them, just as the Native American Indian often faces discrimination. That means that people judge them, not because of who they are, but because of their race. This makes life more difficult for them.

To help people understand their culture better, they have set up cultural shows to teach people about the Maori traditions. They want people to respect them and appreciate their culture, not make fun of it or think it's weird. This photo shows a Maori meeting house. The Maoris performed songs and dances to greet us when we arrived. We removed our shoes before going in, out of a sign of respect.

CLICK HERE to see and hear a Maori Dance.

Inside they told us about their culture and they performed more songs and dances. Some of their songs were very beautiful. The war songs and dances, like the "haka," were very fierce. This photo shows some men performing the haka. During the haka, they open their eyes very wide, yell very loudly, and slap their chests, legs, and arms in rhythmn. This looks very scary. They also stick out their tongues with the mouths wide open. This means, "I'm going to eat you up!" In the olden days, if you were in a tribe thinking about attacking this tribe, you might give up and run away after seeing them do this fierce haka.

These days, since the Maori tribes no longer attack each other, the haka dance is performed by the New Zealand rugby team, called the "All Blacks". Rugby is a very popular sport here in New Zealand. It's kind of like our football, but much rougher. The All Blacks dance the haka before each game to scare the other team. I guess it works because the All Blacks win almost all of their games. They are considered the best rugby team in the world!

Mr. Freeley, at Cottage Lane, knows the haka. I'm sure he'd perform it for you if you asked him nicely :).

The Maoris perform their shows in their native outfits, but after the show they get changed into their blue jeans and t-shirts to go home.

We see many Maori words each day, as many towns have Maori names, like Whakatane (pronounced fu-ku-tah-nee) and Hokatika (pronounced hoe-ku-ti-ku). The Maori name for New Zealand is Aoteoroa, which means Land of the Great White Cloud. Isn't that a nice name?

The government has declared that all children must learn some Maori words, so all teachers are required to take classes in the Maori language and pass a test in Maori in order to get a teaching credential, which allows them to teach school. All of the classrooms have some posters up to remind the children how to say some of the words, and each day they speak a few words in Maori. If you click on this picture to enlarge it, you can see the English words next to the Maori words.

Some of the children in the schools I've visited are Maori. Here is a picture of Simon. He's a very sweet 5-year-old boy. He loves life and is full of energy. In his classroom there are other Maori children, but also many Pakeha (people with white skin from England or other European countries, as well as from North American countries). There are also children whose parents have moved here from the nearby islands of Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji; and children from Russia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, India, Somalia, China, Korea, Thailand, and Japan. They are all now Kiwis because they've made New Zealand their home.

Christmas Down Under

Even though it is summer here in New Zealand, it is December just as it is in New York. Yesterday was December 25th, Christmas Day. The celebration of Christmas is definitely a part of New Zealand culture. All of the schools and businesses are closed for the holiday. Christians and non-Christians alike celebrate the day by joining with friends and family, eating a meal together, and exchanging presents. Many who celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus attend church.

The days before Christmas, the shops are decorated and people are out shopping for presents. Children are visiting Santa in the mall, telling him what they want for Christmas.The young fellow in this picture is trying to be very brave, but he looks rather scared, don't you think? Notice that people are wearing short-sleeved shirts because it's summertime.

We noticed a couple of big differences between Christmas in the northern hemisphere and Christmas here in the southern hemisphere (sometimes called "Down Under"). The most noticeable is that very few houses were decorated with lights. In the northern hemisphere, where the days are short in December, people turn on their Christmas lights at about 5:00 when it's getting dark. Many people are still out and around at that time of evening, so they can enjoy them as they drive home from work or the shops. Sometimes older people start to feel depressed (sad about life) when the days are so short and the nights are so long. Festive lights help cheer them up. In the southern hemisphere, however, the days are long and the nights are short in December. It doesn't get dark here until after 10:00pm. This is very late to start turning decorative lights on because most people are already home for the night. Hardly anyone would ever see them!

The second big difference is that very few people buy a live Christmas tree for their home. I saw only a few for sale, and that was at a gas station. They had very long pine needles and very droopy branches, so they looked different from the Christmas trees purchased in New York. Most people decorate their home without a tree, or buy an artificial(fake)Christmas tree to decorate.

Here are some photos I took on Christmas Day when we went for a walk by the seaside. As you can see, some people spent the day on the beach, although this year it was rather cool on December 25th.

Some people had their Christmas lunch at the park, and spent the day playing together.

How did I spend Christmas Day? My husband and I picked up our favorite present at the airport that morning - our son, Winston! He is a college student at Columbia University, in New York City, so he could not move out here for the year. He now has three weeks vacation from school so he flew out right away. We were so happy to see him!!!

Here is a photo of Winston on our walk. (Those of you in my class will remember him from the time he came to photograph you for our magazine article.) He is standing in front of a Pohutukawa tree. There are many in bloom all over town. Since it blooms in December, and the flowers are bright red, it is often called the New Zealand Christmas Tree.

From my family to yours, we wish you the very happiest of holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid, or Kwanzaa, and the very best year ever in 2007. I would love to hear about your family traditions for the season. Just click comments below.

Ms. Christie-Blick

Summer Vacation

Schools are out for summer vacation! The kids are all very excited. The teachers are exhausted. Everyone is looking forward to sleeping in, going to the beach, traveling, and enjoying the long summer days.

Kids playing in the sand left the face you see in the photo. I'm very lucky to be living right across the street from the beach. During the spring, there weren't many people on our beach. Now there are lots of families swimming in the Pacific Ocean and playing in the sand.

Can you see the sun dial in this photo? It is across the street from my house. A sun dial is what people from long ago used to tell time before they invented clocks. The piece of metal sticking up casts a shadow on the face of the table when the sun shines on it. There are Roman Numerals around the table top. The shadow will fall on the number to show the time. In other words, the shadow will be on the II when it is 2:00. It will be on the IV when it is 4:00. (The beach is behind the sand dunes, on the other side of the grass.)

There are lots of activities going on at the beach. Sometimes we see people paragliding onto the beach. They have a rectangular parachute, like the one you see in the photo. They jump off the high cliffs behind our house and then catch the upward wind currents coming off the ocean. These currents of wind keep them up so they can go back and forth along the shore. When they are ready to come down, they steer themselves over the sand for a soft landing. The guy in this photo started off from the beach instead of a cliff. He has a motor attached to the chair hanging from his parachute. He still needs the wind to take him up, but he has more control than those without a motor.

There are lots of surfers at the beach, as well as people wind surfing. A windsurfer is surf board with a sail attached to it. It looks like a sailboat sail. The person windsurfing stands on the board, with feet strapped on, and holds onto a handle on the sail to steer it. This way, he can catch the wind and glide across the water. He's very fast.

Another popular beach sport is kite surfing. This uses a surf board and a rectangular parachute. The kite surfer stands on the surf board, with her feet strapped on, and holds the strings of her parachute. She holds the strings so the parachute catches the wind and pulls her and her board across the water. She goes even faster than the windsurfer! If she raises the parachute upward, the wind pulls the parachute up and it lifts her and her board clear out of the water where she can spin 360s in the air before landing in the ocean again! You need very strong arms and legs to do this sport!

Kayaking is yet another popular activity at our beach. Can you see the kayakers in this photo? You may need to click on it to enlarge the picture. Then click the back button to return to this page. The kayakers paddle out and then ride the waves in toward shore. Fun!

We are all on holiday for the next month and a half. Schools will re-open on February 9, 2007. February is the beginning of the school year, so all of the kids will move up a grade, just as you do is September. Does that seem strange to you? Have you ever wondered why your new school year begins in September, rather than at the beginning of the calendar year in January?

CLICK HERE to see who else is enjoying summer fun on the beach!

Mairehau School

Mairehau School was a delight to visit. The teachers and the children were very welcoming. I liked this mural they painted on the side of one of their buildings. It was very colorful and cheerful. I visited many different classrooms in this school, so I was able to see what the youngest children were doing, as well as some of the oldest.

This school, like the others I visited, had lots of room outside for the children to play. See how big their grass area is? They also have a fitness area, similar to those of the other schools, and playground equipment as well. You'll notice in the picture of the kids outside, that shoes are optional. This is true inside the classroom as well.

Not only did the kids walk around in their classroom barefoot on a warm day, but some of the teachers did as well! What do you think? Good idea?

You can also see the children eating lunch. It is not common to have a dining hall at school. This school is typical in that the children eat their lunch outside. If the weather is bad then they eat in their classroom.

In class, they listen to the lesson sitting on the rug near the teacher. Then they go to their desks and practice what they've just learned. As you can see, the classrooms are colorful and welcoming. The schools in New Zealand do not have art teachers, so the homeroom teacher teaches art to their students. You can see some of their paintings in this photo. They also don't have music teachers, so the homeroom teacher plays a song on a CD and they all sing along together.

The homeroom teacher also teaches PE to the students. There are no teachers who teach just PE. Relay races are very popular for PE. In this picture, you can see the teacher explaining the throwing exercise the students are about to do.

There are also no school nurses. If a child isn't feeling well, there is a room in the school for him to lie down for a bit. If this doesn't help, then the school secretary calls his parent to pick him up and take him home. If the child needs medication during the day, it is given to her by the school secretary. If there's anything complicated about it, then the child's parent would need to come and give it to the child.

Have you been noticing the color of the uniforms at the three different schools I've visited? Each school has a different color.

While I was at Mairehau School, the children were practicing for a school DVD they were making. On performance day, Skoolstars Production Company came to the school and filmed and recorded the songs and dances from each class. They put them altogether onto a DVD with special background effects. They had a special "Night at the Movies" where parents and kids got to view the entire DVD on a large movie screen. Those who wanted to buy it could then have a copy to take home. I bought a copy and I think it's super! It would be fun to do something like this at Cottage Lane.

What special school activities have you done that were a good idea? Why were they worthwhile?

Summer!

Today is the official first day of summer in New Zealand! It is definitely warmer now than it was when I first arrived. Many days get up to a very pleasant, but cool, 18 degrees celcius. (It's a good thing I reviewed the metric system last year. It's used throughout New Zealand. More on that later.) So I still need a sweater when I go out because the wind is cold, but the sun is warm.

As you can see in the picture above, there are mountains not too far away from us. It would take us two hours to drive there. They are called the Southern Alps. They are so tall that even though it's summer they are getting fresh snow on their peaks. When it gets warmer, we'll drive over there and "suss them out," as the Kiwis say. When you "suss out" something you check it out.

The hills and valleys near our home are still very green. The little lambs are much bigger now. They have grown so much in just a month! Every weekend we go tramping over the hills or along the coast. In New Zealand, it's easy to find a pretty place to go for a walk. (Did you use your context clues to figure out that Kiwis use the term "tramping" for our term "hiking"?)

The sun rises at about 5:30 in the morning now, and doesn't set until about 9:00 in the evening. What time is sunrise and sunset now in New York? Here is a picture I took from my living room window. You can see the sun rising over the ocean. Can you see the big boulder? It's called Cave Rock because there is a cave inside it. The water and sand wore a hole right through it. Now that's a good example of erosion! It's neat inside.

School is still in session. In this picture you see one of the 6-year-olds drawing a picture of each one of her family members. Good job, don't you think?! Her family is from the island of Samoa, but now they live here in New Zealand. You'll notice that she has left her hat on , although she's pushed it off her head. All students are required to wear hats during recess during this 4th term at school, because the sun is getting so intense. It helps protect the face against skin cancer. Because of the holes in the atmosphere around Antarctica, and because there is little pollution in the air, the sun rays are even more intense here than in New York during the summer.

This is a picture of Margaret's house. She is one of my Kiwi friends. As you can see, in December her garden is in full bloom, and the trees and grass are very green. The day I took this picture, I was picking her up to drive to a potluck luncheon with some of our other friends. One woman from our group lives on a farm and raises miniature horses. She invited us all over for the afternoon.

Here is a picture of some of us looking at her horses. Margaret is the woman wearing pink in the front of this picture. Aren't the horses cute?!? Just look at their little legs! It's hard to believe that they are fully grown. A child could ride a horse this size, but a grown-up would be too heavy for it.

Here is a picture of a horse from The Royal New Zealand Show for comparison. You can see that the miniature horses are less than half the size of a standard horse. Wouldn't you like to have one for a pet?

As we move into summer, I know that you are moving into winter. Is it getting cold there yet? The kids here are envious that you get snow during the winter, and that sometimes you have a day off from school for a snow day. They think that would be great!

MAKE A COMMENT

SOCSD Kids,

I love hearing from you! You have great comments and questions! Keep them coming!

Each new entry I make is called a "post". Each time I make a new post, with a new topic, there is a green comments link at the end of that post. Clicking on that link puts your comment at that post. You don't have to scroll all the way down to the beginning of the blog to post a comment.

For example, if you want to comment on The Royal Show, find the comments link at the end of that post, but before the Alpaca post. You'll have to scroll slowly and keep your eyes open for the green comments link. That way you can find your post again later, AND you can read what others have to say about the same topic.

New pages are being added, and new comments are coming in all the time, so I hope you'll visit this site often! The more people who add comments the more fun it is to read!

Royal New Zealand Show

Welcome to the Royal New Zealand Show!

Held every spring, for 3 days, the kids are given a day off from school so they can attend. It started many years ago so the farmers could bring their best animals and compete to see who had the best sheep, or cow, or goat. Nowadays, they still bring their animals, but there are also rides, and different ethnic foods, and things to buy. Here's a sampling of what I saw at the show:

Cow and Bull Contests

Did you know that there are many different types of cows and bulls? Each type had its own competition at the show. Here are pictures of just a few that I saw.

The bull in the top picture is the largest bull I saw at the show. The brown bull next to it looks very different, doesn't it? The boy has a miniature cow. Her baby, right behind her is even smaller. The man with the long beard is dressed in a traditional Scottish kilt. He has a long-haired cow. I remembered seeing these wonderful beasts in Scotland.

When it was time to enter the contest, the owner would lead the animal around a pen in front of the judges. They won ribbons and trophies. Did you notice that the brown bull won a ribbon? Winning awards makes the farmers' animals more valuable.

Rooster Contests

I also enjoyed seeing the many different kinds of roosters! I had no idea that there were so many different kinds. Many of them were crowing and making an incredible amount of noise!

Sheep Contests

There were many different types of sheep there. I thought about the nursery rhyme, "Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool?"

These sheep had lots of wool! Not only were there awards for the best sheep, but also for the best wool. In this picture on the left, you can see some of the award winning wool.

Rides & Food

There were also plenty of carnival rides for the kids. A funny one I saw was a giant slide. It looked like the Titanic sinking. Can you see the boy sliding down it in the picture below? Remember, if you want to enlarge a picture just click on it. Then click the back button to return to the blog page.

After looking at all the animals I was starving, so I headed over to one of the food vendors. I bought a chicken kabob (pieces of barbecued chicken on a stick). It was yummy. I also bought a piece of homemade fudge. It was melt-in-your-mouth good!

Human Contests

After lunch I was ready for some more action, so I watched the chopping competitions and the sawing competitions.

In the chopping contest, the lumberjacks stood on top of their log. When the whistle blew, they began chopping furiously! The first one to chop all the way through, to split the log in half, was the winner!

There were many different sawing competitions. In the picture above, the lumberjacks had to use a two-handled saw to cut through the pole. There was another team trying to beat them, so there was lots of yelling and cheering. Everyone was having fun!

There were also lots of vendors at the show. They are the people selling things. You could buy a handmade toy, or clothing, or a tractor for your farm, or a new-and-improved milking machine for your cows!

On my way out, I saw the horseback riders practicing with their horses. Their events would be held later on in the day.

There was so much to do and see at the Royal New Zealand Show! Now I understand why the children were so excited about it coming to town! What would you go see if you could go to the show?

Alpacas Rule! Sheep Drool!

Will YOU take us home?! We are alpacas. We live on a farm near the city of Christchurch with 100 other alpacas. Alpacas were brought to New Zealand from the country of Peru many years ago. One of us is brown, and the other one is white, but some of our friends are grey and some are black.

Here's a picture of our handler, Sheryl, taking us for a walk at the Royal New Zealand Show. That's where we met Ms. Christie-Blick. She thought we were very cute, and she liked the humming noise we made. She pet us while she talked with Sheryl, and she learned all about our warm wool and the number of uses for it. She was amazed at the thickness our wool. In our opinion, alpaca wool is much better than sheep wool. It is used to make sweaters, scarves, mittens, hats, and all sorts of warm clothing.

The wool is dyed different colors and then spun into yarn. Here is a picture of alpaca yarn. The yarn is used to make clothing. Below is a picture of some sweaters made of alpaca wool.

We also make good pets. Ms. Christie-Blick wanted to take us both home to be her pets. (Sheryl said she couldn't buy just one because an alpaca by itself gets too lonely.) Unfortunately, her yard in New Zealand is too small for us. Also, it would be too long a plane ride back to New York. Maybe she'll just buy a nice alpaca sweater instead. Remember, alpacas rule!

If YOU could have an alpaca as a pet which one would YOU choose??? CLICK HERE to see the alpaca pets for sale at our farm.

Redcliffs Kids Take Over Blog

Year 5 students (9 and 10-year-olds) have taken over this blog posting. Partners discovered what they had in common. They used this information to tell you about themselves. Do YOU have anything in common with these kids? I have given them the URL (the computer address) for this blog site so they may be reading your answers!

We both like having pets. Rachel has a dog named Elsie and is about to get two kittens. Lucy has a goldfish named Hokey and is getting a puppy. We are both small girls and have long hair. We both love chocolate and reading books. Rachel likes fantasy and classic books like ‘A Little Princess’ and Lucy likes adventure and funny books by Paul Jennings. Lucy’s favourite subjects at school are art and music. Rachel likes writing and doing productions at school. ~Rachel and Lucy

We’ve both got blonde hair and freckles. At school we like playing on the bars, netball and swimming. We are both really busy doing things like having piano, swimming, dancing and French lessons. Ella loves Harry Potter books and a book called Stormbreaker by Antony Horowitz. Hannah likes the authors Andy Griffiths, Paul Jennings and Roald Dahl. Neither of us has a pet at the moment but we are both getting dogs soon, probably a Labrador, a Fox Terrier or a Spoodle, which is a cross between a Poodle and a Spaniel! ~Ella and Hannah

Both of us like reading books. Joshua’s favourite author is Lemony Snicket and Charles’ favourite author is Christopher Paulini. Joshua likes cricket and Charles likes to go skiing in winter. Joshua’s favourite take-away is Burger King and Charles likes Subway. Joshua’s favourite movie is Stormbreaker and Charles’ is Blue Streak. Joshua has got a pet cat named Clown. Charles has a dog called Perdy. ~Joshua and Charles

We both like playing on the bars at school a lot. We both have blue eyes. On the weekends Bridget likes shopping and Amy likes to play on her trampoline and can do forward flips! Our favourite subjects at school are Maths and English. We both like playing netball. Bridget loves watching ‘Shortland Street’ on TV, which is a New Zealand made soap opera and Amy likes to watch ‘That’s So Raven’. Bridget’s favourite food is Cookies ‘n Cream ice cream and Amy loves Hawaiian pizza! ~Amy and Bridget

Chloe’s favourite food is fish ’n chips and Madison loves chocolate! Madison plays netball, swimming, keyboard and does jazz dance and ballet. Chloe comes from Canada and has only just arrived in New Zealand. She loves it here! She used to play soccer, swim, play violin and do belly dancing. We both like drawing, Maths and have our ears pierced. In summer Madison likes to go to the beach and swim in pools and Chloe goes horse riding on the beach. We both love animals! Madison has a Labradoodle named Charlie and a mouse named Milo. Chloe is going to have a dog and two guinea pigs soon. ~Madison and Chloe

We both love sports, especially soccer. We both like going to each other’s house to play. Both of us have pets, Ollie has a cat named Monty, and Bradley has two mice named Tiny and Teeny Tiny. We are both ten years old but Ollie is older by four days! We are really good at school work and are in the top groups for everything! We are also in the same cricket team and get up really early, 3am, to watch World Cup Soccer! Our favourite take-away food is Burger King. We like Indian food too. ~Bradley and Ollie

We’re both quite good at running and gymnastics. We both like eating lollies, especially chocolate ones! We both like chocolate coloured Labradors. Sylvia likes to go surfing at Sumner Beach. Ellie has a waterfall near her house that she likes to play in. We both like hanging out with our friends, shopping, going to the movies and gossiping! At school our favourite subjects are Maths and Art. We also like to go ice skating in our free time. ~Ellie and Sylvia

We both love Surf Life Saving and went to the South Island Champs. Brittany came second overall and Isabella came fifth overall! We enjoy the same pop music like from the movie High School Musical. Our favourite celebrity is Lindsay Lohan. We both love eating lollies and Pringles. Brittany is half Indian and Isabella is from Melbourne, Australia, but we both look similar and love eating Indian food! ~Brittany and Isabella

We both have large gardens at home. Charlie is from New York and this is his first year in New Zealand. Zak is from England and has lived in New Zealand for just over a year and a half. We both like watching the Simpsons on TV. We both like doing Maths at school. On the weekends Zak likes playing with his cat, Smudge. Charlie likes drawing pictures and going on vacations. His favourite place to visit is Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, which is where his cousins live. Zak loves playing soccer and Charlie goes swimming on Mondays after school. Charlie has two cats named Eleanor and Gerty.
~Zak and Charlie

We both like pets. Blaise has a cat named Cloudy and Clem’s dog is called Stella. Both of us like chocolate! Blaise does Surf Life Saving at Sumner Beach and we both like shopping. Clem likes drawing and we both like playing on the computer. Blaise does Jazz and Clem does Ballet. In summer we both like going to the beach and Clem always takes her dog. We love swimming in summer and going on holiday! On TV we like watching Spongebob Squarepants, and Bro’ Town, a New Zealand made programme. We also both like doing sports like swimming, netball, tennis, skiing and volleyball. ~Blaise and Clem

We have our names in common. We are both Olivia! Olivia R likes dancing, hockey and swimming as well. We go to swimming together, actually. Olivia S likes to go horse riding and she has a dog called Rachel. Olivia R has four guinea pigs named Patch, Skin, Snowy and Gingerbaby and a cat named Ruby. Olivia R goes to Brownies and her favourite thing to do there is grass-sliding, but once she just about broke her arm doing it! Olivia S likes playing on her computer and both of us like reading.
~Olivia S and Olivia R

Neiden is a vegetarian and his favourite food is carrots. Lucas’s favourite food is Nachos. His favourite sports are rugby and running. Neiden’s are cricket and soccer. On the weekends Neiden likes to go down to the park and play cricket or soccer with his friends. Lucas likes playing with his friends on the weekends. We both like having pets. Neiden has 18! Most of them are goldfish. Lucas has a huge Great Dane named Boy. ~Lucas and Neiden

Monique likes sport and she is good at it! Rebecca likes to do Maths at school. She also likes to play on her roller skates in her free time. When Monique has free time she likes to go biking. Rebecca’s favourite food is Spaghetti Bolognese. Monique doesn’t have a favourite. She loves all food! Her dog’s name is Tura. It is a German Shepherd crossed with a Border Collie and he’s only six months old. Rebecca has a cat named Winnee and two guinea pigs named Fluffy and Pippy. Both of us like reading books and Maths. ~Monique and Rebecca

Join Me at Redcliffs School

Miss Saxon's Year 4/Year 5 Class is awesome! The kids are great! They are eight- to ten-year-olds. They were so nice to me during my two-week visit, and even let me teach some lessons.

The students liked the books I brought over from America. While I read aloud, I talked with them about using context clues to help understand unfamiliar words, using clues in the story to help make predictions, and using inferential thinking to understand what the author is really saying. Do these reading strategies sound familiar to you?!? Are you still using them every time you read?

This day the kids chose Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg for me to read aloud. They loved the clever story and the way Van Allsburg's drawings showed the ants' perspective of the world throughout their adventure. What's your favorite read aloud story?

I showed the kids the Culture Books my Cottage Lane students had made. They LOVED them! They were very excited to see the drawings, the magazine pictures, the explanations about different aspects of American culture, and even some real money taped into the books! When they held the books they knew these hand-made treasures had traveled across the world.

The class was inspired! They spent the rest of the day making their own Culture Books for me to bring back to the United States. They used our discussion about "culture" to get ideas, and they re-read the American Culture Books several times to get ideas about how to make a good book. They made them very colorful and very interesting. You would know a lot about the Kiwi culture after reading their books.

Click Here for Sylvia's and Ellie's Video about Their Culture Books

***Remember to turn on your computer's sound. It will take a few minutes for the computer to load the video. Be patient. Click on the link only once. You can scroll down and continue reading this blog while you're waiting for the video, but open only one video at a time or it will slow down even more. :)

Bradley and Ollie made videos for you, explaining how the word "Kiwi" is used for many different things.

Click Here for Bradley's Video about Kiwis

Click Here for Ollie's Video about Kiwis

It could become confusing when someone talks to you about their Kiwi, but it's easy if you remember to use context clues.

Here's a picture of the front of Redcliffs' School. Isn't it nice? They have lots of room to play in front and in the back of the buildings. They usually play soccer, cricket, and other games during recess. However, they had never played kickball, so I told them the rules and we went out to play one afternoon.

They caught on quickly and really enjoyed playing kickball.

You'll notice that they are all wearing hats. This is a requirement for all school children this time of year to protect their faces from the sun. Because the air is so thin down here, there is a good chance of getting skin cancer from over exposure to the sun. New Zealand and Australia have the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. Wearing a hat, and using suntan lotion, allows kids to play outside in the sunshine without worry.

One day I got to join the class on their field trip to Science Alive to attend a class on electricity explorations. It's a small, hands-on science museum in the city of Christchurch. Mums (They say mum, not mom here) and dads drove groups of children to the museum so they wouldn't have to rent a bus. The science class lasted about two hours, but the children were never bored because there were lots of hand-on activities. In the picture above you can see Lucas experimenting with static electricity.

Miss Saxon is also trying out some of the activities.

Just in case you think Kiwi children are very different from American children, I've included these last two photos to show you that they are not very different at all. All over the world, kids just want to have fun!

Sheep Shearing

“When is it MY turn for a hair cut?!”

October is sheep shearing time in New Zealand. “Shearing” means cutting. This is the time of year that sheep get a “hair cut”. The sheep will be cooler during the spring and summer, and the wool will be put to good use. Look at the photo above. Can you tell which sheep is going to be shorn next?

“NOW look at me!!!”

Click on the icons below to see the sheep being shorn. The sheep shearer cut slowly so we could see his technique. Usually it’s done much faster because the farmer has so many sheep. The fastest sheep shearers can shear an entire sheep in about 30 seconds! A shearer can shear 1,000 sheep in just one week!!!

Shearing Video Part I


Shearing Video Part II

The sheep’s wool is collected.

Twigs are removed from the wool.









The wool is compressed.





The wool is put into that big blue machine you see behind the shearer. It compresses the wool. That is, it smashes it together so lots of wool can fit into a small amount of space. See the large bag to the left of the loose wool? That's one bale of wool. The bale of wool is then sent to the factory to be cleaned, dyed, and made into yarn. It can then be used to make woolen goods, such as sweaters, scarves, blankets, or carpets.







Shorn ewe with her lamb.




A female sheep is a ewe (pronounced "you"). A male sheep is a ram. Click on the links below to watch and listen to the shearer talk about his favorite ram, Ram Man. Be sure you turn up the sound on your computer!

Ram Man Video Part I

Hi to Cottage Lane from a New Zealand sheep shearer!


Ram Man Video Part II

Look who wants to get in on the act!
Sheep ranchers consider it good luck to have at least one black sheep in their flock.

Do you own anything that’s made of wool? What is it?

Ilam School

Office, staff room and work rooms.

This photo shows just part of the school. There are more buildings, playgrounds, blacktop areas and grass areas off to the left.

The first school I visited was Ilam School. As you can see, it’s a beautiful school on a large piece of property. That means the children have lots of room to play at recess time.

The principal, Mrs. Atkinson, and the teachers were very kind to host me for two weeks. As a "Visiting Teacher" I had the opportunity to sit in on several different classes to see what is happening in New Zealand schools. You'll be interested to hear that there are more similarities than differences. The 9-year-olds in New Zealand learn reading, writing, and math, just as the American students do. They even have a unit on electricity, just like our Cottage Lane 4^th graders. Inside, the classrooms are colorful and cheerful, as they are at Cottage Lane. There are teacher-made bulletin boards and student work hanging up on every wall, making the rooms interesting and inviting.

Colorful, interesting bulletin boards at Ilam School.

Wouldn't it be fun to be able to say "Hello!" in many different languages?

There are several differences you'll find interesting. There are only about 400 children in the school. Cottage Lane has about 550 students. The Ilam students range in age from five to twelve. At Cottage Lane, since it's just 4th grade and 5th grade, most of the children are 9 years old when they arrive, and 10 or 11 by the end of 5th grade. Although Ilam's classrooms are about the same size as ours, there are about 30 children in each class, so it feels more crowded than we’re used to at Cottage Lane. On the other hand, they have more space to play outside.

I spent most of my time with Mrs. Scott's Year 5 class. Those children are nine-year-olds. They were very nice. I gave them red, white and blue pencils that had writing on them: “Hi from Cottage Lane School, USA.” They said they really liked them. They LOVED the Tootsie Rolls I gave them. They had never had this candy before because it’s not sold in New Zealand.

Fitness track for a healthy lifestyle.

This is a picture of one part of the school's Fitness Track. Every morning, the class takes a quick break to run through the activities. They run, balance, climb, swing, and flip to complete the course. Then they run back to the classroom and get back to work. Most of them really like doing the course. The kids are very good about getting right back on task when they return to the classroom.

Geometric shapes on the move!

You’ll be envious to hear about their breaks. In addition to the fitness break, at 10:30 the entire school has a morning break for about 25 minutes. The children play outside, and eat a snack if they brought one from home. At 12:30, everyone has lunch and recess for ONE HOUR! The kids play soccer or cricket on the field, or they can do the Fitness Track, play on the playground, or play on the blacktop area. The school day is 9:00 to 3:00.

You’ve probably also noticed that the students wear uniforms to school. Each school has a different uniform, so it’s easy to tell what school a child attends when he’s walking home from school.

Swimming lessons

You’ll also be interested to hear that each class gets swimming lessons for two weeks out of the year. Since the school doesn’t have its own pool, the children are bussed to the community pool each day for an hour.

There are many children at this school who come from a different country. About 40% of the Ilam students come from families who have immigrated to New Zealand. Their families moved here to have a better life. They came from Japan, China, Korea, Russia, Somalia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, England, Ireland, Australia, and many of the Pacific Islands. The teachers teach all the children to have pride in their culture and to respect others’ cultures. It’s a real global community.

Cottage Lane is also becoming more of a global community as people from other countries move into our area. What should teachers and students do to make sure that children are learning to respect each others’ differences? Why is it important? I'm very interested in hearing what YOU think, so click the "Comments" button below and tell us your opinion.

What Season is It?

Cottage Lane Students:

I was so delighted to hear from so many of you! You had excellent comments and questions.

I will use your ideas to build more blog pages.

l Safety first! Remember not to put last names on this blog.l

Several of you asked about the season and the weather. This blog posting will give you some clues. Can you figure out the answers?

There are many beautiful parks in every city and town, like the one in the picture above. It is full of clues for you. (Remember, if you click on any picture in this blog it will enlarge. Then click on the back button at the top of the page to return to the blog page.)

What season is it right now in New Zealand? Is it the same as, or different from yours in New York? How do you know? Can you explain why scientifically?

When I went for a walk through a park, I saw a host of daffodils! Of course it reminded me of William Wordsworth’s poem, The Daffodils, so I took a movie clip of the scene. (My students, can you still say the abridged version by heart?) Click on the link below; then tell me if you agree with the way he described how daffodils move in the breeze.



Daffodils video

Here are some more hints:



Are you my mommy?

I saw this little lamb while out for a walk.

Make way for ducklings!

My friends, Marcella and Margaret, stopped traffic along the busy street in the city of Christchurch so the mommy duck and her babies could cross the road safely.



Sooooo sleepy!

This seal pup is enjoying the sunshine on this beautiful day.




Now it’s your turn.
Do you have answers? Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from you!

We Arrived!

October 1, 2006
Christchurch, New Zealand

A big “Hi!” to everyone at Cottage Lane. I am now in the country of New Zealand, near the city of Christchurch. Sorry that it’s taken so long to get this Blog site going, but I’ve had some technical difficulties with the Web site. Anyway, I’ve been thinking of everyone at Cottage Lane, especially my students. I hope you had a TERRIFIC summer, and that your new school year is going well.

It was a long trip from New York to Christchurch. It took six hours to fly from New York to California, where we changed planes. We then spent thirteen hours flying to the North Island. As my students know from their research, New Zealand is divided into two islands. We had to change planes again and flew another one and a half hours to the South Island. When we finally arrived, we knew that the trip had been worth it. We’ve seen many beautiful and interesting sights here in New Zealand. I am looking forward to sharing them with you on this Blog site, so I hope you’ll check in often.


Here is a picture of the house we’re renting. It’s the yellow house with the orange triangle. As you can see it’s up on a cliff, so there’s a zigzag path to walk up from the street to get to it. It’s a little house, but it’s comfortable and it has beautiful views.





Here’s what we see from our balcony in front of the house. Can you see the beach and the beautiful Pacific Ocean? It’s right across the street from us!



Here is a close-up picture. I love being able to take a walk on the beach. I go almost every day.





I would LOVE to hear from you! We can get a discussion going when you click on the “Comments” button, the way you did for Mr. Tanenbaum’s Web site when he was in the Bering Sea. Remember that it won’t appear immediately on the Blog, but if you check back later you’ll see your own comment. Also remember that everyone else can see your comment. The fun part is that you can read what others say. Just like our discussions in class, it’s polite to comment on what another has said before you put in your two cents. For example, “I agree with what Dana said about the airplane flight. I also think….”

Let’s get started. What do YOU want to say?

Getting Ready

Soon, my husband and I will be flying to Christchurch, New Zealand, on the other side of the world. I will miss my family and friends, and everyone at Cottage Lane School, especially my students. However, I am looking forward to my adventure with great excitement. There will be so much to learn about New Zealand culture, and especially about their schools.

Fortunately, my students did some research on New Zealand and created a PowerPoint to share the information with me. I'm sure the information will prove to be very useful when I arrive down under. I know they will be very disappointed if I don't send back pictures of kiwi and kaka birds, as well as people bungy jumping!

I have been thinking about the fact that New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere. That means the seasons are the opposite of ours here in New York, since we are in the northern hemisphere and western hemisphere. While we are in the middle of a hot, sticky summer now in July, it is still July in New Zealand, but it is the middle of winter there. You can check out the daily temperatures. Go to www.weather.com and type Christchurch in the box at the top. Follow the links to find Christchurch, New Zealand, 10-Day Forecast. See what I mean?

I hope you are having a wonderful summer and that you'll keep in touch with me while I'm overseas. Please visit this site often and post a comment when you have a chance.