Teaching, Teaching & ROTORUA! :)

My Oh My, what a WILD couple of weeks it has been! I can't believe there are only 3 more weeks left in the school term! Time is flying bye!! I cannot believe it is almost Thanksgiving Time! The past few weeks have just flown! Last week I began my full control in Ms. Mason's classroom. It has been going really well so far and I am enjoying working with the 4/5 graders! They can be quite a handful sometimes with all of their energy and chit chattiness! But I am learning a Lot. I love being able to take the kids out for fitness, I think it is so neat that it is the classroom teachers job to take the kids out for a run/game/activity as part of their Physical Education time. We also have been working on our communication unit and this week we will be creating a timeline of the different types of communication that have been invented.

I am so sorry it has taken me so LONG to write on my blog, but time has definitely gotten away from me and so much is happening it is hard to keep track. Well, Lets see..... Two weekends ago Jackie and I venture down to Auckland to do some shopping and see all of the sites in the BIG city, yet we had some minor weather mishaps and we ended up not making it down on Saturday due to the fact that all of the trains were closed and there was no way we could get downtown. We had quite a laugh when we realized that we were just not meant to go downtown, so instead we had a planning day and got some MAJOR work done..which was much needed. Jan then took us that night to see fireworks ontop of this beautiful look out. The drive was just amazing and it was a great time! We then went home and set off a few of our own fireworks! It was a lot of fun and I realized just how much I love sparklers! hehe

School is going really well! I have lots planned yet only so much time left! Next week, I am having the students get together with a buddy and have them invent and create a type of technology for the FUTURE! This activity will allow the childrens imaginations to run wild and they will be able to create ANYTHING they want, as long as it relates to Communication and Technology. It is so exciting seeing the students all ready and excited for this unit and I think it will also be a LOT of FUN!

I also started a new art project this week, where the students will be creating a Name Art! I am having them create a project using their name but instead of doing letters they will have to draw pictures that look as though they are letters but they will be images representing what they might like to do someday.... Maybe I am explaining this a bit odd, but this might help... For my example I drew out my name Cathy, but for each letter I drew a picture that sent the message of that of a teacher. The C-was a ruler, the A-was an apple, the T-was a pencil, the H-was the alphabet, the Y was a box of crayons. It was so neat because this project also related directly into our topic of communication, where the images would communicate an idea of what they would like to be in the future. I was so impressed and shocked by how excited the students were to get started! There is just so much to do and so little time left in the year. We are also working on our Writing Unit-which focuses on letter writing and editorial writing. I am going to have the students work with a partner and determine some fact and opinon pieces before I have them write a Letter to the Editor piece. Next week I am also going to have some Thanksgiving Lessons and some crafts for the students, they are super excited to learn what Thanksgiving is all about and all of the traditions we have in America.

Last weekend Jan, Cory, Jackie and I all headed down to Rotorua which is a major tourist spot and for good reason. It was absolutely beautiful from every direction! I just love the drive everywhere we go, it is like having free entertainment because out of every window it is just so beautiful. I can't get over the beauty of New Zealand. On Saturday, I started the day off SKYDIVING!!! It was soooo incredible and I had the BEST time EVER!!!! It was just one of those things that I couldn't miss out on and now I am hooked! It was sooo amazing and the coolest experience of my life. I went tandem and my guy was so awesome, he taught me how to fly the parachute and gave me full control of manuvering it around the sky. It was so beautiful from up there, there is no better feeling in the world, than flying above one of the most beautiful countries. It was absolutely magical! I just can't wait for the next time I do it! That night Jackie and I went to a traditional Maori Hangi Dinner, which was an absolute BLAST. We got picked up by the Tamaki Maori Tribe where we were greated by people from all over the world, who were going on the experience! The bus driver was absolutely hilarious, on the way to the reservation we were singing and laughing and learning a bit of Maori. The whole evening was planned, when we first go there we had to be welcomed by the Chief of the Tribe, before any visitors could come into their home. Once they accepted us into their home we proceeded into the woods, where there were several different groups of Maori that would explain a certain accept of the culture, whether be games, hunting, song and dance, education etc. It was absolutely fascinating and a little chilly. They then had us move to see how and where they cooked the dinner, in Maori tradition they cooked the food under the ground, in the earth. They would dig a big whole and lay coal like rocks in the hole and heat them up. They would then place the food on top and cover it, to allow the food to cook. It was so interesting seeing and fascinating! I couldn't get over, how this tradition is still going on for so many generations. We then saw a traditional song and dance and heard many different stories of the Maori and their history. I learned so much and it was just an incredible evening. Which only got better when dinner was served, they served us the traditional Hangii Meals that were cooked under the earth, which were carrots, kumara (sweet potato), chicken, potatoes). It was so nice and we met a lovely Canadian couple, we had such a good time getting to know them! The night was just sooo MUCH fun! Jackie and I were laughing the whole way back!

On Sunday, Jackie and I ventured to walk around the blue and green lake. It was so beautiful and we had a really great hike. I just wanted to stop at every little cove and take a picture, but it would have then taken us forever to finish the hike. hehehe but I did try to take as many as I could. When we were done, all of us went to the Thermal Pools, it was sooo amazing, it was like an outdoor natural hot tub with a waterfall. It was so beautiful and it felt amazing! We had a lot of fun and it was so nice to just relax and prepare myself for the week ahead!

Well, I better be off time for bed here! I have a busy, busy day tomorrow at school and I definitely need my rest! Till Next time! :) KIA ORA!