General Knowledge

General Knowledge Sharing 2013

The children have the opportunity to share some interesting general knowledge with the class.  They can talk about New Zealand facts, news from the newspaper, television or important events in the world.

Emily told us about the Lantern Festival in China.  It is a celebrated on the fiftenth day of the first month.  At this time thousands of colourful lanterns are hung in the sky.

Lucas talked about sea vents.  He told us last week scientists sent a remote controlled submarine into a very deep part of the ocean.

Gemma talked about tigers.  She told us at first the cubs eyes are blue then they change to yellow.  The mother lives with her cubs in a den made in a cave or a hole in a tree.

Judy talked about pets.  She told us that she would choose a goldfish.  She told us that you must look after pets very carefully so thaty don't get sick or run away.

Ryan told us that more than 9,000 people felt the earthquake in Auckland.  He said it happened at 4:05 in the afternoon.

Melissa talked about being a responsible dog owner.  She said that they must have water and food every day.  Her daddy walks her dog and Melissa plays with him.

Connor talked about Tyrannosaurus Rex.  He said that his name means 'tyrant lizard king'.  It is a carnivore and it eats other dinosaurs.  It stood 3 times taller than a man.

He talked about Velociraptor.  It lived at the same time as Tyrannosaurus Rex.  It was a carnivore and they could escape from T. Rex because they were fast runners.

Nicole talked about the solar system.  She told us that inside Earth there is a rock and it is so hot, it is hotter than the sun.  We found out that Jupiter is windy and Neptune is the coldest planet.  Mercury is the hottest planet as it is the closest to the sun.

Aarman talked about facts from New Zealand.  We found out that the tallest mountain in New Zealand is Mount Cook and the longest river is the Waikato River.  He also told us that the Sky Tower has 38 floors.  We found out from Aarman that the New Zealand falcon lives in native forest and eats small birds and small mammals.

Jordan told us all about guide dogs.  She has a guide dog called Jackson and it is a boy.  Jackson is learning to be a guide dog.  When he goes for a walk he wears a red coat and a red collar.  When he leaves Jordan's family he will live with a blind person.  They all love him so much and when he leaves they will miss him very much.

Justin told us about a waterslide which is just outside of Auckland.  It is 650 metres and it is the muddiest waterslide.

Abigail talked about the kiwi.  She told us that the kiwi is an amazing bird that is the size of a chicken with thick, leather skin.  They feed on many insects such as earthworms, crickets, slugs and snails.

Finn talked about hawks.  He told us that hawks fly slowly into the wind, hunting for prey.  Hawks have to be careful not to get run over while they are eating.

Laila told the children about Disney on Ice.  It will be held at the Vector Arena in June.  Laila would love to learn how to skate.

Matthew talked about the first Canadian to walk in space, who also was the first Canadian to command the International Space Station.  He lived for five months in the International Space Station.  He took photos of Earth and made the first music video in space.  

Aneri talked about volcanoes.  We found out that volcanoes can send ashes high into the air, over 30km.  She told us that volcanoes are mountains that open downward to a pool.

Sam told us that scientists are helping to find out the secrets of giant Ice Age beasts like the sabretooth cat and the mammoth.  He said that scientists are now looking in the ground for more animals like this.

Rohan told us some facts about New Zealand.  He said that the capital of 

New Zealand is Wellington and the biggest city is Auckland.  John Key is the Prime Minister.

Jayden told us about his beyblades.  He said that it goes very fast.

Jordan talked about a technology called Motorola and they are working on developing ways for people to remember their computer passwords.

Xavier told us about going to a show called 'Fiddler on the Roof'.  He said that there was music in the show and he really enjoyed it.

Peckau talked about his friend Jesus.  He told us that he always talks to him through his prayers.

Emily brought a book to school with Chinese writing.  She read words and numbers to us in Chinese.

Roy made a mask and he told us abut it.  It is made out of a paper bag adn it is decorated with rope, glitter and paint.

Abigail talked about fairies.  She told us that fairies invite us on a magical adventure where we experience magical flying moments and the treasure box full of diamonds and gold.

Mingjue told us about Kelly Tarlton.  He told us that Kelly Tarlton was a conservationist.  One of the reasons he built the aquarium was that young people would come to visit and learn more about the sea and its environment.  Kelly Tarlton was also an explorer, in fact Mingjue's Uncle Dover and Kelly Tarlton once went diving and found his tribes Waka, it is called Matatua.

Finn talked to the children about trolls.  He told us that trolls are make believe. They are like an ogre, but smaller.  They live in mountains and caves and sometimes they even turn to stone when they are in the sun.

Judy talked about jokes.  She told us that jokes are something funny that people tell you.

Jordan talked about a team of creative scientists from Bristol looking into other ways that they can charge mobile phones.

Emily talked about nutrition.  She said that everyone can eat a rainbow to keep healthy.  She told us about all the healthy fruit and vegetables and what they have in them.  Emily said that red fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes and cherries are good for your nails, skin and hair.  She said that we should eat our 5+ a day to keep healthy.

Aneri talked about dolphins because she really likes them.  She told us that dolphins are intelligent and entertaining.  Did you know that dolphins have 100 teeth theat they don't use for eating, they use them to get fish!!!  Dolphins leap up to 30 feet in the air.

Sam bought a packet of "Grow Your Own Crystals'.  His mum helped him to make them.  It took 7 days to grow as each day the crystals on the rock grew bigger.  He told us that the crystals of the side of the box look like ferns. You must not eat them because they are poisonous.

Aarman told us all about lego.  He mentioned that it was invented in Denmark but now it is made in factories all around the world.  It has been around for almost 100 years.  It is one of the oldest plastic toys in the world and it is in the 'top 10 toys' around the world.  The word lego means 'play well'.  Aarman said, "So let's continue to play well, using lego and our imagination."

Pj told about his goal for reading.  He said that he worked hard night after night and week after week.  He got to level 19 and felt very proud of himself.  His family were very proud of him because he reached his goal.

Nicole talked about libraries.  She said that you can get your own book out of the library.  Books can help you learn heaps of inforamtion like, planets, animals and birds. 

Melissa talked about the tui.  She let us listen to what the tui sounds like.  Melissa told us that she has tui's in her garden because she has flaxes that are flowering.  They like to eat the nectar out of the flowers.  

Xavier talked about Halloween.  He said that some people dress up in costumes and some people go to light parties.  Xavier had lollies and watched a movie at home.

Emily talked about origami.  It is a Japanese art of folding paper into interesting shapes.  She said that you need paper to make things.  Emily made a lily, boat, dolphin and a fish.

Jordan talked about a strange smell in Christchurch and nobody knows where it has come from.  No one is any closer to identifying where the smell comes from.

Gemma talked about ballet.  She told us that dancing is fun and that it teaches you the correct body movements and posture.  She really loves her ballet lessons and she has been doing ballet since she was three.

Jayden talked about his robot.  His robot looks like an optimus prime transformer.  He loves to play with his robot at home.

Laila talked about the typhoon that hit the Philippines.  Last Wednesday a text fundraiser was launched for the people of the Philippines.  Many generous people donated money to this worthy cause.  

Point View School had a mufti day on Friday 22 November for this as well.

Ryan talked about the typhoon that hit the Philippines as well.  He said that the New Zealand Airforce is sending over a big plane, called the Hercules, which will be carrying food, water and medicine to help the people that are there.

A typoon is a tropical storm, it has very, very strong winds.

Mingjue told us about the lynx.  There are only 2,000 left in the wild.  They are a member of the cat family and they prefer to live alone.  Lynx live for 14 years. 

Connor talked about the Rugby League World Cup Final.  The Kiwi's played against England.  It was an exciting game.  Shaun Johnson scored in the last minute of the game.  We won 20-18.

Rohan talked about man's first visit to the moon.  Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969 and he was joined by Buzz Aldrin.  The spaceship was named Apolo 11.  They collected samples of lunar soil and rock to bring home and they also put a US flag on the moon.  They spent a total of 21 hours and 36 minutes on the moon.  The footprints made by the two men are still on the moon. The astronauts were treated like heroes on their return.

Lucas told us that Santa visits 842 million homes in 31 hours.  His real name is St Nicholas.  In Germany people open presents on Xmas Eve.  In Italy, instead of stockings, the children leave shoes by the door and Santa puts lollies in them.  Santa speaks every language too!

General Knowledge Sharing 2014

Samar talked about steam engines.  She told us that the first steam engine was built in 1698.  The steam engine was used to power trains, boats and big ships.  Coal and water is used to make steam that runs steam engines.

Brooke talked about orca.  She told us that last weekend four orca came to Maraetai Beach.  They chased a stingray to the edge of the water.  The orca threw the stingray into the air as they fed on it.

Benjamin talked about Georgie, the dog, who came to New Zealand to work at the airport to smell people's bags and find bugs and food.  He told us that this is a very important job.

Oliver talked about the 50 ft snowman.  He told us that it was built in Minnesota in the USA.  His nose was made from a garbage can!  It took 2 months to build, using heavy machinery.

Jayden talked about the New Zealand flag.  He said that New Zealand has had the same flag for over 100 years.  Mr Key would like everybody to decide the design of the new flag.  Mr Key's favourite choice is a silver fern on a black background.

Alicia talked about sharks. She told us that there are 400 types of sharks, sized from 15cm to 13m.  They live for about 20 to 30 years.  She told us that they have gills to breathe and a good sense of smell.  She said that great white sharks live in cool temperate water and seals are their favourite food.  Mako sharks are the fastest swimmer and they can leap as high as 9 metres out of the water.  Bronze whalers are 3 metres long.

Archie told us that the part of our body that works our food through is called the digestive system.  It is like a tunnel and is 9 metres long!  He said that our stomach is a big bag with strong muscles.  The stomach breaks down our food for a few hours and turns it to mush.  The mush goes around to the rest of the body and feeds us goodness that our body needs.

Samantha talked about our body.  She showed us a book called, 'The Human Body' by Disney.  Samantha drew a skeleton and told us about some of the different parts.

Alex talked about a special event on 11 April.  One hundred people are invited to Wynyard Quarter on Auckland's waterfront.  These people were given seeds to grow the food which they will share with others at a dinner.  Two chefs will cook a meal using the food that the guests have grown.

Justin told us about dolphins. He said that dolphins can stay up to 15 minutes under water.  They don't smell very well but they are able to see well in the water.  Dolphins like to eat fish and squid.  They use their teeth to grab their food but they don't chew it.  All food is swallowed whole.

Ashlee talked about the blood moon.  She told us that it is in the night sky.  The blood moon doesn't happen very often.  It is a very special eclipse because the moon goes red like the colour of blood!!!  Ashlee showed us a video about it as well which was very interesting.  

Emilia talked about shetland ponies.  She told us that they are strong for their size.  They come from the Shetland Islands in the far north of Scotland.  Shetland ponies are usually gentle, good-tempered and very intelligent.  They have long thick manes and tails and they live for more than 30 years.

Aaron told us about the royal visit.  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, visited New Zealand this week with their baby George.  While they were here they visited many people and places up and down the country.  Aaron told us that William's grandmother is the Queen of England.  He said that the royal visit was special for New Zealand because we are a part of the Commonwealth.

Yunmin talked about horses.  She told us that most domesticated horses begin training under a saddle or in a harness between the age of two and four.  She said that horses can sleep both lying down and standing up.  Horses have around 205 bones in their skeleton.  Their eyes are on the side of their head and they are capable of seeing nearly 360 degrees at one time.

Damon talked about Sir Edmond Hillary.  He told us that on the 29th of May Edmond Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers and they reached the highest point of Mount Everest.    Tenzing Norgay is a sherpa from Nepal.  The summit of Everest is eight thousand, eight hundred and forty eight metres above sea level.  Edmont Hillary was knighted by Queen Elizabeth 11 after reaching the top of Everest.  This is why you often see him referred to as 'Sir'.

Damon showed us a map on the ActivBoard of where Mount Everest is.

Joshua talked about penguins.  He told us that penguins are birds and they live in Antarctica, New Zealand and Australia.  Penguins cannot fly but they can swim under water to catch fish.  He said that the biggest penguins are Emperor Penguins and the smallest penguins are Fairy Penguins.  Joshua had lots of pictures to share.

Bonnie talked about rainbows.  She told us that the rainbow has seven colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.  She said that rainbows hang across the sky and sometimes we can see more than one rainbow.

Jack talked about the FA Cup.  He told us that he loves soccer.  He said that the FA Cup is the world's oldest football competition and it is 133 years old.  On May 17 two teams played the final, they were Arsenal and Hull City.  The final was played in London.  Jack watched it the match with his grandad because they both love soccer and his grandad loves Hull City because he is from Hull.  Arsenal won the game and they scored 3 goals and Hull City got 2 goals.

Anton talked about Kelly Tarltons Sea Life Aquarium.  He told us that it was built by Kelly Tarlton to show poeple that can't dive or swim what he can see when he goes under water.  It cost 2 million to build and was the first aquarium in the world to use curving acrylic tunnels.  It has more that 1,800 marine creatures and it helps us to learn more about looking after creatures in the ocean.

Anton had large charts to show us what the aquarium looked like.

Kathryn talked about otters.  She said that otters are adorable creatures that live both on land and in the water.  They hunt for food in the water to find fish and also they hunt on land for  small reptiles.  Kathryn said that there are 13 identified species of otters that we know.  She said that they tend to leave people alone so they aren't a threat to us if we happen to come upon one however they can bite and they can fight with their tails.

Marissa talked about the elections.  She told us that the first elections in New Zealand took place in 1853.  The current Prime Minister of New Zealand is John Key.  He is from the National Party.  You can vote for a person who you want to represent the area you live in.  This area is called your electorate.  You can vote for the party who you want to run the county.  Only people over the age of 18 in New Zealand can vote.  Elections happen every 3 years.

Zara talked about the importance of trees. She said they are important because they give us food, wood and shade from the sun and wind.  Trees are also homes for birds and animals.  Zara talked about three different types of trees.  Palm trees can be short or tall.  Coconut palm trres are most common and the fruit on the coconut palm is the largest in the world.  Apple trees are one of the earliest fruit trees to be grown by humans.  Apple trees take 4-5 years to grow fruit.  Apple trees are one of the longest living fruit trees.  Kauri trees are the largest and longest living trees in the world.  These trees grow more than 50 metres tall. 

Natalya talked about the terrible weather on Tuesday 10 June.  She said that at her place she heard lightning.  Natalya told us about the high winds and the power going off in some areas.  She showed us  a weather map. 

Chichi talked about his family moving to a farm.  He said that the sheep eat grass and sleep under a tree.  The birds sing in the morning and are beauiful to watch.  The rabbits jump around and they can run fast.  Sometimes Chichi sees mice at the farm house.

Yunmin talked about rabbits.  She told us that rabbits live in groups.  They have long ears and they can be as long as 10 cm.  Rabbits are plant eaters and they don't see their food right in front of them, it is like a blind spot.  They smell their food first.

Damon talked about sea turtles.  He said that their are seven species of sea turtles.  These seven species have been around since the time of the dinosaurs, 110 million years ago.  Sea turtles spend most of their life alone in the ocean.

Jack talked about a 23 year old tortoise.  The tortoise was hibernating underground and some rats came and nibbled his front legs.  His owner took him to the vet and the vet put some model aeroplane wheels on him so he could still walk around.  How amazing! 

Emilia talked about Rome.  She told us that Rome is the capital city of Italy but 2000 years ago it was the centre of the powerful Roman Empire.  Rome today still has some of the buildings that were made by the ancient Romans, the most famous is the Colluseum.  Over 1,000 years the Romans developed many things that are still used today like, concrete, under floor heating, our calendar and alphabet.

Justin did a presentation about elephants.  He told us that there are African elephants and Asian elephants.  He said that elephants roam in forests in groups.  They can run at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour and trample almost anything in their way.  Justin told us that elephants are highly intelligent animals.

Alicia did a presentation about jellyfish.  She told us that they are one of the oldest living creatures on Earth with about 200 species.  They live in the sea all around the world and look like umbrellas or bells. She said that jellyfish swim by opening and shutting their body.  Many stinging tentacles hang down from the body to capture and kill their prey.  The mouth is usually in the middle of the body.  Alicia told us about the moon jellyfish, flower hat jellyfish, cannonball jellyfish, box jellyfish, mauve stinger, lion's mane jellyfish and the blue bottle jellyfish.  She also told us how to look after for jellyfish stings.

Bonnie talked about koalas.  She said that koalas are not bears, they are mammals that can be found in Queensland, Australia.  They have a thick, grey coat of fur, big fuzzy ears and a big black nose.  Their paws are very sharp, this enables them to cling onto trees where they spend most of their days and nights.  She told us that koalas love to sleep for around 20 hours a day!

Aaron told us about the Commonwealth Games 2014.  He told us that the Commonwealth Games happens every 4 years in different commonwealth countries all over the world.  Many athletes from different counteires meet at the games to compete in a range of different sports.  New Zealand performed well at the games, winning a total of 45 medals.  We won 14 gold, 14 silver and 17 bronze medals.  Out of 53 countries who took part in the games, New Zealand placed 6th overall.  Aaron said he thought this was an awesome effort and we all think so too!  He showed us a few pictures from the New Zealand Herald of some athletes at the games.

Marissa told us about the internet.  She said that the internet is a huge network that links computers together all over the world.  It has grown to become the most popular way to communicate and share information.  She told us that the World Wide Web is made up of lots of linked pages that are accessed with a web browser.  Marissa aid that around 250 billion emails are sent around the world daily.

WOW!!!

Josh talked about the kiwi.  He told us that kiwi are birds but they cannot fly.  Kiwi are New Zeland's national symbol as they are one of New Zealand's native birds.  He said there are five different types of kiwi: Great Spotted Kiwi, Little Spotted Kiwi, Rowi, Tokoeka and the North Island Brown Kiwi.  Kiwi are nocturnal and they are most active in the dark.  They eat everything from berries to insects and they lay very large eggs.

Esther talked about seahorses.  She told us that seahorses are mainly found in shallow, tropical and temperate waters throughout the world.  She said that they live in sheltered areas such as seagrass beds, estuaries, coral reefs or mangroves.

Jayden talked about a male lion dying at the Auckland Zoo.  The only male lion at the zoo died last Friday.  Ngala was 12 years old and he had an injury to his back leg from 18 month ago.  He was getting weaker and weaker.  

Anton talked about TRex.  He told us that TRex is a theropod and they lived 66 million years ago.  TRex skeletons, teeth and footprints have been found in North America and Central Asia.  Anton said that TRex could run nearly as fast as a horse and they ate small and mediaum dinosarus.  TRex would have been one of the last dinosaurs to walk the earth before the great extinction.  Anton had a large poster that showed very clearly all the information that he talked about.

Brooke talked about dog breed facts.  She has a dog called Silver and she is part Maltese, Bichon and Shih Tzu.  Silver has a soft, silky coat and like to have a daily walk.  She told us about three different types of dogs.

Bichon

They are a small dog with a small head, round deep black eyes and dropping ears.  They are friendly and well mannered.

Shih Tzu

They are a bearutiful dog with a face that has a long beard and moustache.  They are easy to train.

Maltese

It is medium sized and has short legs.  They are easy to train.

Ashlee talked about 500,000 years ago the Neanderthals arrived.  They were known as cavemen and lived in the same time as dinosaurs.  We enjoyed listening to Ashlee's information.

Oliver talked about the Maraetai Beach Wharf as it took another batterning in last month storm again!  The wharf was built in 1898 and after the second storm last week it lost all its steps.  The Council said it oculd cost up to 10 thousand dollars to repair.  Oliver loves it at the beach, jumping off the wharf in the summer.

Alex talked about smart shoes.  There is a new smart shoe called LeChal which was invented in India.  The word LeChal means 'take me along', in Hindi.  It is a smart shoe because the shoes will tell the person weraring them which direction to go in.  The person puts the place that they want to go to into their phone.  The phone then sends those directions to the shoes, telling them which way to go.

Kathryn talked about ladybugs or ladybirds.  She told us that most ladybugs or ladybirds are mostly shimmery dark blue with little moth wings.  Inside the blue shell you will find a brown body.

Samar talked about the New Zealand general elections 2014.  She said that this will take place on Saturday 20th September.  Voters will choose 120 members of parliament or MP's.  More than 3 million people are enrolled.  She said that counting will start after 7pm on Saturday and the result would be available by 8:30pm.

Archie spoke about the election.  He said that an election is when everybody decides who they want to be Prime Minister.  He said that everybody who wantes to be the new leader of our country has different ideas.  Each of these people belong to a 'Party'.  Archie said you must be an adult to be able to vote.  When he grows up he said that he might be the Prime Minister.

Benjamin told us all about dinosaurs.  He said that there is an exhibition in Wellington at Te Papa and it is showing 100 million years of history all about dinosaurs.  The dinosaurs range from 50 centimentres high up to a skeleton of a 12 metre long T-Rex called Scotty.  This T-Rex was found in Canada in 1994. You can see these T-Rex's from now until February 8th.

Zara told us all about rabbits.  She said a female rabbit is called a doe and a male rabbit is called a buck.  A young rabbit is called a kit or kitten.  Zara said that rabbits lives in groups underground in burrows and they live for around 10 years.

Samantha talked about baby animals.  She shared a book called Baby Animals by Daniel Gilpin.  Samantha showed us pictures of baby animals, animals on the farm, water babies and feathered friends.  She told us about the time she went to Ambury Farm.

Chichi talked about flying fish.  He told us that they have wings and they can glide on the water.  Flying fish can be found in New Zealand and they are seen at night.

Natalya talked about the volcano in Hawaii.  She said that the lava flow was moving at 10 metres per hour.  The fastest moving lava was 100 metres wide.  

Kailah talked about the second man on the moon.  His name was Buzz Aldrin and he is very famous.  Buzz Aldrin got a trophy for his achievement.

Marissa talked about the Sky Tower.  She told us it took two years and nine months to build the Sky Tower.  The height of it is 328 metres and when it opened in 1997 it was the tallest tower in the world.  You can get a 360 degree view of Auckland.  The Sky Tower is  constructed from a high strength, high performance concete and the foundations go down more than 15 metres. 

Jack talked about a giant spider they have found in America and the web is the same size as three soccer fields.  The giant spider web was in an old factory and experts say it was home to more than 107 million spiders.

The ship called Sea Shepherd was in Auckland.  It was preparing for their next Antarctic campaign, 'Operation Fish'.  Kathryn went to visit the ship and she told us all about it.  The founder of Sea Shepherd is Paul Watson.  He started protecting the whales in 1998.  On Friday she went to see the 

Sea Shepherd.  It protects all sorts of ocean creatures.

Oliver talked about an awesome new invention, known as the Slide Rider and it is close to being on the market.  He told us that the invention turns boring stairs into a fun and portable slide.  All you need to do in unfold the cushioned slide and position it down your staircase to create the new, fun way of getting down the stairs.  The Slide Rider is designed for all ages and can easily be stored at the top of the staricase, neatly folded for easy transport.  It was suggested by Trisha Cleveland from Minnesota and the designs were completed in September.

General Knowledge Sharing 2015

Vashisht talked about whales.  He told us that whales are the worlds largest mammals.  Vashisht mentioned that whales in New Zealand include sperm whales, pilot whales, humpback and southern right and killer whales.  Whales are very intelligent and they breathe air just like us.  Whales can sing and their songs can be heard for miles under the water.  Vashisht said we can protect the whales by joining a local group to learn how to rescue stranded whales or help with beach clean-ups  He told us that it is important to keep our oceans clean and protect the marine life.

Miki talked about the new princess.  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced that they have a daughter called Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.  She was born on Saturday, May 2 at 8:34am.  She will be known as 

Princess Charlotte or Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.  

Caitlin talked abut Prince Harry visiting New Zealand.  She told us that he stayed the night at Stewart Island and he visited the school children.  The people gave him presents to take back to the new baby, Princess Charlotte.  In Christchurch he gave out cupcakes.

Xinling talked about the earthquake in Nepal.  She said that Nepal is the home of Mt Everest, the largest mountain in the world.  The earthquake was followed by avalanches from the mountains.

David talked about killer whales.  He said that killer whales are known as the 'wolves of the sea' because they hunt in packs.

Brian talked about big cats.  He told us that there are six different big cats in the world and they are tigers, lions, jaguars, leopards, cheetahs and pumas.  Big cats have one of the most powerful jaws and they are excellent hunters.

Gloria told us all about kiwis.  She said that they have brown feathers and these small birds are nocturnal.  They sleep in burrows under the ground or in old logs during the day.  Kiwis are about the size of a chicken and they lay huge eggs.  Kiwis have very long beaks and the beaks have nostrils at the tip, which help the birds find food.  They eat worms, spiders and other bugs.

Phoenix talked about orca.  She told us that they have an eye patch.  Koru was the first orca who got stranded on the beach.  When orca are stranded you have to pour water on them because if you don't pour water on them they will get sunburnt.

William talkeda about the Sky Tower.  He told lus taht it took 2 years and 9 months to build it.  It is 1,076 feet tall and it has thick glass so that you can look down below.  People bungy jump off the Sky Tower.  Sometimes they light the Sky Tower at night.

He also talked about The Auckland Writer's Festival.  There were 60,000 people who attending the festival in May.  William's favourite author is Dav Pilkey who wrote the Captain Underpants books.

Chloe talked about women's hockey.  She said that it can be traced back to the 1880s.  Hockey is a team sport with eleven players per team. Brooke Neil is her favourite player, she is 22 years old and has 47 caps for New Zealand.  This month (June), the New Zealand Women's Black Sticks are competing in the world hockey league in Belgium.

Lexi talked about hedgehogs.  She told us that they are nocturnal as they sleep in the day and are awake at night.  Their coats are thick and spiky.  Their spikes are hollow and springy.  Hedgehogs have about 5000 spines on one hedgehog and each spine lasts about a year until it drops off.  Baby hedgehogs are born blind.  They eat insects, worms, centipedes, snails, mice, frogs and snakes.

Keanu talked about Jerry Collins dying in a car crash.  He told us that Jerry Collins was an All Black and he played 85 games for them.  He also played for The Hurricanes which are a team from Wellington.  He was a very good player and will be missed by many New Zealanders.

Ben told us about Matariki which is Maori New Year.  He said it is not in January, it is on 20 June.  Matariki is the name of the stars in the sky over 

New Zealand.  We also call them the Seven Sisters.  We can see them best at this time of the year.  Matariki means, 'eyes of god' or 'little eyes.' 

Danielle talked about dinosaurs.  She told us that brachiosaurus lived in America.  It had a long neck, a small head, a long tail and walked on all four legs.  Velociraptor grew to around two metres.  It caught its prey with its sharp rear claws and was a very fast runner.  Triceratops had three horns.  It ate plants and had many teeth.  Tyrannosuarus Rex walked on two legs.  It had a very big head and to balance it had a long, heavy tail.  It is Danielle's favourite dinosaur and she thinks it was very scary.

Trisha talked about dolphins.  She told us that they can stay up to 15 minutes under water but they cannot breathe under the water.  Dolphins use a blowhole on top of their heads to breathe.  There are about 100 teeth in the mouth of a dolphin.  They use their teeth to grab the fish but they don't chew it, all food is swallowed whole.  Dolphins communicate with other dolphins using clicking and whistling.

Harry told us about polar bears.  They are the biggest meat eating mammals that live on land. They live in Canadea, Russia, Norway and other places in the arctic circle.  Male polar bears can weigh up to 700kgs and female bears can weigh up to 250kgs.  Polar bears generally hunt seals to eat.  They use their very good sense of smell to find seals.  They are excellent swimmers.  

Lydia told us about penguins.  Penguins live in Antarctica which is at the bottom of the world.  There are many types of penguins.  Some are big, like the Emperor Penguin and some are small like the New Zealand Yellow Eyed Penguin.  There are not many Yellow Eyed Penguins left in the world.  Penguins are flightless birds that lay eggs.  Their eggs are twice the size of a chicken egg.  Penguins eat fish, squid and small shrimp type animals called krill.

Jayni talked about Barack Obama.  He is the President of the United States of America.  He went to Africa for four days and visited two countries.  He visited Kenya and Ethiopia and talked about peace and helping the countries.

Talin talked about penguins in New Zealand.  New Zealand has three types of penguin, the blue penguin, yellow-eyed penguin and crested penguin.  We cannot help but be charmed by these amazing birds that have a character all of their own.  On the land penguins have a clumsy waddle, marching upright like self-important little people.  But in the water they take on a new grace, diving and swooping with flexible quickness.  The blue penguin is the world's smallest penguin.  You will usually find them when they come ashore at night, in the Marlborough Sounds, Dunedin and Stewart Island.  The yellow-eyed penguin is well known by its colourful yellow eye band.  You will find them on the Otago shore, just south of Dunedin.  The crested penguin is one of the world's rarest, this beautiful bird lives in the lower South Osland areas and Stewart Island.

Binay talked about sharks.  He told us that sharks belong to a family of fish that live all over the world, in cold or warm water or shallow and deep water.  There are over 400 different species of sharks.  All sharks have very sharp teeth and a skeleton made of cartilage.  They have gills for breathing and rough skin.  Sharks have a good sense of smell and outstanding hearing.  

Christy talked about birds.  She said that birds can be different sizes and colours.  They build nests on a tree and lay eggs.

Rick talked about butterflies.  He told us that he has a big garden at home and there are many types of flowers.  When he gets home he can see the butterflies flying around the flowers and feeding on the pollen.  He said that their bodies are divided into three parts.  The head is the first part, the second part is the tummy and the third part are the legs.  His favourite butterflies are the orange ones.

How many kinds of butterflies in the world?

He told us that there are about 17,000 kinds of butterflies in the world.

Joycelene talked about peacocks.  She said that they live in forests and eat insects and berries.  The peacocks tails can stretch to two metres long.

Warren talked about tigers.  He told us that tigers can new little and big.  Some people hunt for them and tigers can climb.

Kevin talked about a whale that stranded on a beach in Auckland.  A twelve year old girl saw it first and she said that it looked like a really big rock.  She realised that it was a whale and she called someone to help.  The whale is alive and after lots of help the whale is now back in the sea.

Anmoljot talked about NASA and Mars.  He told us that some people who work from NASA want to know how it feels like to live on Mars.  They started living in a dome near a volcano in Hawaii to know how it feels like to live on Mars.

Phoenix talked about a magic candy factory that print 3D custom gummy candies.  Over the past two years or so we have seen several 3D printers unveiled which have the capabilities of printing in food.

Brian talked about the solar system.  He told us that there are eight planets in space.  Scientists think that the solar system formed millions and millions of years ago.  It began as a huge clous of gas and dust in space.  The swirling cloud of gas and dust slowly got thicker and thicker.  Part of the cloud heated up, making a hot ball of gas.  This became the sun.  Over millions of years the gas and dust spun around the sun.  Gradually the dust and gas joined together to make the  planets.  The planets in the solar system move around the sun.  The sun is a massive ball of burning gas called a star. 

Chloe talked about Kelly Tarlton's.  She told us that the aquarium opened in 1985 in Auckland, New Zealand.  There are over 1,500 species of fish and sea creatures and they include, sharks, stingrays, jellyfish, seahorses, turtles, eels, starfish, octopus, clown fish and many tropical fish.  Many of the fish at 

Kelly Tarltons have lived there for many years, like Phoebe the stingray who has lived there for 27 years.  There are 18 million litres of water in the tanks at 

Kelly Tarltons.

Harry talked about the Rugby World Cup.  This is held every four years.  This year it is in England, Wales and Scotland.  There are 20 teams and the 

All Blacks are one of the teams playing.  

Xinling talked about a lady who plays gold for New Zealand called Lydia Ko.  She has been making headlines around the sporting world since she was a child.  She is is youngest golfer in history to win the New Zealand Woman's Open.  On February 2 2015 Lydia Ko became the youngest ever professional golfer to be ranked number one in the world at 17 years.  Lydia Ko was born in Korea and moved to New Zealand at age seven.

Binay talked about tigers.  He told us that they are the largest of the big cats and it is the siberian tiger.  They are powerful cats and they can run very fast.  Tigers like to live near water and they love to roll about in the water.  A baby tiger is called a cub and they stay with their mother till the age of two.  A tiger's cry can be heard up to two miles away.  Tigers are excellent swimmers and can swim a distance of six kilometres at one time.

Caitlyn told us about the Rugby World Cup.  She said that her favourite

All Blacks  is Richie McCaw.  They are playing in England and there are eight teams left.  The teams were are playing are:

New Zealand versus France

Australia versus Scotland

South Africa versus Wales and

Argentina versus Ireland

Keanu talked about the Rugby World Cup.  He told us some of the rugy rules.

*You must pass backwards

*No forward passing

*No high tackles or you will get a yellow or red card

*In lineouts, you need to throw it straight

Trisha talked about the kiwi.  She said that kiwis are native to New Zealand.  A kiwi is a unique and curious bird.  It cannot fly, has loose, hair-like feathers, strong legs and no tail.  It is the only bird in the world with nostrils at the end of its beak.  They do not see very well at night.  Instead it feels, smells and hears its way around.  Like hedgehogs, they come out at night, sniffing out worms, insects and fruit.  Kiwis grow to about the size of a chicken.

Lexi talked about her trip to Australia.  She visited Dreamworld and saw the new baby tiger cub called Kai.  Kai is 13 weeks old.  Kai likes looking at the people and he feels soft and fluffy.  Kai enjoys climbing and playing lots of games.  Dreamworld are helping to save tigers in the world.

Danielle talked about why we should worry about polar bears.  She said that she was very worried about them because global warming melts the ice they live on.  Because of global warming there is less food they can hunt and many polar bears are starving.  If we don't do something Danielle is scared that all the polar bears will disappear.  She said that if we start to take care of the Earth and environment we can also help the polar bears. 

William did a powerpoint presentation about mountains.  He told us that mountains are large masses of rock which are formed naturally on the surface of the Earth.  They are usually steep and have grass, trees and rocks on them.

On Labour Weekend William climbed Pauanui Mountain.  It is 400 feet high and took one hour to climb all the way to the top.  He had to make sure he had the right shoes for the trek and he carried water and a snack.

Lydia talked about pandas.  She told us that pandas live in the lower areas of central China but have now been moved into the mountains.  This is because iof farming, forest clearing and other building.  When a panda is on all fours they are just under 100 centrimetres in height and can be as long as 180 centimetres in length.  Although pandas are carnivores, 99% of the time they eat bamboo.

Lydia showed a video about pandas as well.

Vashisht talked about the steps involved before an earthquake, during an earthquake and after an earthquake.  He said if you are inside a building, drop, cover and hold.  Stay indoors until the shaking has stopped and you are sure it is safe to exit.  If you are outdoors when the shaking starts, move no more than a few steps away from buildings, trees, streetlights and power lines then drop, cover and hold.

Gloria talked about parrot facts for children.  She told us that there are around 372 different kinds of parrots.  Most parrots live in tropical areas.  Parrots have curved bills, strong legs and clawed feet.  They are often brightly coloured and they are believed to be one of the most intelligent bird species.

Miki talked about elephants.  She told us that elephants have a massive body, large ears and a long trunk.  Asian elephants are smaller that African elephants.  Only some Asian male elephants have tusks.  African elephants have large ears and the Asian elephants ears are smaller.

Christy talked about the kiwi.  She told us that these birds are nocturnal so they sleep in the day and hunt at night.  Their eyes are small so they have to look very carefully for their food.  They use their nostrils to smell their food.

General Knowledge Sharing 2016

Olivia talked about her time in Penang.  She told us that Penang is an island and she was born there.  It is in Malaysia.  It is known as the pearl of the orient.  It is famous for the beaches and is the food capital of Malaysia.  Olivia lived there until she was eighteen months old.  

Angad went ot Queenstown with his family in the holidays.  They drove to a special place called the Puzzling World in Wanaka.  There were lots of puzzles on the table and there was an illusion room and a big maze for everyone to enjoy.  Angad got a kaleidoscope.  A kaleidoscope is a cylinder which reflection makes different patterns.

Anam spoke about Botany Centre. Botany Town Centre is celebrating it's 15th birthday.  Anam said it is a lovely place to shop and there are lots of fun things to do.  During the holidays the bibrary and Whitcoulls have activities for the children to do.  They have lots of competitions to take part in.  During the holidays Anam went with her dad and watched Kung Fu Panda on an outdoor big movie screen, there were also colouring acitivites and face painting.  During the Easter holiday she won 2nd prize from Harcourts.  She said that Botany Town Centre is a beautiful place to visit and spend your time.

Lucas spoke abut dinosaurs.  He told us that the first dinosaurs appeared on the earth about 225 million years ago.  There were two kinds of dinosaurs.  Some were plant eaters and sone were meat eaters.  Stegosaurus were large plant eating dinosaurs with lots of big, bony plates sticking up from their back.  They have sharp spikes on thier tail.  The plates and spikes protect them from meat eating dinosaurs.  T-Rex were massive meat eating dinosurs that walked aorund on two leg.  T-Rex had jaws and a more powerful bite than any animals that lives on land today.  Lucas told us that all the dinoaurs died out about 65 million years ago.

Neha talked about butterflies.  She told us that butterflies often have are, brightly coloured winds.  Butterflies have the typical four stage insect life cycle.  She said that the fossils date ot 56 million years ago.

Tyler told us about Beaudy Barrett.  He is Tyler's cousin and his birthday is on 27 May.  He plays rugby for the Hurricanes Team and the All Blacks.  Beaudy Barrett kicks goals and scores tries and he's really fast!!  Tyler even showed us  a picture of Beaudy's new puppy called Monty, he is so cute!!

Amy talked about giant panda.  She told us that are native to China.  Their black and white coat features large black patches around their eyes.  Pandas are an endargered species.  They eat as much as 10kg of bamboo every day.  Giant pandas are good climbers.

Ethan L talked about the kiwi.  He told us that kiwi are a unique and curious bird and they cannot fly.  They have strong legs and no tail.  He said that they have loose hair just like feathers.

Angela talked about Shanghai Disneyland opening on June 16.  Disney will open its first theme park in mainland China, Shanghai City.  She told us that there will be:

*an enchanted storybook castle

*the largest and tallest disney castle

*an undergournd boat ride

*a treasure cove

*home of the Pirates of the Caribbean and

*Battle of the Sunken Treasure

WOW!! It sounds amazing!

Mel told us all about the Olympic Games.  He said that the Olympic Games are a wonderful opportunity to get the kids excited about sport, friendly competition, national pride and counting medals.  The Olympic Games are held once every four years.  Many people from many countries get together to play games and celebrate friendship, unity and sports.  This time the games are in Rio which is in Brazil on August 5th 2016.  Mel said that he wants to watch the games with his family at home.  Thank you for sharing your chart Mel.

Alison shared information about rabbits.  She told us that rabbits have an excellent sense of smell, hearing and vision.  Rabbits can leap great distances and they can jump up to one metre high and three metres long.  They can run, jump into the air, twist their body and flick their feet.  They stand upright on their hind legs so they can see better.  They can alert other rabbits to

 danger by thumping their hind legs.

Dean talked about a kitten that was brought into a New York vet in a recycled macaroni and chhes box.  The staff called him 'Mac N' Cheez' or Mac for short.  The staff at the clinic sidcovered the kitten was paralysed in his back legs.  They made a harness out of old lego pieces for him.  Dean showed us a delightful video of the young kitten wearing the harness.

Suzanne talked about elephants.  She told us that elephants are the largest land mammals in the world.  There are two types of elephants, the Asian and African elephants.  Male elephants are called bulls and female elephants are called cows.  Elephants are herbivores which means that they only eat plants and fruit but not meat.  An elephant can use its tusks to dig for water in the ground.  Elephants can live for 60 to 70 years.  They are very good swimmers and they are the only mammals that can't jump.

Daniel talked about being healthy.  He told us that we should drink water every day.  He said that hot lemon drinks are very good for you too.  He said that food that makes you happy are banana, wholemeal bread, spinach, pumpkin and peaches.

Victoria talked about tigers.  She told us that there are eight different types of tigers in the world.  Tigers are the biggest cat species, most recognisable for their patterns of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with a lighter underside.  The largest tigers have reached a total body length of up to 3.38 metres.

Sophie talked about her rabbit Bun Bun.  She told us that rabbits make a good pet as they are very cuddly.  Pet rabbits need somewhere to live, they live in hutches and need some room to move around.  Sophie's bunny has two hutches, one inside for night time and one outside for daytime.  They made an exercise hutch for her bunny by putting a fence around the trampoline with a hutch on the outside.  Rabbits eat lots of food.  They eat hay, green vegetables and rabbit pallets.  For treats they like fruit.  Rabbits play in tunnels and like food hidden in paper tubes and cardbaord boxes.  Sophie made a poster about her rabbit.

Helen talked about foxes.  She told us that foxes are dangerous.  They have sharp teeth.  She said that they live in North America.  Foxes like to hunt for food.

Germian talked about Pokemon Go.  He told us that it is a famous games and you can play it on your phone.  You also need wifi and you can battle other people at special places.

Marie talked about amazing animals.  She told us that the animal with the tallest neck is a giraffe, the largest animal on land is the African elephant and the biggest bird is the ostrich.

Lara talked about the planets and the stars.  She told us that Mercury is the smallest planet and Jupiter is the biggest planet.  The star is a big ball of gas.  She told us the order of the planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.

Ethan K spoke about lego.  He told us that lego is a special sort of toy becasue it can join together to make objects.  You can build anything you want.  Lego is great for creating tihings and using your imagination.  When you look at the top of lego there are raised circles and underneath it has circular holds that join together.

Amber talked about BMX riding.  She told us that BMXing is awesome because you have lots of fun.  Sometimes if we win, we get trophies and prizes.  The reason Amber likes bmxing is because she has seven trophies.  She is number 11 in New Zealand in her age group (7 years old). 

General Knowledge 2017

Sophie talked about New Zealand and Fiji.  She told us that 'Kia Ora' is how you say hello in Maori.  The capital of New Zealand is Wellington and the population is 4.5 million.  She said that 'Bula' is how you say hello in Fijian and 'Vinaka' is how you say thank you.  The capital of Fiji is Suva and the population of Fiji is about 900,000.

Steven talked about the Venus Fly Trapps.  He said it is a kind of plant, it has long parts that look like eyelashes, it you feed it it will live but if you water it directly it dies.  The Venus Fly Trap is an insect eater and it likes living in swampy areas.  The Venus Fly Trap is really very clever, it can detect the visitor isn't an insect and even though the trap will close it won't secrete the juice and it will repoen in a few hours.

Nitish talked about the Intenational Cricket Council.  The ICC Cricket World Cup is the international championship for one day.  England is the only country that has hosted the highest numbers of world cup tournaments.  The Internationsla Cricket Council is every four years.  The first was held in England in 1975.  Nitish loves cricket, it is his favourite sport.  He loves it because it is a team sport.

Sindhu talked about puppies.  She told us that there are many types of puppies such as labradors and german shepherd dogs.  She is very interterested in them and would like to get one as a pet.  She said that puppies need lots of food, water and lots of people loving them.  In the United States over 5 million puppies are born.

Kevin talked about the America's Cup.  He told us that one yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging for the cup.  The America's Cup is the oldest international sporting trophy.  This year the 35th America's Cup is held in Bermuda.  The final race will be Oracle Team USA vs Emirates Team New Zealand this Sunday, 18 June.  All the best Emirates!

Ranveer talked about money.  He told us that money is used to pay for things we want to buy.  Coins and paper notes are money.  Each coin and note is worth a different amount.  People use notes for large amounts.  Notes are printed with complicated patterns that are hard to fake, or copy.  Before money existed, people swapped the things they needed.  This is called barter.  For example, a farmer could barter his wheat for a sheep.  You can save your coins in a money box.  Large amounts of money are kept in a bank.  Each country has its own type of money which is called currency.

Kingsley talked about 'Too Hot to Fly'.  In a city in America, during the day it was almost 49 degrees celsius.  On extremely hot days some planes cannot fly.  When it is very hot, the air becomes thinner.  This means it is harder for the air to lift the plane off the runway and into the sky.  Therefore for take-off the plane needs to go faster and for longer.  Then if the runway is small, or the plane is heavy, it cannnot take off.  They need to wait for the sun to go down before they can fly.

Katherine did a keynote about dolphins on the ActivBoard.  She told us that there are 40 different types of dolphins.  Some live in the sea and some live in lakes.  They eat fish and they also eat squid. They are very playful and intelligent.  They have good hearing, so if they are blind, they know where to go.  They can also hear if any sharks are looking for them.  Dolphins live in pods and they swim together.  They like warm weather.  She told us that orca are the largest dolphin.

Ethan talked about a Lego 42043 remote contreol truck that he is building right now.  It is a Lego Tecnic Truck and it is bigger than any lego creation that he has built before.  I hope he shows what it looks like on Kidblog when he has finished creating it.

Sahajpreet talked about New Zealand.  He told us that New Zealand has two main islands, the top one is called the North Island and the botton one is called the South Island.  New Zealand is a great country because of the landscape and we have lots of different cultures.  That's why we are special.

Gordon talked about kiwis.  He told us that this  bird is the national bird of New Zealand and is is the only place in the world you will find them, outside of zoos.  They have long beaks and the beaks have nostrils at the tip which help the bird find food.  Kiwis eat worms, spiders and other bugs.  Kiwis have wings but they are so small that the birds can't fly.  Kiwis are about the size of a chicken.

Ian talked about the cheetah.  He told us that they normally live in Africa.  They have a slender body, spotted coat, long thin legs and a long spotted tail.  The cheetah is taller than the leopard and smaller than the lion.  Cheetahs are active in the day as they like to hunt.

Nehal talked about clown fish.  She told us that clown fish are small and popular around the world.  They have a beautiful body with coloured stripes.  Clown fish are also known as anemone fish because they live with sea anemones.

Aiden talked about stingrays.  He told us that they are not aggressive, they will attack to defend themsleves when they are threatened.  They use thier stingers on thier tail.  Stingrays are cousins of sharks.  There are about 220 diffenent stingray species.  Stingrays live up to 15 - 25 years.  They flap their fins to swim and fly through the water like birds.  Their flat body can camouflage under the sandy bottom of the ocean.  The main predators of stingrays are sharks, other large fish, sels and sea lions.

Aiden showed the children how to make a stingray out of paper.  He gave a paper stingray to each child to take home.

Agam talked about facts from New Zealand.  He told us that there are no snakes in New Zealand.  He said that New Zealand has three languages, Maori, English and sign language.  The national sport of New Zealand is rugby.  He said that New Zealand is the third closest country to Antarctica.

Aryan talked about tigers.  He told us that tigers are fierce and they have black stripes with an orange body.  He said they have very sharp claws and sharp teeth.  He told us that lions are smaller than tigers.  Aryan likes tigers more than lions because tigers are bigger and stronger.

Hayley talked about brown bears.  She told us that you can find brown bears in Asia, Canada, Europe and America.  They eat salmon, grass, fruit and insects.  Brown bears sleep in the winter, this is called hibernation.

Chloe talked about birds in New Zealand.  She talked about land birds, fresh water birds and coastal birds.  She told us that there are five species of kiwi.  They are the brown kiwi, great spotted kiwi, little spotted kiwi, rowi and tokoeka.  Kiwi can live between 25 to 50 years.  When the chicks hatch they are fully feathered.  They take theree to five years to reach adult size.

Ian talked about the white giraffes of Africa.  He told us that a pair of white giraffes have been spotten in Kenya and everybody is very excited about it.  The white giraffes have dark eyes.  They are being looked after very well.

Nehal showed us a book called 'Surprising Facts About the Human Body'.  Inside the book it tells us that we use 20 muscles when you smile.  Cells are so tiny that thousands of them can fit on the head of a pin!  We lose abut 80 to 100 hairs every day!  Your nose and your ears never ever stop growing.  Your heart will beat about three billion times during your lifetime!  What interesting facts.

Ethan talked about space and he answered the question - Why is space black?

He told us all of the photos that we see of space are black.  All of the pictures that are sent back from space have black  backgrounds.  That's because the size of space is infinity.  In day, we can see everything becasue of the sunlight that shines on it.  But in space, most parts are empty so there is notheing to reflect on the light.  So, as we see, space is black.

Kingsley talked about crabs.  He told us that they have soft, curved tummies and do not have their own shell.  They spend thier lives looking for the prefect shell for themselves.  They need good shells to grow and protect themsleves.  Sometimes they will fight with other crabs to get a better shell.  Some types of Hermit crabs live only in the sea and some can live on land.  They are cool animals because they can swap their homes with others and are always on the look-out for the perfect shell.

General Knowledge 2018

Sidhansh talked about dinosaurs.  He told us that dinosaurs lived more than 65 million years ago.  The word dinosaur means fearfully great lizard.  The longest dinosaurs were more than three school buses long and taller than our school building!  The smallest dinosaur was the size of a chicken!  Some dinosaurs are plant eaters and some are meat eaters.

Jessica B talked about a government tax.  She told us that everyone in Auckland will need to pay 22 cents more per litre on petrol.  Her family will need to pay $9.50c more when they fill their car with petrol.

Lauren talked about cats.  She told us that they have very sensitive noses.  Their claws can be sharp and sometimes when they are born they can have different coloured eyes.  Lauren has a black kitten and his name is Oliver.  She told us that some cats or kittens like water.  Lauren loves cats and kittens.

Levi talked us about boxer dogs.  He told us that boxers are one of the biggest dogs and they bark really loudly.  Levi's dog is a boxer and he is a very good guard dog.  Boxers are great family pets and they love their family.  They also like to protect their family.  Boxers like to explore and go on adventures.  They love to play and have fun just like us kids!  Boxers are clever dogs with a good memory.  They love to ride in cars and go on road trips.  Levi's boxer dog Boston is very special to him and he loves him. 

Marissa talked about Fiji.  She told bus that bula means hello.  Her mother is form Fiji.  Fiji is a small island and she told us that there is always hurricans in Fiji.  It's very hot in Fiji and it is a nice place to visit.

Mayank talked about New Zealand.  He told us that our country is called Aotearoa as well.  New Zealand has two main islands called the North Island and the South Island.  The capital of 

New Zealand is Wellington.  He said that New Zealand is the first country to see the sun rise.

Harkushal talked about cats.  She told us that cats are fluffy and they are an animal.  They have fur and they have sharp claws that can scratch you.

Jessica talked about New Zealand facts.  She told us that New Zealand has three official languages, English, Maori and sign language.  The first man to climb Mount Everest was Sir Edmund Hillary and he was a New Zealander.  New Zealand is home to more species of penguins than any other country.  She said that the Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa which means 'land of the long white colour.  She also told us that Ninety Mile Beach is actually only 90 kilometres long.

Riley told us that every minute of every day 11 million new plastic bags are used around the world.  They end up in the rivers and ocean.  He said that it takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to break down.  Plastic bags last for 20 years.  Riley said that we must stop using plastic.  Riley showed us lots of pictures to show what is happening in our world with plastic.

Cody told us some facts about volcanoes in New Zealand.  He siad that there are over 65 volcanoes in New Zealand.  Two active volcanoes are Mt Ruapehu and White Island.  There are 48 volcanoes in Auckland.  He said that Mt Ruapehu is the biggest volcano.

Jaskaran told us about dinosaurs.  He said that about 230 million years ago a dinosaur first came on Earth and no one knows where they came from and how they were created.  The word dinosaur comes  from the Greek language and it means 'terrible lizard'.  Dinosaurs ruled the Earth for about 160million years.  Dinosaurs had lived on Earth for many years until a volcano had erupted where all the dinosarus died.  Jaskaran told us that dinosaurs are mostly meat eaters which means they are carnivores and some are hervivores which means they don't eat meat, they only eat plants.

Renee told us about cats.  She said that cats have whiskers and they like to eat fish for dinner.  Cats can jump very high in the tree.  She said that cats are very cute pets.

Emily told us abot polar bears.  She said that they can grow 3 metres tall and weigh over 600 kilograms.  Females are usually smaller than male bears.  The only parts not covered with fur are the nose and foot pads.  She told us that their skin is actually black.

Harry told us about his daddy going to the dentist.  After his trip to the dentist he said that his daddy needed to avoid having very hard and hot food.  He told us that his daddy needed to eat mushy food and cold food such as ice cream and milkshakes.  He told us that his daddy looks much better now.

Ziling talked about rabbits.  She told us that rabbits have fur on their body and she said that they are very cute animals.  She told us that they like running to places and you need to keep an eye on them.

Aiden shared about the tourism of New Zealand.  He told us that many people travel to New Zealand because New Zealand is very beautiful and clean.  People can see many kinds of landscapes.  There are different mountains, rivers and forests.  The green trees, beautiful flowers, blue sky and cute animals can always be seen.  Aiden has visited Hobbit Village last year in Matamata.

Danish talked about cats.  He told us that there are many different kinds of breeds of cats.  He said that cats like to jump and they like eating fish.  They like to catch mice as well.  They have sharp claws and sharp teeth.

Kevin told us to be careful of the sea.  Kevin said that his family and friends went to a beach and they were having a lovely time.  One of his friends put her bag on the sand and a big wave came up to the sand and her bag rushed into the sea.

Jessica P talked about cats.  She told us that cats have flexible bodies and teeth that are adapted for hunting small animals such as mice and rats.  A cats nose is ridged with a unique pattern, just like a human fingerprint.  She told us that cats have scent glants along their tail, forehead, lips, chin and the underside of their front paws.

Riley told us about Armistice Day.  On the 11th day and the 11th hour of the 11th month the guns fell silent over western front in 1918.  At the museum on the grass they had 18,206 crosses of the men who never came home.

Emily told us about the Sky Tower.  She said that is was located at the corner of Victoria and Federal street in the Auckland CBD.  It took two years and nine months to construct and the tower opening on 3 August 1997.  It is 328 metres tall and it is the 25th tallest tower in the world.  It has become a landmark in Auckland's skyline due to its height and unique design.  For celebrations like New Year's Eve and Chinese New Year the Sky City Auckland projects an impresive fireworks display from the Sky Tower which can be seen across Auckland.

Mayank told us facts about New Zealand.  He said that the steepest road in the world is located in New Zealand.  He told us that there are six sheep per person in New Zealand.  He said that there are no dangerous plants or animals of any kind in New Zealand.

Renee talked about gymnastics.  She told us that it is her favourite sport to do.  She can do lots of things like handstands and cartwheels using one hand.

Levi talked about the whales that were stranded on a far north beach.  A marine mammal charity, Project Jonah, received a call from a member of the public on Sunday night saying the whales were stranded on Ninety Mile Beach in Northland.  Originally, the plan had been for the whales to be looked after overnight in their current spot before attempting to refloat them on Tuesday afternoon.  Grover hoped they'd be able to get them back in the water within a few hours of the original timeframe.  Just after 10am on Monday, Project Jonah said 12 whales had been found south of the 

Te Paki Stream and 10 were alive.  That number had now reduced to 8.

General Knowledge Sharing - 2019

Emma talked about cats.  She told us that cats like chasing mice but they don't like to eat them.  She said that cats are small, carnivorous and they have strong, flexible bodies, quick reflexes, sharp teeth and retractable claws adapted to killing small prey.  Emma said that cats can hear sounds that humans can't hear.  They can drink seawater but they can't taste sweet things.  She said that cats love to sleep so much that, by the time a cat is nine years old it would have only been awake for three years of its life.

'Aisea talked about being sunsmart.  He told us we have to use sunscreen, wear a hat and have long sleeves to protect our skin from ultraviolet rays.  We need to slip, slap, slop and wrap.  

Slip - We have to put on a hat.

Slop - We put on sunscreen.

Slap - We go under a tree for shade.

Wrap - We put on long sleeves.

Ethan talked about the new phone number for the New Zealand police.  There is a new phone number for the New Zealand police if you have something that is non emergency.  You should now call 105.

Emily talked about caterpillars and butterflies.  She told us that the little egg was lying under a leaf one day and out came a little caterpillar.  She was starving so she had her first thing, her first thing was to eat her eggshell.  She munched the leaves and she began to grow.  One day she split her new stripes and she made her own, green chrysalis.  The chrysalis got darker and then she became a butterfly.  She dried her wings and she flew away.

Zoe talked about cheetahs.  She told us that they are the fastest land animal in the world.  They can reach a top speed of 113 km per hour.  She said that cheetahs tire quickly and can only keep up the top speed for a few hours.  They are the only big cat that can't roar.  They hunt for food during the day and they only need to drink once every three or four days.

Vivaan talked about the komodo dragon.  He told us that it looks like a dragon but they are the biggest lizard in the lizard family.  Komodo dragons are found in the Komodo Island of Indonesia.  These lizards are brown and grey in colour and they have short legs and powerful tails.  They have sharp teeth to hunt and their saliva is filled with a deadly bacteria to kill the prey.  Komodo dragons are  fast runners and great swimmers because they must hunt for their prey.

Yazan talked about dinosaurs.  He told us that a long time ago there were flying lizards and they were huge creatures flying in the air at the same time as the dinosaurs.  They weren't dinosaurs, they were flying reptiles called pterosaurs terrosaws and some were as big as a bus.  Scientists now think that dinosaurs were covered in feathers.  Yazan told us they've even found a feathered T Rex!

Ian talked about mountains.  He told us that mountains are taller than hills.  There are three different types of mountains:

*fault-block mountains

*fold mountains

*dome mountains

Fault mountains are formed when chunks of land are pushed up.  Their tops are not like the jagged peak of fold mountains.

Fold mountains are fomed when two of Earth's plates crash into each other.  The Earth's plates make the fold mountian have a jagged peak.

Dome mountains are similar to the others, but while it is forming, it is not faulted or folded.  That makes the land bulge up into a round shape.

Mount Cook is New Zealand's tallest mountain, but Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.  Mountain climbers need to have air tanks with them because there is less air on mountains thant on land.

Ishanvi talked about golden retrievers.  She told us that they were first bred in Scotland over 200 years ago.  Augie, a golden retriever holds the record for the most tennis balls held in his mouth.  He held five tennis balls in his mouth.  She said that golden retrievers are often used as police dogs because of their sense of smell.  They are also used as guide dogs as they are freindly towards people and gentle.  They have two layers of coat and this helps them to keep cool or warm.  Ishanvi would like one as a pet.

Zarif  talked about the Skytower.  He told us that it is located in Auckland City.  It is 328 metres tall from the ground level to the top of the mast.  It is the 25th tallest tower in the wrold and the tallest in New Zealand.  It took two years and nine months to build.  It has 1267 steps from the base to the skydeck.  On a clear day you can see up to 82 kilometres from the Skytower.  The Skytower was completed in 1997 and cost $85 million.  The Skytower has three circular observtion levels with 360 decgree views of Auckland.

Arjun talked about health.  He said that there is a very famous saying, 'Health is the biggest wealth'.  You need to be healthy to keep your body working properly.  A healthy diet gives your body fuel and helps it to grow and repair itself.  He said that keeping clean helps to stop the germs that can cause illness spreading.  Exercise helps your body to grow strong.  Caring for yourself will keep you fit and healthy.  Arjun mentioned that we need different foods to keep you strong and healthy.  Eating a vareity of foods and drinking lots of water gives you energy and helps you grow.

Jessie talked about huskies.  She said that huskies are a great sled dog and they don't mind the cold.  Their coats come in 13 different colours like black, brown, light brown and white.  They weigh between 16 and 27 kilos.  They have a wild wolf like appearance.  She said that huskies can be hard to train, they are easily bored and need alot of attention.

Carly talked about going on a plance to Christchurch, Greymouth and Queenstown.  She said that she sat in the front where the pilot flies the place.  Carly was wearing a pilots hat.  She saw lots of buttons and lots of lights.  The pilot gave her two plane stickers.  It was lots of fun.

Damon talked about volcanoes.  He said that a volcano is a mountain that erupts.  He said volcanoes can be active, dormant or extinct.  The hot liquid rock under the Earth's surface is known as magma.  It is called lava after it comes out of a volcano.  Volcanoes can cause amazing natural wonders such as hot springs, bubbling mud pools and gushing fountains of hot water.  New Zealand is part of the ring of fire that circles the Pacific Ocean which is an active site for earthquakes and volcanoes.

Leander talked about a marae.  He told us a marae is a fenced in complex of carved buildings and grounds that belong to a particular tribe.  Maori people see their marae as their place to stand and belong.  He said that a marae is used for meeting, celebrations, funerals, eductional workshops and other important tribal events.  The most important buildings within the marae is the carved meeting house.  It resembles a human body in structure.  Leander said if you are lucky to step inside, remove your shoes before entering.  He said that you do not consume food or drink inside and always seek permission before taking photos.

Ahmed talked about rockets.  He told us that the tallest and most powerful rocket is Saturn V.

Rio talked about volcanoes.  He told us that there is sticky ash in the volcano and lava is the hottest part of the volcano.  He said that some dangerous volcanoes are hidden under the sea.  Some mountains can be volcanoes.

Rebeca talked about NASA sending a drone to space.  She space drone is called Titan and the mission is called Dragonfly.  Dragonfly will not launch for some time as it is planned in 2026.  It will take eight years to make the journey.

Namish talked about kiwis.  He told us that kiwis are native to New Zealand and they are flightless birds.  They eat seeds, grubs and worms.  They poke their long beak into the ground to look for food. Kiwis come out in the dark and they like quiet places.  Namish told us that kiwis are national birds of New Zealand and they are endangered species.  He said that because kiwis can't fly they are easily hunted by cats, stoats and dogs.  To protect themselves, kiwis will scratch, kick or run away from predators.  Kiwis have brown feathers to blend into the ground.

Nicole talked about robots.  She told us that they are machines, some can be programmed by a computer and they are capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically.  She said the main purpose of a robot is to help people, nowadays, they can help people in many different ways.  They can help us in manufacturing products like cars.  They can rescue people's life such as saving people from dangerous places and helping doctors to do operations.  She said that robotic engineers are designing the next generation of robots to look, feel and act more human.

Selma talked about the world being made up of 7 continents and 5 oceans.

Continents from biggest ot smallest

1. Asia has 48 countries

2. Africa has 54 countries.

3. North America has 23 countries.

4. South America has 12 countries.

5. Antarctica has no countries - zero - it's frozen land

6. Europe has 44 countries.

7. Oceania has 14 countries including Australia and New Zealand.

Oceans from biggest to smallest

1. Pacific Ocean

2. Atlantic Ocean

3. Indian Ocean

4. Southern Ocean

5. Arctic Ocean

Fun Facts:

1. Most of the world's diamonds and gold comes from Africa.

2. Antarctica is the coldest place on earth.

3. Europe is the only continent that does not have any deserts.

5. The highest waterfall can be found in South America, Angel Falls.

She showed us a map of where all these places are.

Ziané talked about dolphins.  She told us: 

* A group of dolphins are called a pod.

* Dolphins work in a team to hunt for food and to raise their calves.

* Dolphins eat all kinds of fish, squid and crustaceans.

* Adult dolphins can eat up to 6 - 14 kilograms of food a day.

* Bottlenosed dolphins do not use their teeth to chew their food, they swallow it whole.

*Bottlenosed dolphins can dive up to 260 metres deep, that's the same length as 3 of our school fields!

* They can stay under water for 15 minutes.  That's very long, I can only hold my breath for 15 seconds!

* Bottlenosed dolphins can jump out of the water as high as 4 metres.

* They jump to save energy, look for prey and communicate.

* Bottlenose dolphins can grow up to 4 metres long - Ziané showed us what 4 metres looked like

* They can weigh up to 150 kilograms, almost the same as two dads!

* They can become as old as 40 years.

Ziané loves bottlenose dolphins and would like to swim with them one day.

Olivia talked about the panda.  This is Olivia's favourite animal becasue they are one of the China treasures and also they look cute.  They live in the forests and mountains of west China.  They feed on bamboo every day.  They have two colours: white and balck.  Their face, back and stomach are all white and their eyes, nose, ears, legs and arms are all black.  The panda is one to the animals in danger.  There are about 1,000 pandas living in nature reserves today.  She said that zoos and research centres look after about 160.  She also told us that the government is working hard to save pandas.  There are more than 30 nature reserves to protect pandas.  She said that we need to save the panda because protecting the animals is everybody's job. 

Look very closely and you will see Olivia's pet panda called Payla.

Vivaan talked about the five senses.  He said that humans have five basic senses.  Our senses allow us to learn, to protect ourselves and to enjoy our world.  The five senses are sight, hearing, smell taste and touch.

Sense of sight:

You are using the sense of sight when you are looking at Vivaan.  It's your eyes.  Your eyes help you to see things.

Sense of hearing: 

Ears help us to listen to sound around us.  You are using your sense of hearing to listen to Vivaan talking about the five senses.

Sense of smell:

We use our nose to smell different things.  We can smell delicious hot chocolate or the yucky smell of old dirty socks with our nose.

Sense of taste:

We use our tongue to taste the food we eat.  We can know if its sweet or sour or bitter or spicy.

Sense of touch:

We use our skin for the sense of touch.  When we touch water we know it is liquid.  When we touch slime we kow it is gooey.  When we touch a table we know it is hard and solid.  We also know if something is hot or cold.

If one of the senses is not working due to an accident or illness then we know how difficult life can be.  Vivaan said that all our senses are equally important. 

Zoe talked about jaguars.  She told us that jaguars are the third largest cat in the wold.  Jaguars have the strongest bite than any other big cat.  Its bite force is almost twice as powerful as a tigers.  Like tigers, jaguars enjoy water and are good at swimming.  They roam, hunt and live alone.  They stalk and ambush their prey, often leaping into water or from a there.  Jaguars can live to be 12 or 15 years old in the wild.

'Aisea talked about families.  He told us that families are about love, respect and caring for each other.  'Aisea told us that he has a small family.  He said that his family was awesome.  'Aisea has a baby brother and he loves him very much.  'Aisea told us that his father is a happy person and a very responsible father.  He said his mother is a very happy person too.  His grandmother is loving and kind as well.

Emily talked about goldfish.  She told us that goldfish get caught from a net and put into a bowl.  Goldfish can be found in different countries.  They can swim fast  and they eat fish food.  An average life span of a pet goldfish is five to ten years.  Common goldfish come in a variety of colours including, red, orange, red and white, white and black and yellow and white.  The most common variety is orange.

Carly talked about the 2019 Rugby World Cup.  She told us that it will be played in Japan.  It is the very first time the Rugby World Cup has been played in Asia.  There are 20 teams that will play against each other until there is one winning team.  The New Zealand All Blacks are the favourites to win the games.

Namish talked about the tui.  He told us that the normal diet for tui birds is nectar but they also eat fruit and insects.  Sometimes they eat pollen and seeds as well.  In the Maori culture the tui has powerful significance, they act as messengers to the gods in heaven.  These birds live mainly in forests but they can also be found in areas settled by people.  Many New Zealand native trees are pollinated by tuis and they help to spread the seeds of native trees.

Ishanvi talked about koala bears.  She told us that koala bears are not actually bears.  A baby koala is called a joey.  Koalas only eat eucalyptus leaves which are very poisonous.  They can eat 1kg of leaves a day.  Koalas don't have much energy and they can sleep up to 18 hours a day.  Koalas are native to Australia.

Damon talked about airplanes.  He told us that an airplane is a vehicle that flies in the sky.  He said that airplanes have wings just like a bird.  They have a light body and a streamlined shapes to support them to fly.  Airplanes not only transport people and cargo around the world they are also used for research and military purposes too.  A pilot is someone who drives the airplane.  One day Damon wishes he could travel around the wold in an airplane. 

Jessie talked about sea turtles.  She told us that sea turtles are a kind of reptile because they are cold blooded.  Males have a long tail and the female doesn't.  Sea turtles mostly live in tropical water.  They lay hundreds of eggs in a hole on the beach.  The baby turtles make their way out of the sand and towards the ocean.  This can take 3 to 7 days.  She said that sea turtles can live up to 50-80 years in the wild.

Ian talked about his sister called Elodie.  He told us that she is cute, she's smart and also very intelligent.  She was born on 11 November 2018.  Ian said that he loves her.  She is 11 months old and next month it is going to be her birthday.  She can already sit up by herself, hold her head up while lying on her tummy, also walk, stand up and hold things while standing up.  He said that she is the best baby in the world and he adores her.

Ziané talked about the kiwi.  She told us that they can grow up to be 63 cm and the female is bigger than the male.  She told us that the kiwi has nostrils at the end of their bills to look for food.  Their biggest threats are stoats, cats, dogs and ferrets.  Kiwi's have cooler body temperatures.  They can run as fast as humans!!!!  The kiwi are mostly nocturnal, that means they like to go out at night.  The male kiwi mostly builds the nest and the mummy and daddy kiwi stays together forever.  They can live up to 25 - 50 years.  There are only about 65,000 kiwi left.

Yazan talked about sharks.  He told us that sharks have evolved in the past 470 million years and unbelievably there are about 440 different species!  He said that sharks never ever run out of teeth!  If a tooth breaks off, another one grows in its place within a day!  There have certainly been some weird and wonderful things found inside sharks!  They found tyres, bike parts, tin cans, a polar bear, boots, fur coats, bones of an adult and a two metre long dolphin!  Sharks are actually gentle creatures.

Nicole talked about polar bears.  She told us that polar bears are huge bears that live in the Arctic.  They weigh between 880 and 1,543 pounds.  Male polar bears can be twice as big as females.  The polar bear is a carnivore, that means they eat meat.  They mainly eat seals.  They can swim great distances and they also dive underwater for up to three minutes at a time.  A bear was once tracked swimming more than 400 miles (643 kilometres) on a nine day journey!!!

Carly talked about elephants.  She told us that elephants are the biggest land animal in the world and they are her favourite animal in the world.  Their trunk has hundreds of muscles that operate its trunk.  They are endangered animals which means there are not many left in the world.  In Thailand elephants use to work in the jungle pulling out trees to build houses.  In Thailand they are not allowed to cut down trees any more.

Zarif told us facts about Earth.

He told us:

*Earth is about 4.4 billion years old.

*Earth is the only kown planet in the universe to have life.

*Earth is the third planet from the sun in our solar system.

*Earth orbits the sun, it takes 365 days for Earth to commplete one full orbit.

*Earth is the fifth largest planet in our solar system.

*There are 195 countries in the world.

*There are 195 countries in the world.

*There are 7.7 billion poeple in the world.

*71% of earth is water.

*Russia is the largest country in the world followed by Canada and the USA.

*The top most spoken language in the world is Mandarin, Chinese followed by English.

Selma told us about giraffes.  She told us that they have one necks and they are the wold's tallest animals.  They can grow to around five metres.  A giraffe's height is helpful for keeping a look out for predators, such as lions and hyenas.  Giraffes only eat plants, they use their long nexts to reach the leaves.  Their long tongues also help them pull down leaves growing way up high.  They spend most of their time eating and they can guzzle up to 45 kilos of leaves and twigs a day!  Giraffes don't drink much water, this is because they get most of their water from their leafy meals and only need to drink once every few days.  Wild giraffes live fro around 25 years.  In the zoo they live longer and have been known to reach 40 years old.  Giraffes spend most of their lives standing up, they even sleep standing up.  Giraffes only need 5 to 30 minutes of sleep in a day!!

Ahmed talked about butterflies.  He told us that butterflies fly during the day.  They flap their large wings slowing and their wings are beautiful and coloured.  They have six legs.  Butterflies taste the food with their feet and they eat plants.

Rebeca talked about the Pink River Dolphin.  She said that it is found in the freshwater of the Amazon River.  They live from 10 to 30 years.  Amazon River Dolphins are smaller than the sea dolphins.  They eat crabs, catfish, shellfish, crustaceans, small river fish and small turtles.  They spend most of their time on the floor of the river.

Arjun taled about dinosaurs.  He told us that one of the biggest hunting animals ever to walk the Earth was Tyrannosaurus Rex.  This huge meat eater had more than 50 teeth.  Each one was bigger than your hand.  The big teeth were like sharp saws.  They easily sliced through skin.  One of the biggest dinosaurs that ever lived was Brachiosaurus.  It weighed ove 50 tonnes - more than a huge truck.  It was also one of the tallest dinosaurs.  Its head stretched 13 metres above the ground.

Leander talked about killer whales.  He told us eleven facts about them.

1. The scientific name of the killer whale is Orcinus Orca.

2. The killer whale is not a whale.

3. The largest killer whale ever caught was 32 feet long.

4. Killer whales eat sharks.

5. Killer whales live in groups called pods.

6. Killer whales cannot smell.

7. Killer whales have their own language.

8. Killer whales can sleep with one eye open.

9. Killer whales are the most widely distributed mammals in the world (not counting humans).

10. The oldest killer whale lived to be 103.

11. There is no record of a wild killer whale ever attacking a human.

Rio talked about working dogs.  He told us that the most important working dogs are police, fire and rescue dogs.  Police dogs go to small places and help the police.  Fire dogs go to dangerous places like fires and rescue dogs go to dangerous places like earthquakes or falling buildings.  They help people who have been trapped.  Rescue dogs live for 10 - 20 years.

General Knowledge Sharing - 2020

Addison talked about the kiwi.  She told us that the kiwi are flightless birds and they live in burrows in the ground in New Zealand forests.  Kiwi are endangered because people use traps in the forest to catch possums but the kiwi get caught instead.  Also the forest where kiwi live are getting destroyed to build more houses.  The kiwi lays a big egg, six times bigger than a hens egg.  Kiwi can run faster than humans.  Kiwi can live up to forty years.  Some kiwi can swim across rivers.

Naumaan talked about the flamingo.  He told us that their top beak is smaller than their bottom beak.  The bottom beak is like a mini pool!  They are omnivores as they eat plant material, algae and insects.  The baby flamingo is born grey and white and it takes three years to turn pink.  Their back bending knee is actually their ankle.  Carotene is how they turn pink, tomatoes and carrots turn their colour because of carotene.   

Mason talked about jaguars.  He told us that they hide in trees when their prey come close by.  If a lion is coming after them they run fast and hide in a tree.  Jaguar's can sense if a human is in the jungle.  They have large claws and they love sitting on the ground too.  Mason and his family spotted a jaguar when they were in South Africa.

Zara talked about Disneyland.  She said it is the biggest theme park in the world.  There are five Disneyland's in the world.  This time in June Zara and her family visited Disneyland and had a great time.

Eden talked about puppies.  She told us that puppies are born blind and deaf.  They spend 15-20 hours a day sleeping.  Puppies become adults when they turn one.  She said that puppies like it when you sing and talk to them.   Puppies can also be twins.  Eden showed us some pictures of her two puppies, they are so cute.

Sahithi talked about some interesting things that are happening in New Zealand and Australia.  She told us that 64,000 turtles were found in Queensland which is in Australia.  They counted them all with the help of a drone.  She told us that two ladies entered New Zealand from the USA and they have Coronavirus.  They are now in quarantine.

Vivan talked about space facts.  He told us that space is completely silent.  Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system and has an average surface temperature of around 450 degrees celsius.  Interestingly Venus is not the closest planet, Mercury is closer to the Sun.  But because Mercury has no atmosphere to regulate temperature it has a very large temperature fluctuation.  He said that there is a volcano on Mars and that volcano is three times the size of Everest.

Tiffany shares her favourite facts about rabbits.  She told us that rabbits are small mammals and they love to live in a group.  Baby rabbits are called kittens.  Rabbits have long ears, as long as 10cm.  Their eyes are on the side of their head and they can see 360 degrees.  Rabbits are cute and fluffy, lots of people like to have rabbit as pets.  Rabbits have little tails that look like buns.  Many people think we have an Easter bunny bake called hot cross buns.  Rabbits eat hay, grass, carrots and fruits.  Hay and grass are their ain food for rabbits.  Rabbits are found all over the world except Antarctica.  Rabbits often sleep with their eyes open, some rabbits sleep wit their eyes fully closed or half open.  It just depends on how safe the rabbits feel.  They need eight hours of sleep per day.

At the end of her presentation Tiffany said, "Rabbits are awesome, what's you favourite thing about rabbits?'

Dean talked about a tornado that destroyed an East Tamaki building, trees and also a trampoline.  A house roof was blown off and the fence had been broke.  All the animals were scared.  The people were lucky because nobody was hurt.

Isaac talked about lizards.  He told use that there are more than 6,000 different lizard species.  He said that lizards live almost everywhere.  They find hoes in deserts, marshland areas and forest.  Lizards are cold-blooded creature, their body temperatures change with the environment.  Lizards et a mixed diet which includes grass, leafy plants, small insects such as crickets and beetles, berries and seeds.  Two types of lizards Isaac has seen in New Zealand are a common skink and an Eastern Water Dragon.

Meera spoke about Matariki, the Maori New Year.

Here is her information about Matariki:

Olivia talked about three New Zealand birds.  She told us that the pukeko enjoys water that is not too deep.  She said that they find fish for their babies.  The babies are black.  The kiwi has tiny wings that your can't see because they are covered with feathers.  When the babies are hungry they tell their mother.  The tui sings songs up in the tree.  They make a tweeting sound.

Abigail talked about Covid-19.  She told us that it is a very bad virus that can make people very sick, it also kills some people.  At the moment there is no vaccine for it and the world is suffering.  She told us that Australia is still in lockdown, the same as many other countries in the world.  Aeroplanes have been grounded for months, this means no air traffic at all and this has hit us hard because no one can come to our beautiful country to visit, the airport has never been this quiet.  Abigail hopes scientists can find a cure and develop the vaccine soon to help the world.  Abigail's grandparents went back to Taiwan early this year before the lockdown happened and they cannot come back to 

New Zealand just yet because of the virus.  As of today (23 July 2020) there have been 14 million plus confirmed cased of Covid-19.

Abigail said to let your families and friends know that we should all be very careful, wash our hands regularly, wear a mask where we can and keep social distancing.

She said, look after yourself and your family, together we can get through this.

Andy talked about sharks.  He told us that sharks can be six metres long.  They are very fast in the water and their teeth are extremely sharp.  They use their teeth for ripping fish.  Sharks swim in the deep ocean.  They can be many different colours.  Andy said that we don't want to be too close to a shark!

  Adam talked about parrots.  He told us that they fly super high, they can fly above the clouds.  There are 1.1 million species of parrots in the world.  Some parrots can be rainbow colours.  Some are red, blue, green, yellow and many more.

Chelsea talked about cats.  She told us that British Shorthair are cute and cuddly.  They have a round face, big eyes and thick, soft fur that gives them a teddybear look.  They love to play and chase and they also like to play with the family dog.  She told us that Turkish Van are an ancient breed from the mountains oaf Turkey.  They have an amazingly soft, thick and fluffy coat to keep them warm.  They even love water. 

Aaron talked about turtles.  He told us that turtles eat jellyfish and they think it is very yummy.  They like to drink water.  Sea turtles can live for 80 years.  They are very slow walkers.  Turtles live in the sea.  Some turtles are very big and some are very small.  Turtles shells are very hard to break.  Turtles are Aaron's favourite animals.  

Max talked about New Zealand facts.  He told us that Auckland has one third of New Zealanders and it is the largest city.  He said that kiwifruit was called chinese gooseberries.  He mentioned that New Zealand is about the same size in area as the United Kingdom but New Zealand has 5 million people, while England has 68 million people.  Max said that the kiwi is New Zealand's national bird.  He said Aotearoa means 'the land of the long white cloud'.  He said that New Zealand is the only country in the world where sign language is an official language.  He said more sheep live in New Zealand than people.  He said that Ninety-mile Beach is actually 90 kilometres long (60 miles).

Ryder told us some Kepler-22b facts.  He told us that Kepler-22b is a new planet detecting that is orbiting a star 600 light years away form our Earth.  The star could have continents, oceans and life.  It was found by NASA's Kepler Space Telescope.  It is the first so-called 'super-Earth' with the sun like star.  Kepler-22b is the confirmed planet that may have the liquid water on its surface.  He said that Earth is the only known planet (or moon) to have consistent, stable bodies of liquid water on its surface.  In our solar system Earth orbits around the Sun in an area called the Habitable Zone.  600 light years = 22 million years travelling from Earth to Kepler 22b. 

Kieran told us about NASA.  He said that NASA has officially found water on the Moon and it could be great for future space travel.  Before the discovery scientists thought that water was only to be found in dark craters on the Moon.  This will mean rocket ships leaving Earth don't need to carry as much water with them.  He said that transporting anything out of the planet is costly and if you want to travel far you want to use a lot of fuel and that's a lot of weight to carry  out of orbit.

Kieran said, "But what if you could just make your fuel in space?'

Harmanpreet talked about earthquakes.  He told us that when earthquakes happen you need to be safe.  You can be sae by going under a table and holding it's legs and covering your head and curl up like a ball.  He said that there can be tiny earthquakes and big earthquakes.

Abigail talked about dogs.  She told us that her dog, Diesel turned one yesterday.  He is a German Shepard.  Abigail also has a Boxer and his name is Gogee and he is 11 years old.  She told us that dogs are humans best friend but they don't live as long as humans do.  The average lifespan for Boxers is 9 and 10 years old and for German Shepards and the average lifespan for a human is 79 years old.

Here is some general knowledge that Abigail told us about dogs:

1. If a dog is wagging its tail, it does not always mean it is happy. 

2. Dogs see the world in colour, mainly blue and yellow.

3. Dogs lick because they like you.

4. You can kiss your dog as long as they are healthy and clean.

5. The largest breed of dog in the world is called a Great Dane and they their lifespan is 8 to 10 years.

6. The smallest breed of dog  in the wold is called a Chihuahua and their lifespan is 15 to 20 years.

7. Great Dances can have heart problems.

8. The current longest living dog is an Australian cattle dog named Bluey who lived for 29 years.

9. Do not touch a dog without permission from its owner.

Kingsley talked about cats.  He told us that cats eat cat food.  Sometimes they eat grass.  He said that cats are big and small.  Cats can do some things with people when we teach them.

General Knowledge Sharing 2021

Kylie talked about aliens.  She told us that an alien is a creature and they don't live on Earth.  They have spaceships and it is called UFO.  IN New Zealand people saw UFO's but they are not sure that it is real.  Some aliens look weak, some aliens look strong.  Some aliens might have one eyes, two eyes, or they might have four or five!

Allen talked about the planet Venus.  He told us that it is the hottest planet in the solar system, the second hottest apart from the sun.  The reason it is so hot is because the clouds in it's atmosphere reflects sunlight.  It takes about 243 Earth days for Venus to spin around once.  It holds the record for the longest day of any planet.  Venus is the brightest thing in the night sky, apart from the moon.

Emma talked about the blood moon.  She told us it was on May 26 2021 in New Zealand.  Last time it was spotted it was in 1982.  It will have a red glow when the Earth is in the middle of the sun and the moon.  The lunar eclipse will last for around 5 hours white the blood moon is estimated to last for only 14 minutes.

Asher talked about paper.  He told us paper is very hard to make and it is easy to write and rub out.  It is only made with a machine and it is made out of wood from trees.  Paper is also easy to rip or fold.  It has lots of steps like more than fifty or seventy or maybe more than one hundred!  Paper can be stuck in books with beautiful pictures with a spine.  We can cut and glue and stick cellotape on it.  The last thing is you can print on the paper and if it's school work then the teacher gives it to the students.

Aveer talked about the muscular system.  He told us that muscle is a soft tissue made up of fibres.  Our muscles have the unique ability to contract (shorten)., creating a pulling force.  Without muscles we could not stand up or move around.  Muscles make all our movements possible.  We have over 600 muscles in our body.  He told us that we ha e three different types of muscles in our bodies:

Smooth muscles are controlled by our brain.  They work automatically.

Skeletal muscles are the muscles that we can control.  These muscles pul on your bones to make movements.  They look stripy under a microscope.  Our skeletal muscles often work in pairs or groups, so that our movements are smooth.  The gluteus maximus muscles are the strongest muscle in the body.

Cardiac muscle is the thick, strong muscle that make sup our heart.  The heart's cardiac muscle contracts to push blood around your body.

Aveer also told us that muscles in your eyes can move up to 10,000 times an hour!  He also told us that a message can travel from the brain to the muscle at speeds as fast as 430km/hr!  

 

Estee told us about the peregrine falcon.  She told us that is is the fastest bird.  It happens to be the world fastest animal.  The peregrine falcon is also known as the bird of prey.  The fastest is can go is 390km (during diving) for prey.  It's wing span during an adult is 74-120cm too.  It migrates form South America and the Gulf Coast to the Alaskan Tundra each year.

Shaan talked about rainbows.  He told us that they are formed when light shines through water, like when the sun shines through the rain.  This light is bent and reflected, like a reflection in the mirror and this causes all of the amazing colours.  Rainbows can be sen in mist, fog, spray and dew.  There is no end to a rainbow.  Rainbows are full circles.  We only see some of the circles because we view the rainbow from the ground.  Rainbows are made up of all seven colours.  These colours are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.  

Sarah talked about giraffes.  She told us that giraffes have the same number of bones in their neck as humans do.  They have a long tongue and it is black.  They live in Africa.  When the babies are born they are six feet tall and that is taller than her dad!  They are herbivores and that means they only eat veges.

Tai talked about the stars.  He told us that the sun is not the biggest star in our galaxy but the sun is the biggest star in our solar system.  He told us the Sirus is 70 or 30 times bigger than the sun.  He said that UY Scuti is the biggest star.

Angelina talked about her pets.  She told us that she has chickens and rabbits at her home, they are all females.  

Rabbits are nocturnal animals which mean rabbits sleep in the morning and wake up at night.  Chickens sleep at night time and wake up at daytime.  Her rabbit loves to eat dandelion stems because it is smooth and crunchy and they also love to eat vegetables.  Her chickens love to eat everything that she has but their favourite thing is cheese!  It's not the normal cheese that we eat, it's the cheese we use to bake a pizza. 

The colour of one rabbit is pure white, like snow in the winter.  One of the rabbits has red eyes and pink ears and the other rabbit has grey ears and a bit of white by the eyes.  Her chickens also have different colours.  One of her chickens has all black feathers and it is the middle size chicken.  Another chicken is grey, ad it has white bits like fish scales, it's her smallest chicken  The last one is the biggest chicken and she is also black and has white bits like scales.

Her rabbits can play with her and her chickens can lay eggs.  Her biggest chicken has laid many eggs which are more delicious than those ones bought from the supermarket.

Angelina loves both of her chickens and rabbits, they are cute and fluffy!

Alicia talked about cats.  She told us that cats are very cute because they are small.  She said that she has a cat and she is cute and cheeky because she sometimes meows at her dad's window in the middle of the night. MEOW!  MEOW!  MEOW!!

Harrison did a presentation on the girl who dreams to live on Mars.

Here are his notes:

After his presentation Harrison showed a video about Alyssa.

Click on this link:

Mars Mission: Could US girl, 13, be first on red planet?

Shaniya talked about the difference between an alligator and a crocodile.  She told us that the difference between an alligator and a crocodile is that a crocodile is light green and the other is dark green.  Also an alligator has a curved nose and a crocodile has a pointed nose.  With a crocodile you can see all of its teeth.  With the alligator you can only see its top teeth.  She told us that if we would like to see a crocodile you can go to Butterfly Creek.

Anna told us about bunny rabbits.  She said that they can be very fluffy and that they eat carrots and apples, also bananas.  Bunnies like biting wires and they fun fast like us.  They like hiding  and they can get very mad when they scratch you on the arm or shoulder.  They can go on the trampoline and they like to eat grass and flowers.

Hailie told us about flowers.  She told us that everyone thinks flowers are pretty.  Hailie loves flowers because they smell so pretty.  Once Hailie gave flowers to her family.  Yellow and purple flowers are her favourite.

Kelsey told us about crystals.  Here is her information:

Renee talked about trees.  She told us that trees help people to be healthy because they give us oxygen.  Trees look beautiful and majestic when the season changes into spring.  Trees give us fruit like apples and avocados when we are hungry.  Trees give us paper when we need it.

Calvin talked about how to make a chocolate bar.

He told us:

1. Smash the cocoa bean shells with a hammer.

2. When the cocoa beans are dry, put the smashed cocoa beans in the smashing machine.

3. Pour the cocoa ben powder into a bowl, pour in sugar and milk.

4. Put yellow butter and mix again.

5. Pour the chocolate mixture into a chocolate bar mould.

6. Wrap the chocolate bar mould in tinfoil.

7. Heat the chocolate bar, unwrap the tinfoil and enjoy!