Making Kawakawa Balm - Part 1

Today, we spent the afternoon making Kawakawa oil for our balm and drinking Kawakawa and honey tea. We were surprised that we liked the taste of the tea and that we could actually make tea from Kawakawa leaves in our garden.

We started to make the Kawakawa balm from the leaves and stems of the plant. It's growing in our Rongoā Garden (Healing Garden) at school and by our worm farm. There's also lots growing around Tairāwhiti especially up Kaiti Hill. Whenever we pick the leaves, it's important to think about the care of the plant and it's future growth. Never take too much and whatever you don't use, always return to the base of the plant. Saying a karakia asking for permission to take some leaves and thanking God for this wonderful gift is also part of the process.

Picking leaves with holes is best - insects know best! What they eat is the most potent and this is what we want.

Making the infused Kawakawa oil

First you need to make the Kawakawa oil. You can add essential oils such as lavender or tea-tree for extra medicinal purposes but we chose not to as some people don't react positively to them.

Tearing the leaves and stalks of the Kawakawa, they were then placed in a crockpot with 1 litre of olive oil. The leaves had to be under the oil. Then the crockpot was turned onto the lowest setting possible and left for a couple hours. Each day we turn the crockpot on for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. We will do this for about a week to make sure the Kawakawa is infused into the oil then it will be strained through a muslin cloth into a jar. 

We will let you know the second part of the process once we have done it.

Have you ever tasted Kawakawa leaves? It has a peppery taste and can be used in cooking instead of pepper. Make sure you ask an adult before you eat any leaves to make sure you are eating the correct plant.

Kawakawa balm is good for dry lips, skin irritations (eczema and psoriasis), bites, sores, and nappy rash. It's also useful for treating infections, and it is really helpful in reducing inflammation. Kawakawa balm is non-sting, so perfect for kids and any skin scrapes!

Have you ever healed yourself using New Zealand's native plants?

Dinosaur Dig

If you have been reading our blog then you will know we have been learning about dinosaurs. Today we were paleontologists and had a DINOSAUR DIG!

First, we had to find the chunk of plaster of paris in the sandpit. They were very hard to find and we had to persevere. After we found one, we had to carefully dig into it to reveal the dinosaur. Next we identified our dinosaur using some resources. We had so much fun!

Dinosaurs

We are learning about dinosaurs that lived in Aotearoa. This week, we have been writing reports and painting pictures of them.

So far, we have watched YouTube clips about them and found some written facts. Did you know pterosaurs aren't actually dinosaurs? They are flying reptiles!

Here's Lincoln's report...

Pterosaurs

Pterosaurs are not dinosaurs. They are, in fact, flying reptiles. 

Did you know they were as big as a fighter jet and their wingspan was 10.6 metres? They had hollow bones and super, sharp teeth. Pterosaurs had hooked claws. That is weird but useful for not dropping prey in flight.

They lived from the late Triassic period to the end of the Cretaceous period.

Did you know that a young pterosaur is called a flapling?

Pterosaurs liked to eat fish and smaller things.

I think dinosaurs are cool.

Do you know which dinosaurs lived in Aotearoa?

Student Led Conferences - Let's Talk Learning

This week our whānau are coming into our classroom so we can talk about our learning with them. First we will introduce our family to our teacher and then ask them to sign the Guest Register. We will pull out a chair for them and ask them to sit down. Then we are going to be talking to them about all the things we have been learning, why we have been learning it and what our next steps in learning will be. We are also reading our Writing to them, showing them what we are up to in Maths, sharing our favourite iMovie we have made and showing them our R.E. books and art. At the end we will call Mrs Naden, our teacher, over to talk about our next learning goals.

Have you ever talked to your whānau about your learning?

Matariki

We have been reading and learning about Matariki. We have learnt about the 9 stars and what they represent. We've also had a shared Matariki breakfast with our whānau, wished on Hiwa-i-te-Rangi, planted native trees and written poems.

Matariki is the Māori New Year and this is the first year it was a public holiday. 

Did you know that in Taranaki they don't celebrate Matariki? They celebrate Puanga because they can't see Matariki in their night sky.

How did you celebrate Matariki?

Our New Bike Track

Our school has a new bike track. We have a container filled with bikes and helmets for us to use. We have learnt how to: 

• fit and adjust our helmets
• check the tyres
• check the chain and make sure it has oil on it
• check that the handlebars are straight and when we turn them the wheel turns too
• check that the seat is positioned just below the height of our hip

Now we are learning movement skills for biking and balancing. Some of us have bikes at home so are quite confident and others are still learning to balance.

Have you got a bike track at your school?

Collecting Native Seeds and Cuttings

We are a Green/Gold Enviroschool - the first city school in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa to become one. Years ago, we started planting a native reserve which is now quite big. Today we went and collected seeds and cuttings because autumn is a great time to do this. Kauri and Bridget, from The Women's Native Tree Trust, showed us how to get the seeds from the pods and strip a cutting off. We were careful not to take too many from one tree.

We also learnt quite a lot of other things. We all knew that the Māori Battalion fought courageously in the war under horrendous conditions. But did you know that their whānau back home picked the tips of the koromiko leaves, dried them and sent them to their fathers and sons? The soldiers chewed the leaves which cured them of dysentery and this most likely saved their lives! Ngaio is an insect repellent. Rub the leaves on your legs and the mosquitoes won't come near you. Karamu leaves are for your sore puku. Take the leaves at the tips. Try and take multiples of 12 because that's being kind to the tree by not taking too many. Put the leaves in a cup and pour boiling water over them. By the time it's cool enough for kids to drink, the magic is done. Just drink the cup. Don't eat the leaves. 

After we had collected the seeds and cuttings, we bused to The Women's Native Tree Nursery to learn about propagation. We dipped the cuttings in water and rooting compound (a powder that gives them a boost to grow), planted the seeds into a cutting mix and the cuttings into small pots. We also clipped the kōwhai seeds before planting them otherwise they won't grow.

Next term we will go back and re-pot them into bigger pots. The Women's Native Tree Trust will then gift them to other schools and organisations who want to plant native trees like us. This is a great act of service and a wonderful way to re-cloak Papatūānuku. 

We are also going to learn more about Rongoā Māori. 

What do you know about native trees and rongoā?