candles

Benjamin Franklin was the son of a soap and candle maker so we had a go at making candles. The wicks were made with salt and borax and cotton twine and the candles were made from cutting up old candles and melting them and pouring them into molds. You can use beeswax if you don't have old candles. They smelt really nice.

biography Ben Franklin

Benjamin Franklin

The funniest thing about Benjamin Franklin's life was when when he tried to kill a turkey by electrocuting it at a dinner party but instead he electrocuted himself and said " I tried to kill a turkey but instead I nearly killed a goose."

He was very famous because he invented lots of things like the lightning rod. bi-focal lenses. a circulating library, a hospital, the fire department, street lights and an insurance company He also deepened rivers to prevent them flooding the towns they were in.

He was born on January 17th 1706, the tenth son of a soap and candle maker in Boston in Milk Street. He finished school when he was nine years old. He helped write the Declaration of Independence, the American Constitution and helped convince France to help the colonists fight against Briton. He died on April 17th 1790

I think Benjamin Franklin was an amazing man because he learnt how to teach himself by reading books and trying out new things.

Written by Gracelyn and Chloe Laing and Illustrated by Gracelyn Laing

Aztec Pyramid

Aztec Pyramid

We've also had fun experimenting with lots of Mexican food: Enchiladas, Tacos, Burritos and watched how to make Tamales on you Tube.

south america project

the secret of the andes quipu

This is Chloe's birthdate 5/11/2001

The Incan used Quipu: knotted strings to record their numbers

this is the birthdate of Gracelyn 3/3/2000.

the corn grows ripe mayan writing

Glyphs used by the Mayans, the girls wrote a few words to each other to be de-coded.

Gracelyn Laing Story board for 'The Corn Grows Ripe" the story of Mayan boy who has to take of his Father's responsibilities when he has an accident.

interesting stuff about the amazon rainforest Note-Taking

There are trees that can walk called the Stilt Palm.
The tallest tree is nine stories high
There is one flower that smells like rotting fish mixed with burnt toffee [ titum arum] and another flower that smells like sweaty cheese [Calabash Flower] .
It's so hot and steamy that mould can grow on your feet and they will turn green if you don't dry them.
Tailor Ants use their own larvae as needles to sew leaves together.
The is fungi that glows in the dark.
There are vampire bats that suck your blood.
There are bird eating spiders as big as dinner plates
An Explorer called Percy Fawcett disappeared after searching for the lost cities of gold.
Morpho butterflies are fluorescent blue and purple.

short story 'The Amazon'

Number four was the story starter picture Chloe picked to write her story about.
The Amazon

It was the first of January 2000, in the middle of summer. It was so hot everyone was sweating as Bob, Lilly, Christopher, Tom and John Sandwell paddled down the Amazon River. They were on a wooden raft using two long sticks which they had broken off a tree at the edge of the river. Suddenly they saw a house around the corner of the river and a person with long brown hair and black eyes in the water crying for help. No one wanted to jump into the water because of the Piranhas and Anacondas so they reached out one of thelong sticks for her to hold onto. Once they had helped her onto the raft, they asked her what her name was and what she was doing in the water. Caitlyn said she had tried to fix the water wheel at the edge of the river and fell in. When they asked her if she wanted to join their tribe and live in the rain forest with them she said yes because she had no family and was scared. Caitlyn told them "My family was killed when miners came with their bulldozers and destroyed my village".

Chloe Laing

Explanation: Jamestown Virginia

Replica of the Sasan Constance

Site of Jamestown

Map of Jamestown Virginia

Why the English Settlers Chose the Location for Jamestown

They chose Jamestown because it had everything they needed. It was close to the sea so they could collect fish and shellfish and hunt for whales. They could trade with the Indians and trade and receive supplies from England. It was close to the forest so they could hunt animals for meat and skins. They also gathered wood, berries, leaves and fruit.This gave them food and helped
them build houses and it gave them wood for a fire so they could cook and keep them warm. There was fresh water so they could drink, cook and clean. It also had fertile soil so they could plant crops to eat. It was very beautiful.

Gracelyn Laing

spanish

I learnt about Spanish. I learnt these words
come means eat bebe means drink corre means run homble means man nina means girl
nino means boy nada means swim. I like Spanish because it is fun and interesting but hard. Gracelyn and I can start having our own secret conversation's.
Chloe



I like Spanish because fun and interesting but it can hard.
Gracelyn

interesting stuff about indians mayans incans and aztecs Note-Taking

Chloe drew this while she was waiting for me to photocopy their reading log in just a few minutes





INDIANS

Some lived in big log cabins, some lived in tepees and some lived in big huts. In the salmon season they caught and smoked salmon. They hunted whales. When it snowed they made sleds and toboggans and slid down the hills. They had special bags that they hung their babies in from the trees.







MAYANS
The Mayan civilization lasted from 3000 BC - 1400 AD.
They had lots of gods (166).
They sacrificed people in open caves that had filled up with water and those who survived would become the chief.
The people did all the work for the overlord and batobob.
Hetzmek was spacial ceremony when boys were 4 months old and girls were 3 months old.
Girls were married when they were 14 and boys 18.
Their main food was corn.
They pierced there noses, lips, and ears.
They made there noses look longer with clay.
They thought long faces and cross eyes or squinted eyes were pretty.
They also braided their hair.

Incans
The high Inca was in charge of overeating and the people believed he was a god.
The Coya was his wife and the people thought she was a goddess
the Indians mummified the High Inca and the Coya just like the Egyptians
The high Incas some had their ears stretched till they reached their shoulders
The ate corn, bananas, cocoa, coffee, tobacco and quinoa
The their buildings were so strong some of them still exist today and even earthquakes couldn't make them fall down.
The terraced their mountains so they could farm on them and build aqueducts
Their temples were covered in gold and silver and all their utensils even the gardening spades were solid gold or silver.

Aztecs
They built floating gardens in their swamp
They had hunchbacks, stilt walkers, jugglers and clowns to entertain their king in his palace
They sacrificed people every day to their sun god
They had saunas
They ate tortillas, tamales, fly eggs
They wore yellow wax on thier faces as make up

Poetry Quatrain, Rhyming Couplet and Free Verse Pocohontas

Gracelyn decided to make some shoes and clothes out of leaves sewing them up, they arn't the clothes worn traditionally by the poeple of north or south America but it was a lot of fun to do!

We wrote different kinds of poems about Pocahontas.

Quatrain has 4 lines and the 2nd and 4th line rhyme
Pocahontas
Pocahontas is very beautiful.
She is very daring and brave.
She has a pet raccoon and bird
and all of her people she did save.
Chloe Laing


Pocahontas is very beautiful

she is very daring and brave

she has a pet raccoon and bird

and all her people she did save

Gracelyn Laing

Rhyming couplet has 2 lines and they rhyme
Pocahontas
Pocahontas had beautiful sparkling eyes
and sometimes she told lies.
Chloe Laing



Pocahontas has a buckskin dress

and she was an Indian Princess

Gracelyn Laing

Free verse has no rules
Pocahontas
pretty
healthy
athletic
fit
thin
she married an English man
Chloe Laing


Pocahontas is very beautiful, she is tall fit healthy and athletic
she is awesome because she saved heaps of lives

Gracelyn Laing

Haiku has 3 lines the 1st has 5 syllables, the 2nd had 7 syllables and the last one has 5 syllables
Pocahontas
She was beautiful
and she had a pet raccoon.
I think she was brave
Chloe Laing age 9


Pocahontas
Athletic, helpful
Buckskin dress and shell necklace
Beautiful and helpful
Gracelyn Laing age 10

tie dye

Today we went to the hockey field and got lots of leaves, berry's and flowers to see what dye colour it has. And then we got little peaces of material and dyed them. They came out in lots of different colours. And the we tie dyed our white t-shirts and they looked awesome. We did this because we are lerning about the colonials and how they made their clothes.

Mikaela Certs and Awards

2010 Swimmer of the Week Award

Samuel Certs and Awards

2011 Grade One Cert Academic Achievement for Science receiving over %97 across 12 tests and most improved student for the Junior School

2009 Pre School Reading Readiness Test and Swimming Award

Chloe Certificates and Awards

2009 Sports Carnival Ribbons and Academic Achievement for English and Social Studies receiving over %97 across 12 tests and the Christian Charactor Trophy for the Junior School

2008 Academic Achievement averaging over 97% across 12 tests in Maths, English, Science and Social Studies and Principal's Honor Roll in all four terms and a Medallion for it

2007 Reading Test Academic Achievement averaging over 97% across 12 tests in Social Studies and Principal's Honor Roll for two terms and a Music Award.

2006 Reading Readiness Award

Gracelyn Awards and Certificates

2010 Runner Up Age Champion Sports First Place in the Atherton Show for her Clay Pot made from clay found at Tineroo Dam

2009 Academic Achievement for English, Maths, Science and Social Studies receiving over %97 across 12 tests and a Trophy for the Junior School

2008 Academic Award for English averaging over 97% across 12 tests

2007 Academic Achievement Awards for maths Science Word Building and Social Studies [achieving over 97% across 12 tests] Honor Roll for three terms and Runner Up Sportsmanship Award and a Music Award.

2006 Primary ballet Exam and Academic Achievement Awards for Social Studies and Word Building [needing 97% or above across 12 tests] and Honor Roll in three terms and completion of Grade One reading test.

2005 completion of reader readiness and Pre Primary ballet exam certificate