This is my Possum Diamante poem. Enjoy!
Possums
Marsupial, Nocturnal
Hunting, sneaking, cackling
Naughty, bushy-tailed, cute, FETCH!
Playing, eating, running
Sleepy, plump
Puppy
Friday, 17 June 2016
Tuesday, 7 June 2016
Life process
Living organisms have certain life processes in common. There are seven things that they need to do to count as alive. The phrase MRSGREN is one way to remember them. These letters stand for ...
M - movement - all livings things have to move.
R - respiration - getting energy from food.
S - sensitivity - detecting changes in the surroundings.
G - growth - all living things change from babies to adults.
R - reproduction - making more living things.
E - excretion - getting rid of waste.
N - nutrition - taking and using food.
It is very easy to tell if something is alive or not. A teddy bear might look like a bear, but it cannot do any of the seven things it needs to do to be alive. All it can do is sit there and look cute.
On another hand, a car can move, it gets energy from petrol (like nutrition & respiration), it might have a car alarm (sensitivity), and it gets rid of waste through the exhaust pipe (excretion). But it cannot grow or reproduce.
Movement, is one of the conditions of a living organism. Sometimes it is not that obvious in examples such as plants and fungus, but humans, you can see them grow and move.
Respiration, or being able to breathe is the next condition. Some living breathe oxygen in the air using lungs whilst others like fish use gills to take the oxygen out of the water.
Sensitivity, is all about being able to detect changes in the environment around the living organism. Examples of this include hairs on the human body and nerves in every living thing.
The "G" in MRSGREN stands for growth and all living things do this, even if it is extremely slowly. An example of this is the Coral Reef. It is extremely slow at growing.
All living things are capable of reproduction. There is also a huge amount of diversity in the number of offspring different speices produced. For example, fish lay millions of eggs as a survival strategy because they know that some are going to be eaten.
Another thing that living things need to do is get rid of waste material and this process is called excretion. This comes in different forms such as manure, urine, gas, wee and poo. Some of these words are usually kept quiet.
Nutrition, or obtaining and consuming food, is the final letter of the mnenonic MRSGREN. This means all living things have to eat or they face death. I'm sure I'd rather eat than die.
Overall, it is well known that the diversity of life on Earth is amazing. You have to do these seven things or else you will die, and death is not a great thing.
M - movement - all livings things have to move.
R - respiration - getting energy from food.
S - sensitivity - detecting changes in the surroundings.
G - growth - all living things change from babies to adults.
R - reproduction - making more living things.
E - excretion - getting rid of waste.
N - nutrition - taking and using food.
It is very easy to tell if something is alive or not. A teddy bear might look like a bear, but it cannot do any of the seven things it needs to do to be alive. All it can do is sit there and look cute.
On another hand, a car can move, it gets energy from petrol (like nutrition & respiration), it might have a car alarm (sensitivity), and it gets rid of waste through the exhaust pipe (excretion). But it cannot grow or reproduce.
Movement, is one of the conditions of a living organism. Sometimes it is not that obvious in examples such as plants and fungus, but humans, you can see them grow and move.
Respiration, or being able to breathe is the next condition. Some living breathe oxygen in the air using lungs whilst others like fish use gills to take the oxygen out of the water.
Sensitivity, is all about being able to detect changes in the environment around the living organism. Examples of this include hairs on the human body and nerves in every living thing.
The "G" in MRSGREN stands for growth and all living things do this, even if it is extremely slowly. An example of this is the Coral Reef. It is extremely slow at growing.
All living things are capable of reproduction. There is also a huge amount of diversity in the number of offspring different speices produced. For example, fish lay millions of eggs as a survival strategy because they know that some are going to be eaten.
Another thing that living things need to do is get rid of waste material and this process is called excretion. This comes in different forms such as manure, urine, gas, wee and poo. Some of these words are usually kept quiet.
Nutrition, or obtaining and consuming food, is the final letter of the mnenonic MRSGREN. This means all living things have to eat or they face death. I'm sure I'd rather eat than die.
Overall, it is well known that the diversity of life on Earth is amazing. You have to do these seven things or else you will die, and death is not a great thing.
Wednesday, 25 May 2016
The Careers Expo
The Careers Expo is where a whole lot of careers are displayed to year 7 to year 13 and they get to see what goes on behind some careers, at the Horncastle Arena. My
experience is that there is heaps of freebies such as sunglasses, (which I am wearing in the photo.) pens, lollies and pamphlets. Sometimes the odd prize. The only bad thing was there was sooo many people were there. You were always bumping into people. But overall it was great. Here are some pics.
experience is that there is heaps of freebies such as sunglasses, (which I am wearing in the photo.) pens, lollies and pamphlets. Sometimes the odd prize. The only bad thing was there was sooo many people were there. You were always bumping into people. But overall it was great. Here are some pics.
This is me at the Ara engineering career on the pit bike.
Me at another engineering stall.
This is a little sprint car.
Saturday, 7 May 2016
Building a chicken coop
One day, during the holidays, Mum bought a flat-pack chicken coop to house the chickens she got for Christmas. I volunteered to put it together. My vote was taken and that is why I am writing about this. I really enjoyed putting it together. Zoë was on the instructions and giving me the screws I needed. Mum was my apprentice. It was easy to assemble but it was hard work because I used a screw driver not an electric battery drill. I felt happy it was over because my arm was really sore and I felt a bit proud that I didn’t need Dad to help. I felt a lot less frustrated than Brodie Kane appeared in her flat-pack challenge on Fair-Go. Here a some pics.
Monday, 25 April 2016
ANZAC day
"Oh, what time is it. 5:22 AM dang! My alarm goes off at 5:30. Anyway might as well get up." My alarm was set for the ANZAC dawn service.
I got up and had a bite to eat, brushed my teeth and got dressed. I put on my sweat shirt and some long pants that I hardly ever wear, on goes my hat and in the car. Mum, Zoë and I drove down to Burnham and parked about 250 meters from the Main South Road.
We all walked down with the mob of people that were also attending the service and found a good place to stand for the next 50 or so minutes. The service began and the piper started to play "ANZAC'S we remember you," that was good as it always seems to be. Then that great cannon went off and I jumped out of my skin. Out of the corner of my eye was an orange flash that came out of the gun. The guy and his girlfriend behind us leaped out of their skins, so did Mum and the guy also said to his girlfriend, "Are you awake now." I laughed in my head.
They do warn everyone, but in that very small moment you forget. The service went on and I am always so amazed that those Sentry guards can stand still for that matter of time.
Next was the breaking of the flags, while "The Last Post" was being played. Then as they re-hoist the flags "Reveille" was played on the bugle.
All of the people who wish to lay wreaths are called individually and make their way through the crowd to do so. It's always a good thing to hear Kidsfirst Kindergarten Burnham being called because it reminds me of the fun I had there when I was younger.
At last the Sentry guards can come down from their post above the gates to the military camp. I think they must feel relieved to be able to move again.
That marks the end of the dawn service and so we turn and head back to the car quietly thinking our own thoughts. The Sun has risen and you think, "Wow I can see now."
The reason I like to attend the dawn service is because of the respect I have for the soldiers that fought for our freedom. It's hard to get up that early, in the morning, but I feel that is the least I can do to honour our fallen soldiers.
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
Friday, 12 February 2016
My Biopoem
Sam
Big, bold, bad & balistic
Son of David & Sarah, brother of Zoe
Lover of motorbikes, devices, cars, sports, chocolate and tractors
Owner of Lego, motorbike, tractor, Xbox 360 and a few NERF guns
Who admires Richie McCaw, Martin Guptill and John Deere
Who plays rugby in the winter, cricket in the summer and plays on my tablet inside
Who would like to visit Haast (New Zealand), USA and Fiji
Who has been to Wellington, Golden bay, most of the West coast, Kaikoura and Picton
Who was born in New Zealand in the Selwyn District
Who loves the phrase: “You neither win nor lose, if you don’t run the race” (from David Bowie)
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