Sunday, 26 March 2017

Where Does Rain Come From?

As the rain pours down again we start to wonder!

Rain comes from clouds but do you know how rain gets into clouds? This clip shows how clouds are formed (made). You will see how important the Sun is in making it rain.

What kinds of clouds have you seen in the sky? Which kind of clouds do you see when it is raining? How do you think clouds form?

What part does the Sun play in making clouds?

In the clip a kettle with steam is shown. Why is that shown?

Where does rain really come from?

The clip talks about the 'water cycle'. Why is it called a 'cycle'? Do you know any other types of cycles? Can you work out what the word 'cycle' means?

Draw a picture of the water cycle. You can use arrows in your drawing to join up each part of the water cycle. Explain your drawing to someone else.

What sort of clouds produce rain? Observe the sky for a week or two. Take a digital photograph of the different types of clouds you see. Create a chart to show those that produced rain and those that did not. Label the clouds to describe their appearance and how high they are in the sky. Look up cloud types to see if you can find out the names of different types of clouds.

Thursday, 16 March 2017

Enviro Badges

We were excited that some of the members of our studio who worked on our Oderings Garden Show entry received their Enviro badge. Well done Milla and Amber for all your extra effort.

What is water made of??

We have been learning about what water is made of and we have been thinking as scientists as we inquire.

Watch this video and share your ideas and wonderings with your family.

Water can be found in different states of matter - solid, liquid and gas

World Water Day - Wednesday 22nd March 2017

Tuesday, 14 March 2017

Where do we use water at home . . .

Sunday, 12 March 2017

It's Raining, It's Pouring!

Remember to find news just for kids on http://kiwikidsnews.co.nz/

Aucklander’s told to reduce water use

March 13, 2017

People in Auckland are being asked to reduce their water usage over the next three weeks after floods affected water treatment capacity at the city’s largest water treatment plant.

Around half of Auckland’s water comes from four water storage dams in the Hunua Ranges – where flash flooding took place after heavy rain late last week and over the weekend.

Aucklanders are being asked to reduce their water consumption by 20 litres per day over the coming weeks until the silt in the dams settle.

Because of the flash flooding, the Ardmore Water Treatment Plant was treating about 50 per cent less water than usual.

That was because much of the water now contained a lot of silt from slips – giving the water a muddy hue and therefore making it more difficult to treat.

WAYS YOU CAN SAVE WATER –

• Cut your shower time by two minutes.

• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.

• Use half-flush when flushing toilet.

• Only run your dishwasher when full

• Only run washing machine when full

Flooding in the North Island

March 9, 2017

Torrential downpours have caused widespread flooding and power cuts in the upper North Island.

Flooding in Coromandel after a night of torrential rain is the worst in more than a decade, the head of civil defence says.

Coromandel civil defence said there is widespread flooding in Whangamata, Hikuai, Tairua and Pauanui.

Emergency evacuation centres have been set up in the Coromandel after heavy rain caused flooding in the area.

Multiple parts of roads on the Coromandel Peninsula are closed due to flooding including from Kopu to Thames, and north of Whangamata to Opoutere.

Thames Coromandel District Council is advising people to stay off the roads if possible.

Water supplies in the Coromandel have also been affected. Power outages and heavy rain have put the pump stations at some wastewater treatment plants under pressure.

People have been asked not to flush toilets if they can help it in Tairua, Pauanui, Onemana and Whangamata.

Near Auckland a police car has been hit by a flash flood and washed off the road into a swollen creek, stranding an officer on top of the vehicle.

Nearly 200 children and adults from two schools have been evacuated from waist-deep floodwaters at camps overnight in Auckland’s Hunua Ranges.

Learning about percentages through Water Consumption

We have been talking about and investigating where and how we are using water in our lives. We have been discussing what percentage of water that we think is used in our kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, toilets and in our outdoor areas.

We made predictions and had to present our thinking to others.