What is a tap and how does it work?

A tap is something that pumps out water. It can also be a cold tap and a hot tap. You can find a tap in a bathroom by the bath and the sink.when you turn the handle of the tap it lifts the shaft and water flows out.when you turn the tap off it pushes the shaft and the water stops. There can be different taps.taps can be in different shapes and sizes some are outside.Water that comes through a tap comes from a water pump station. By Cullen.

You can find taps in a ensuite  bathroom garden and a laundry room.  A tap releases water from a pipe. A tap can be made out of metal or plastic.  Some taps have one tap for hot and one tap for cold water and some taps are joined together so when you turn it one it will either be hot or cold. All taps have two pipes for hot and cold water. Taps are normally white and grey. The water in your house comes from a hot gas cylinder. You have to pay hot water in New Zealand but in Australia you have to pay for hot and cold water. Inside a tap there is a steam  which keeps the tap up. The steam sits on the washer. The washer  pushes down on the seat which then compresses and stops the water from coming out.

By Maya L

Taking Action! How to Reduce Water Use.

We have been thinking, discussing and talking about ways we can take action in our own lives to reduce water use.  Below are some posters the students have created to show the action that you can take.

When we created our posters we talked about layout, choice of font, background and choice of images.  We reflected on our learning and asked for feedback about whether the message was clear and whether the layout made it easy to read and understand the message.

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.

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

Where do we use water at home . . .