2R 2008

We have had a fantastic year this year and I thought I would do something special for all of you. I have created a professionally published book called ‘2R 2008′ and filled it with photos and text of activities we have done this year. The book size is 17.8cm x 17.8cm square.

The first 15 pages of the book can be previewed by clicking on the picture on the right, then click Preview. You can then purchase the book (US$14.95 + US$13 shipping) on the same web page by just adding the quantity (1 or more) into your cart. Then click checkout and register your details.

Note: Cheaper shipping is available if I purchase in bulk, AU$6 express per book.

Total costs including bulk shipping:
AU$29 per book with premium paper 

If you send your child in with the money (prefer cash or ask for bank details) by Monday 8th December,  I will then place a bulk order on Tuesday 9th December.

These books will most likely be available after the school holidays.

The photos were taken with my iPhone (1.3 mega pixels) and may not always be the best. My DSLR camera would have taken much better pictures though the iPhone is just so much more convenient.

Today was the Year 6 Fete. They were raising money for their farewell gift to the school. They had spent all morning setting up and were ready to open at ten o’clock.

It seemed that everyone had a fun time, except perhaps for the school prefects. They had the unlucky task of having cream pies, slime and water bombs thrown at them from some very eager younger students.

Several students in 2R stuck their hands, voluntarily, in some green sticky goo, YUCK! The haunted house had many students waiting in line, though the 2R boys came back saying it wasn’t very scary.

Face painting and hairspray seemed the most popular a long with the sweets. Emily had all the luck and won a raffle prize.

When we went back to class and had recess, most students must have scoffed down too many sweets as they were not interested in eating. Maddisson was feeling quite sick.

What did you do at the Fete?

More photos are in the Gallery.

Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds have been the showiest types of crystals for thousands of years. They are highly valued due to their beauty and relative small amounts that exist in nature. In recent years chemists have been working on ways to create some of these crystals in the laboratory and have had a lot of success.

You can grow your own crystals, Salt Crystals.

IMPORTANT: PARENT SUPERVISION AND HELP IS NEEDED

Items needed:

• water (1cup, about 250ml)
• salt (1/4 cup, about 63 ml) [bath salts are best]
• string
• pencil or ice block stick
• disposable plastic cup (or glass, with parents permission)
• food colouring (optional)
• pipe cleaner (optional)

Step 1

With your parents help boil a cup of water (about 250ml). Once the water has boiled stir in the salt (one quarter of a cup) until it dissolves and then allow it to cool.

(You could try just very hot water from the tap, still with parents help)

Step 2

Once the water is cool poor it into your cup and then add the food colouring of your choice. You can mix food colours until you have the colour you want.

Step 3

Tie a piece of string to the pencil (or ice block stick) so that it is long enough to hang from the top to almost the bottom of the cup.

BETTER OPTION- Pipe Cleaner

Take a pipe cleaner and fold it to what ever shape you want (see the examples). then tie it to the pencil (or ice block stick) using a piece of string.

Step 4

Hang the pencil on top of the the cup with with the string (or pipe cleaner) sitting in the salt water.

Step 5.

Place your cup in a very sunny place and wait for the crystals to grow. You can check the growth by lifting out the pencil (or ice block stick) gently once each day.

Step 6

When your string or pipe cleaner is totally covered in crystals and most of the water has evaporated (disappeared) then you can take the crystals out.

Things to try

• Try doing several cups at the same time with different shaped pipe cleaners or different food colourings.
• Place a sponge in the salt water cup so that the sponge sits slightly above the water level. Then add different food colourings to different parts of the sponge. You should then end up with a crystal garden with many colours.

UPDATE: Below is a picture of Sophie’s crystals that she made during the holidays.

What is pinkish gray on the outside, yellowish white on the inside and is wrinkled?

Give up? It’s the human brain!

Both halves of the brain look exactly the same and work the same way, but they are in charge of different sides of the body and different tasks. The right side (right hemisphere) controls the left side of the body, and the left side (left hemisphere) controls the right. For most people, the left side of the brain controls language activities such as reading and writing, and skills like those used in maths and logical reasoning. The right side of the brain contains the areas that relate to things like colour, shape, imagination, creativity and emotions. Although basically “equal,” one side of the brain is usually “stronger,” than the other.

Seeing colours and reading words use two different pathways of the brain. What happens when the brain is asked to read the colour and see the word? Try this game to discover what happens when we try to “trick” the brain. Click Here

Thanks GirlsGoTech

I was just testing out a new website I found and thought you may like to look at the creation I made. I thought about creating it with you but it is very difficult.

I have put these games on as a reward for all the effort you have put into your class work this year. Enjoy!

Tennis

Sprinter

Stickman Olympics

Dolphin Olympics

A biosphere is a small glass container that contain a completely self-sustained, sealed environment. There’s water, alge, shrimp, little bugs, and all sorts of stuff that can live off itself for several years.

The Competition
Create a Biosphere, see instructions below, and see who’s lasts the longest. 5000 points for entering and 15 000 points if yours is still living at the end of Term 3.

Ingredients

• Glass Jar (1L with a tight lid)
• Pond Sludge (must have little living creatures)
• Water plant
• River pebbles
• Shell
• Pond water, aged tap water or dechlorinated water.
• Extra items if you can find them- small shrimp or snails

Step 1
Add the river pebbles and shell to the bottom of the jar.

Step 2
Add the pond water (or aged tap water, dechlorinated water)

Step 3
Add the pond scum to the jar. Try get as little mud in the jar as possible as we really just want the living creatures.

Step 4
Add only a little cutting from the water plant. The plant can be from the pond or an aquarium shop. Java moss, duck weed or hornwort is best.

Step 5 (optional)
Add 3 or 4 small snails or/and shrimp. Ghost shrimp and snails can be obtained very cheaply from any aquarium shop.

Step 6
Write the date on the lid and tightly seal the jar. Place the jar somewhere sunny though out of direct sunlight. If you start to get a lot of green algae then it’s getting too much sun.

If your biosphere is successful then you should find:

• The sun will produce algae in the jar.
• Algae will produce oxygen.
• The living creature will eat the algae and absorb the oxygen and give off carbon dioxide and pollutants.
• Bacteria will break down the pollutants into nitrates.
• The algae will feed off of the nitrates.

2R’s web page seems to be getting very popular with 5050 views since we started 68 days ago. We have had people visiting from United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Egypt, Poland, Indonesia, New Zealand, Portugal, Argentina, Brazil, Ireland, Romania, Italy, Greece, Germany, Holland, Japan, France, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and of course Australia.

The most popular pages are ‘Our Fish’ with 276 views and ‘The Story Starter Challenge’ with 158 views. The most popular day was on May 8th when we had 243 views on just one day.
Well done!

Help George and Harold create a cool new episode in the Adventures of Captain Underpants! When writing remember to use fictional characters in your story. Click Here