Flat Stanley in San Francisco

A quick "Hi" from Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. I've had an amazing time and learnt so much about the world. You can check out books about the USA in our school library. San Francisco is a really interesting city with a beautiful bay, impressive bridges, diverse architecture, cable cars, trams and vibrant street art. Here are a few pics. I'll be heading back to New Zealand soon. See you back in the school library!

Flat Stanley visits London

Hello everyone. Flat Stanley here. I went to London for a couple of day trips and managed to see some famous sites and characters. 

Day 1: 

I walked 311 steps up Monument (which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren to commemorate the Great Fire of London). The views from up there were amazing.

Monument

Here I am in front of the Tower of London. We have some interesting books in the school library about what went on in the dungeons (check out the Horrible Histories series). 

Tower of London

I got to meet some of our favourite Star Wars characters at Madame Tussauds. Check me out with R2-D2 and BB-8!

Day 2:

We caught a train and popped up at Charing Cross station which meant that our day trip in London started in Trafalgar Square. 

Nelson's Column

We walked down Pall Mall to Buckingham Palace. The Queen was in residence. I knew that the Queen was home because the flag was flying. We watched the changing of the guards.

Buckingham Palace

The changing of the guard

We walked through St James's Park and looked at all the birds, including swans, ducks and even Pelicans. 

Westminster Abbey

Here I am at Westminster Abbey - the traditional place for coronations (crowning of kings and queens) and royal weddings.

Big Ben

Big Ben

Which is the real Big Ben? It's easy, the one with blue sky in the pic. The pic on the right is a Big Ben made out of LEGO® at Hamley's toy shop in Regent Street.

London is truly fascinating. The buildings are amazing and there is so much interesting history. 

I'll be in touch soon with more pics... I've crossed the Atlantic ocean and am in California now. Chat soon.

Flat Stanley

Flat Stanley's adventurous escapades

Look carefully at the grizzly bear picture above to see if you can spot me, Flat Stanley. The school librarian has brought me along on an overseas adventure. These pics are taken at California Adventure Park and Disneyland. 

I made a friend, Timothy (see him on the steering wheel of Toady's car). He's coming along with me for the rest of the trip. We fly to England next. We're going to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards. 

PS - You can read my book - "Flat Stanley" in our school library. You can also read about Toady in "Wind in the Willows". It's under GRA for Graham on the fiction (chapter book) shelf.

Alright, tally ho, off to England I go!

Pics from Des Hunt's visit

This was surely a day to remember. Was he a science-gadet guy, a wizard who could make things fly, a nuclear fusion inventor, a fictional author who could share the inner workings of his craft, or a retired teacher with a heart for children? Well I think Des Hunt was all of this and more. Thank-you Des for inspiring us and entertaining us, and teaching us!

Des Hunt's visit

We didn’t expect the visiting author to be a scientist who would wow us with his experiments and creations all in the name of linking the forces of science to the idea of how to construct a book that will engage a reluctant reader from hook to climatic ending. Des Hunt wonderfully engaged the senior children with his unique blend of science and storytelling. 

This involved a fictional "Nuclear Fusion" machine that blew up a balloon, while suspense grew in the room – before it burst (like the climax of a good story)… There was a fly zapper that was heated with a "ray-gun" (hairdryer) so that a flimsy metallic shape inflated and floated, all through the force of repulsion. Characters either get on well, or they don’t, and this was expressed via the scientific forces of repulsion and attraction. 

A reluctant reader (metal ball), was drawn along a long channel via the use of three strategically placed magnets (the hook, the development of the story and the climax) before it knocked a plastic ball flying to a gong, held by a somewhat nervous student. 

Des taught chemistry and physics for 30 years and wrote textbooks in that area before taking on the challenge of writing fiction. The senior children are well acquainted with his exciting adventure stories as we have novel sets of Cry of the Taniwha and Whale Pot Bay, and many of the senior teachers have been reading his novels to their classes prior to his visit. Many of his books are in the school library and I have purchased a few more at a special price yesterday. Thank-you Des for a really inspiring day!

Please return books:

I am taking my family on a long-awaited holiday to see family overseas and my last day will be 24th June. I will be back the first day of term 3. Please encourage your children to return all library books next week so that I can shelve them before I go. The library will be closed at lunchtimes for the last two weeks. I encourage keen readers to get books out from the Auckland Council libraries and the library bus. 

Mobile library bus:

The mobile library bus will be at school on 20th June and 4th July. Please remind your child to bring their Auckland Library card if they want to issue a book.

Cry of the Taniwha poster

Today a group of book club girls completed their poster about Des Hunt's Cry of the Taniwha which their teacher is reading to them in class. Only four more sleeps until his visit! Des Hunt will be personally selling his books outside the school library on Monday 13th June at the special price of $10 per book.

Making posters for Des Hunt

On Monday 13th June, Des Hunt is coming to visit the senior children. We are all getting really excited. Today some of the book club children made posters for his visit. 

They worked on the posters at morning tea and lunchtime. The boys (Riley, Kalo, Phoenix, Henry and Sean) completed a poster for PROJECT HUIA, inspired by the book cover while Brenna and Mikayla created a poster for WHALE POT BAY. Another group of girls are working on a poster for CRY OF THE TANIWHA which I will post on the blog when it is finished. If you would like to check out the posters, come and visit the library - they are on display on the back wall.

Now I'm going to head home and read another few chapters of Whale Pot Bay while sipping a cup of tea.