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.