If you could go back in time, would you stop the discovery of plastic? And why?
Georgia: No, because we use plastic for a lot of things, like cups and bottles and many other things. If people hadn't start littering then plastic wouldn't be a problem.
Minh Anh: I don't know. Plastic can be useful but it can also destroy the earth.
What do you think?
Answer below in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday 30 June 2015
Jolie's discussion about plastic bottles
Guided Discussion
If I could go back in time, I would stop the discovery of plastic because plastic goes into rubbish bins way too often, which takes them to a rubbish dump. When water molecules get into the plastic, it creates a harmful liquid called leachate which will pollute soil then ground water and then it could travel into a lake or pond and harm or kill whatever is living in it. Also if plastic is just left on the ground it might get swept up with the wind and land in the ocean or a river that might flow into the ocean. Once it is in the ocean a sea animal might mistake it for food. Once the animal has eaten the plastic it will feel full and will not eat. Now it will starve to death. So plastic is killing animals. Plastic can be useful to put stuff in and it is waterproof. It is also very light but we can use other things to put stuff in and there is other things that are waterproof also there are probably other waterproof materials in the making.
Open discussion
If we took all the plastic away from the sea it would be benicicial and a happier place because when sea animals eat the plastic they cannot digest it so the plastic gets stuck in side them which can choke and kill them. Other sea birds like sea gulls can get tangled up In the mess which is another good reason why we should eliminate rubbish from the ocean. Some of the consequences are where would we put all the rubbish because, really, if you think about it there really isn't much choices, but if we put them on rubbish islands, the rubbish population would keep on growing, and then where would we put the rubbish? All the sea creatures that live on the ground like starfish, those animals will have set up a little area and if we drag nets along the seabed trying to get the rubbish, we will ruin all their small homes.
Monday 29 June 2015
Jonty's Nepal Report, Solar Energy and Wind Energy Explanation
Ethan's Wind Energy Explanation
Wind energy
Windmills have been used for almost 1,500 years.
The first windmills were used in Persia/modern day middle east for grinding grain and drawing up water.
In ancient Egypt they used them to power boats down the nile river.
How it works?
When the wind hits rotor blades at a certain angle it propels round and round which turns a generator on that turns it into energy and puts it through power lines.
What are wind farms?
Wind farms are where there are heaps of wind turbines up on a hill producing all the wind energy that people need. Sometimes people can't get wind energy because there are limited spaces.
Countries using wind energy
There are heaps of countries using wind energy such as NZ,Aussie,Middle east and parts of Europe
The drawbacks
Some problems are that they could hit birds because they're quite high up and are white like the clouds. Some people think they're ugly and take up to much space.
By Ethan
Zylah's Nepal Report
Nepal
Nepal is an asian country between China and India. They have a population of about 27 million.
Nepal speaks over 92 languages. The main language spoken is Nepali. Nepal is made up of 40 different races and tribes.
The Terai jungle is home to the Bengal Tiger which is very hard to spot. Living in the trees is the Spotted Leopard. Also living in Nepal is the One Horned Rhino and the Himalayan Snow Leopard.
37% of Nepal’s land is covered in trees. Timber and herbs are valuable resources for the Nepalese. Nepal’s resources are very important to them. They are rich in water which they rely heavily on. Because Nepal isn’t near any oceans, they get all of their water from the rivers, which is helped by the melting snow from the Himalayas.
Nepal is most famous for Mt Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. Mt Everest is called Sagarmatha in Nepal. This means Goddess of the sky. Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to ever reach the summit in 1953 which was the beginning of a long history between New Zealand and Nepal.
By Zylah
Sunday 28 June 2015
Jolie's solar energy explanation
Introduction
Solar energy is a lot better for the environment so researchers are constantly working on ways to harness sunlight.
Why do we use fossil fuels and not solar energy?
Fossil fuels are much cheaper than solar energy, but unlike fossil fuels solar energy is a renewable energy source. A renewable energy source comes from a natural ongoing process that will continue into the forseeably future.
How can we collect solar power?
We can collect solar energy with thermal collectors. Thermal collectors use sunlight to warm water which is used to heat buildings.
What are photovoltaic cells?
Photovoltaic cells convert solar power straight into electricity. They are the dark panels you see on solar powered devices like calculators and satellites.
What are the drawbacks?
Solar panels only turn 15-20% of sunlight into electricity. That's enough to power a calculator but for a house you would pretty much need to cover the whole roof in panels! The sun isn't always shining so you wouldn't be able to get energy all the time unless you stored it which costs a lot of money. Solar panels are so expensive.
Conclusion
I think we shouldn't use solar energy because it costs around $6,000 and when the sun's not out we usually want to use something electric but thats when there is no energy.
By Jolie
Saturday 27 June 2015
Nepal Report written by Zylah
Nepal
Nepal is an asian country between China and India. They have a population of about 27 million.
Nepal speaks over 92 languages. The main language spoken is Nepali. Nepal is made up of 40 different races and tribes.
The Terai jungle is home to the Bengal Tiger which is very hard to spot. Living in the trees is the Spotted Leopard. Also living in Nepal is the One Horned Rhino and the Himalayan Snow Leopard.
37% of Nepal’s land is covered in trees. Timber and herbs are valuable resources for the Nepalese. Nepal’s resources are very important to them. They are rich in water which they rely heavily on. Because Nepal isn’t near any oceans, they get all of their water from the rivers, which is helped by the melting snow from the Himalayas.
Nepal is most famous for Mt Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. Mt Everest is called Sagarmatha in Nepal. This means Goddess of the sky. Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to ever reach the summit in 1953 which was the beginning of a long history between New Zealand and Nepal.
Thursday 25 June 2015
Emily and Cassie's Recycling game
Click here to play. You will need the Hopscotch app to play this game.
Tama's Report on Nepal
NEPAL
INTRO
Nepal is an Asian country in between China and India.
The people
There are 27 million people in Nepal. Nepal is made up of 40 different tribes and languages.
Wild life
Nepal is home to some of the world's most exotic animals but they are hard to find. The most popular animal in Nepal is the Horned Rhino.
Natural recourses
Nepals natural resources are important to the lifestyle of the nepalese. 37% of Nepal's land are trees and timbre and herbs are a valuable resource in Nepal.
Mt Everest
Mt Everest is the tallest mountain in the world, that's why nepal is famous.
Conclusion
That concludes this report on Nepal hope you enjoy.
Wednesday 24 June 2015
Alex: Solar Energy Explanation
Solar power
It works by the sun shining on it.
We use fossil fuels because it is more efficient and it is cheaper.
We collect solar energy from the sun and then the energy from the sun becomes power.
Photovoltaic cells convert the energy from the sun to power and tiny particles the makes power.
The drawbacks of Solar Energy are that it is 15 to 20 percent efficient and not always sunny and cost more money to store solar energy and more expensive than fossil fuels.
Solar energy is not the best power option and it is more expensive than fossil fuels.
Alex
It works by the sun shining on it.
We use fossil fuels because it is more efficient and it is cheaper.
We collect solar energy from the sun and then the energy from the sun becomes power.
Photovoltaic cells convert the energy from the sun to power and tiny particles the makes power.
The drawbacks of Solar Energy are that it is 15 to 20 percent efficient and not always sunny and cost more money to store solar energy and more expensive than fossil fuels.
Solar energy is not the best power option and it is more expensive than fossil fuels.
Alex
5 facts about plastic bottles
1 plastic bottles are made in a oil refinery.
2 plastic bottle number 3 is the best because it can be reused.
3 plastic bottles can kill animals because they eat the plastic and they think they're full but there not, so they starve to death
4 plastic bottle number 1 can create a toxic stew called leachate.
5 seabirds get stuck in the plastic mess.
By Hazel
Solar Power Explanation: Ethan
How does solar power work
Solar power is a renewable energy so why do we use fossil fuel instead of
solar power?
Because it's cheap and it's not always sunny so you have to save it up and that's expensive.
How can we collect solar power?
By putting solar panels on our roofs and where there is a lot of sun e.g Fiji,Middle East and the outback. It would take about 700,000 panels just to power Hamilton and that's not very efficient.
What are photovoltaic cells?
They are the black panels on calculators and satellites. When a photon gets hit by the sun in a calculator they come loose and are filled by another one.
What are the drawbacks?
People think solar panels are ugly and they’re not cheap.
By Ethan
Zach's five facts about plastic
Five facts about plastic bottles💧
-rain water flows through plastic. It contains chemicals and some are highly toxic. It creates a chemical called leachate
-There is a special machine that molds plastic
- If you recycle plastic it can turn into nearly any thing
-Tons of animals die from plastic
-There are five great garbage patches in the world (which are in the ocean)
By Zach
By Zach
5 facts about plastic bottles
5 facts
1. Plastic kills living things
2. Plastic bottles were made in a oil refinery
3. That plastic can kill animal's and more and it is bad !!!!!!!!!
4. That plastic bottle number 3 can be reused for ever !
5. Plastic is the fault of the world
♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️♻️
Remember to recycle
Solar Power Explanation - Zylah
How does Solar Power work?
Solar Power is a much better way to get electricity because unlike fossil fuels, it doesn't pollute the environment.
Why don't we just switch over to Solar energy instead of fossil fuels when fossil fuels pollute the environment?
The reason we don't just switch over to Solar energy is because fossil fuels are still a lot cheaper than Solar energy. Solar panels are very expensive. However, unlike fossil fuels, Solar energy is a renewable source of energy. A renewable source of energy is a type of energy that can be used again and again. Researches are constantly working on ways to harness sunlight.
What are Photovoltaic Cells?
Photovoltaic cells are those dark panels you see on Solar powered devices like calculators and satellites. Photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly to electricity. A photovoltaic cell is a thin layer of a semi conductor. A semi conductor is any substance which an electric current can pass with quite a bit of effort.
What are the disadvantages of Solar Power?
A disadvantage of using Solar power is of coarse, the sun isn't always shining. To collect enough sunlight to power a whole house, you would have to cover almost the entire roof with solar panels which would be very expensive. Any solar power plan is only good for cities in very sunny climates.
I think we should use solar power as much as we can.
By Zylah
2 questions by Leo
1
Question:
If you could go back in time would you stop the discovery of plastic or do you think it's positives out weight it's negatives?
Answer:
Answer:
If I could go back in time I wouldn't stop the discovery of plastic but I would make the idea of recycling more known so the world today would be less polluted.
2
Question:
What if we removed all the plastic from the sea, would this be beneficial and what do you think some of the unexpected consequences might be?
Answer:
It would be beneficial but the micro plastic would be hard to see and it would be very expensive, tiring and time consuming.
For more info about the two questions go to:
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-really-happens-to-the-plastic-you-throw-away-emma-bryce#discussion-open
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-really-happens-to-the-plastic-you-throw-away-emma-bryce#discussion-open
By Leo 😸
What really happens to plastic when you throw it away? Zylah
What really happens to plastic when you throw it away?
There are many things that can happen to plastic when you throw it away. Lets take a plastic bottle. The first thing that could happen to a plastic bottle when you throw it away is for it to be taken to a landfill. A landfill is a huge hole in the ground where tons of plastic and other waste is put. Once the waste is in the landfill, they cover it with dirt. The plastic sits there for thousands of years because it doesn't decompose. Rain water flows through all the waste and absorb's the waters soluble compounds (substance that dissolves in water). And some of those are very toxic. Together they create a harmful stew called lechate. Lechate can move into ground water, soil and streams. This harms ecosystems and wildlife.
The second thing that could happen to a plastic bottle is for it to float down a stream which leads to a river and that river will reach the ocean. After months floating around in the ocean, it will be drawn into an enormous vortex. A vortex is a place where trash accumulates. The oceans currents attract millions of bits of plastic. Some animals like sea birds get tangled within the mess. Those birds, and other sea animals like turtles mistake the small bits of plastic for food. Plastic makes them feel full when their not, so they starve to death. The toxins from the plastic are passed up the food chain. For example, the plastic is eaten by lantern fish, and the lantern fish are eaten by squid, the squid are eaten by tuna, and the tuna are eaten by us. Most plastics don't biodegrade, which means that they will keep on breaking into smaller and smaller bits called Micro plastics which could rotate in the sea forever.
The third thing that could happen to a plastic bottle is for it to be recycled. This is the good option. A person picks up the bottle and puts it into a plastic recycling bin. Next a truck comes to pick up all the plastic recycling and takes it to a place where it can be made into something else. First, the plastic bottles are squeezed flat and are compressed into a block. Those blocks are shredded into tiny pieces which are washed and melted so they become the materials that can be used again. Now the bottle that didn't get dumped in a landfill, or pulled into a vortex, can be made into something completely new.
After reading this, I hope you will recycle as much as you can!
By Zylah
Monday 22 June 2015
Sunday 21 June 2015
Lotta's Writing about Sticky Notes
Here is Lotta's writing about Stick Notes. Beware! You may need a magnifying glass to read it.
Recycling Game made by Madeline and Hazel
To play this game click here. You will need HOPSCOTCH to play this game.
Recycling Game: Made by Cassie
You may play Cassie's recycling game by clicking here. You will need HOPSCOTCH to play it.
5 interesting facts about plastic - Zylah
- If a sea animal, like a turtle, eats a bit of plastic then it makes them feel full when they are not.
- Plastic is made out of oil and gas molecoules.
- People put a lot of of plastic in the trash that could be recycled.
- If a plastic bottle is recycled it can be made into something completely new. eg. an umbrella.
- Plastic in the ocean breaks into tiny pieces called Micro Plastics.
By Zylah
Wednesday 3 June 2015
King of the Hill Summary by Jolie
King of the hill
King of the hill is about four children who want to win a go cart race but first they will have to
design their go cart. They wanted something fast so they did some research and decided to
create something closer to the ground where the driver will lay down head first which will
make the cart more stable. Also being close to the ground means the driver's body offers less
resistance. Next they had to find the materials. They got an old aluminium swing, which was
used for the frame, some second hand wheels and a sheet of plywood. Now they had to find
something to steer the go cart. Their friends Dad helped them put some handles on to steer
the front wheels. Finally it was time to fix the brakes on. After some careful thought they fitted
a bike brake over the back wheel with a cable running to a lever on the steering handles.
It was finally time to race! They decided that the two lightest would race.
Kayla came first in both her races but Damien had a faster time. In the end they decide that
Kayla comes fourth place. She is a bit disappointed but there is always next year!
Now it's time for the semi-finals.
Kayla will drive. Three, two, one, GO!
King of the hill is about four children who want to win a go cart race but first they will have to
design their go cart. They wanted something fast so they did some research and decided to
create something closer to the ground where the driver will lay down head first which will
make the cart more stable. Also being close to the ground means the driver's body offers less
resistance. Next they had to find the materials. They got an old aluminium swing, which was
used for the frame, some second hand wheels and a sheet of plywood. Now they had to find
something to steer the go cart. Their friends Dad helped them put some handles on to steer
the front wheels. Finally it was time to fix the brakes on. After some careful thought they fitted
a bike brake over the back wheel with a cable running to a lever on the steering handles.
It was finally time to race! They decided that the two lightest would race.
Kayla came first in both her races but Damien had a faster time. In the end they decide that
Kayla comes fourth place. She is a bit disappointed but there is always next year!
Now it's time for the semi-finals.
Kayla will drive. Three, two, one, GO!
What is a Factor by Molly
What Is A Factor? - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
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