Loom Bands - Barrel Loom Bracelet

Haven't heard of loom bands? Well now you have! Loom bands are the latest craze and they are being worn by people all around the world, young and old. You can make many different designs on a loom as well as without a loom. I have created my own loom band which I have called the 'barrel' loom bracelet. It is quite simple and I used two pegs on my loom although you could just use a couple of pencils or your fingers instead. The barrel was inspired by the illusion bracelet. It is actually really similar except for it has two bands in the middle instead of one and I have used just a single loop rather than a fishtail.

If this is the first time you've come across loom bands then you probably have no idea what I'm talking about so I would suggest trying out one of the easier designs such as a fishtail before making this bracelet. In saying that, if you're like me, you'll get straight into the more complicated designs before looking back at the simpler ones!

So what are you waiting for? Check out the video below for instructions on how to make a barrel loom bracelet!

P.S. Sorry, I have had technical difficulties with the video. I will add it to my post ASAP!

Creative Fairytale Writing

Sapphire, a Crystal Ball and One Evil Dragon

        -By Sophie F

A long time ago in a faraway village lived a little girl named Sapphire. Sapphire was an ordinary girl who belonged to a poor family. One day she was walking home from school when she saw a glittering sparkle on the path. Bending down to take a closer look she was delighted by her find of a beautiful crystal ball. After examining it carefully, Sapphire slipped the precious crystal ball into her pocket, being sure not to drop it and ran the rest of the way home. 

As soon as she stepped inside the door to her small family cottage she screamed as loud as she could with excitement. Just as she had wished her Mother and Father came rushing to see what the matter was. "Oh Sapphire!" cried Mother, "What is it now sweet heart?" Sapphire was quick to reply. "Mother! Father! I found a crystal ball on the way home from school. Do you think it could have magic powers?" Sapphire cried, holding out her sparkling treasure. "Why darling, you do have a big imagination," Father said, slightly sympathetically, "sometimes we hope for too much. I'm sorry to disappoint you but it is highly unlikely that just a small crystal ball like this would have magical powers." Mother and Father left the room.

The moment Sapphire's parents left an amazing thing happened. A silver swirl lifted and twirled a mysterious tornado around the room, causing a dark, scaly dragon to appear. Without thought Sapphire clutched the crystal tight. It was easily seen that this dragon was not friendly as he spitted out an evil laugh. "Hahaha! Don't think you get away with stealing that crystal ball from me. I lost that thing years ago and have been looking for it ever since. You don't realise how powerful it is do you? I'd been meaning to destroy the world with that crystal ball the day I lost it but obviously I couldn't without its power. So give it to me now or I will follow you wherever you go and just so you know, no one messes with me." It wasn't hard answer to answer the evil dragon's question. Sapphire knew that if she gave him the crystal ball he would instantly destroy the world. "No!" she said confidently, "N-O stands for no way!". 

She soon saw her Mother standing in the doorway looking rather puzzled. "Who were you talking to Sapphire?" Sapphire looked around the room but to her surprise the dragon was gone. She knew Mother wouldn't believe her but she was only going to tell the truth. "I was talking to a dragon." "A dragon? What makes you think there are dragons in our home? You have been acting a little strangely this afternoon. What is the matter with you?" Sapphire spoke slowly, "It's the crystal ball. It's magic I tell you. It has powers. It could really help us!" Once again Sapphire was disbelieved. 

In the end Sapphire turned out to be the unfortunate little girl who spent the rest of her life protecting the crystal ball from an evil dragon but not only that, she always had that beastly pest right by her side.

THE END

Homeless - My Story

Rain, rain, rain! What a pain! Hagley Winter Sports was postponed last week again due to weather (grrrr!). We didn't spend the afternoon doing nothing though, we had to present a story about a dog! A choice was given to whether we wanted to make a Puppet Pals presentation or just write a story. I chose to write a story. Before you read it I would like to let you know that the story is coming from a dog's point of view. What are you waiting for? Dig in and have a read!

Honk! Crash! Smash! The world is falling to pieces around me. I almost got killed by that car. It's like I've become invisible. Do humans ever look out for innocent creatures like me? I'm Homeless. Yeah, my name says it all. Since my owner's car accident last year I've spent my days out on the city streets, looking for an owner who will actually accept me as a part of their family. I know it sounds a bit crazy for a dog to be saying all this but I actually feel lonely, not having anyone to play with, no one to take me on my daily walk, no one to feed me, no one to stick by my side, I'm starting to wish I never existed in the first place. So here I am at Doppy Park. It seems like there's a lot more people here than usual. Maybe someone might see me for a change. I'm wandering around. Being cute. Barking. Making as much noise as I can but as normal, no one is paying any attention to me, even the girl who dreams of having a dog as a pet. Oh, I forgot to tell you. Her name is Maggie. She's been pleading her parents to get a dog for over a year now but they say a dog would be too expensive. Well I wouldn't be. I feed myself with scraps from public rubbish bins. I hang around her all the time but she doesn't notice me. So maybe, just maybe I am a ghost. Maybe I'm just imagining this. It's funny I should only just realise this but something in my spirit is telling me it's true. I'm just a ghost wishing for a new life and here's the proof. I'm fading away, back into the thin air from the way I came.

Just to explain my story for those of you who are feeling slightly confused Homeless re-named himself with that name because he felt as though he didn't have a home after his owner left him. He hadn't realised yet though that he was a ghost. He died in the car crash with his owner therefore theoThe reason the story had to be about a dog is because we are reading 'A Dog Called Homeless' as a class at the moment. We didn't have to take that exact dog, we could use a totally different dog but I liked the name 'Homeless' so I interpreted that into the story.

How I Would Feel If I Was Cally

Overwhelmed. Stressed. This is how I would feel if I was Cally from the book 'A Dog Called Homeless'. Overwhelmed. I would feel overwhelmed at the thought of our sold house and moving to a new house that Friday. I would feel especially overwhelmed because my Dad didn't even tell me before he sold the house. Stressed. I would feel stressed with so much going on in my life. Only one parent to go to for help, my friends being nasty and teasing me, a stray dog always hanging around me and most of all moving house with such short notice. There would be so much to keep track of. If I could I would change the story. Make it so Dad talks to me before selling the house and have my friends not tease me. These would be my wishes if I were Cally.

Experience Cobham Visit

Excitement buzzed in the air as all the year 6's from Wairakei crowded onto the bus, trying to find the perfect seats next to their friends. It was going to be such a fun morning! Cobham Intermediate gave us the chance to go along to their school for the morning and experience some of the activities that intermediate children do. 

When we arrived we waited outside for a few minutes until one of the students came and escorted us to the hall. We weren't the only primary school there. Burnside Primary was there too! The head students and deputy head students welcomed us before the principle, Mr Thelning, had a chat with us.

Soon after we were split into groups and taken to our first activity for the morning. My first class was 'Habits of Mind'. We played a game where the teacher said "a ship came out to port loaded with a cargo full of things beginning with....". He would then say a letter and when he pointed at you you had to try and say something begginning with that letter but only in three seconds! If you don't say anything or your word doesn't start with that letter you are out. I won the game and when I played against Mr Thelning I won again! We then invented some creative shoes and drew them on paper.

After morning tea we were sent off in different groups to a new activity. I was so lucky! I was in the cooking tech group! We made scones in pairs and were given the choice to put either dates or cheese in them. Funnily enough everyone chose cheese!

I really enjoyed the Cobham experience and I think Cobham Intermediate would be a good school for me because they have lots of opportunities for students to get involved; not just because they gave us sausages and fizzy drinks!

Hagley Sport Report

As I wrapped my net ball skirt around my body excited nerves filled me. I couldn't believe that we were finally going to Hagley Sport after two weeks of postponement. Clutching my drink bottle I took my seat on the bus. 

We soon arrived at the net ball courts and as a team, made our way to court 29. With half an hour to spare, we made the most of our time, making sure we were well prepared for our first proper game. I watched our opposing team, the Papanui Performers warming up. They looked in good shape. When I took my place on the court as Goal Defence I knew it was going to be a tough game. With an end score of 18 to 4 I realised I was right. Although it was a loss to us we were not awfully disappointed and agreed that the other team deserved their win.

My team, Wairakei B, needs to work on getting free before asking to be passed the ball. Although we have our weaknesses we have our strengths too. We are really good at bouncing the ball around taller players or passing over smaller players. Player of the day was awarded to Olivia who played very well considering she had never taken to the net ball court before. With scoring half of the goals I feel she was thoroughly deserving of that acknowledgement.

It was a good experience being able to play against another school and I look forward to what next week's training and Thursday sport has to bring.

Funky Things To Draw

I was super stoked by the quality of my drawing when I completed my 'Safari' masterpiece. What a great effort on my half but all the credit should really be going to Hinkler Books for their incredible book 'Funky Things To Draw'. This book taught me how to draw an amazing baby elephant. Drawing is made easy with its step by step instructions. I would not recommend this book for absolute beginners but if you have some experience in drawing and want to extend yourself this is the perfect book for you. Experiment. Experiment with a variety of colouring utensils. Pencils, felts, crayons? It's up to you! Find out what your creativity really can do!