Dangerous Decibels

Today we (Room 41) went to Dangerous Decibels in the Whare Kai, where we learnt about our ears
and what can hurt them. Toni was our teacher for the session.
Dangerous Decibels is a program which teaches kids about hearing loss and how to avoid it.
We learnt that decibels are a way of measuring sound, just like kilograms are a way of measuring other things.
The amount of Decibels that is safe to be around is 85, where at 90 you can be around the noise for 2 hours. As the amount of decibels go higher, the amount of time you can be around the noise goes shorter.

Toni showed us a chart with three colours. At the bottom was green, then orange, then red. Green was the sounds you could listen to forever, and some of the things on it were; Washing Machine, Food Mixer, Piano Practice, and Rain. The orange was things that are dangerous but can be okay for a period of time. Car Traffic, 8 hours, Lawn mower, 2 hours, Motorcycle, 15 minutes, etc. The red held things that you can't listen too, and things that might instantly kill our ears. Fireworks, A Bass Drum, and a Heavy Metal Concert.

Then we did a few small activities.

Toni asked us to put our fingers in our ears to block out as much sound as possible. We then had to talk to the person beside us to see how it would be like, all day, everyday, to have severe hearing loss.

We then took a tuning fork each and banged it once on the ground. We held it away from our ears a few centimetres and listened to the sound it made. After that we took a ping pong ball on a string and banged the fork on the ground once. We then held that spot to the ping pong ball. The ping pong ball bounced back and forth. We repeated this, but with more bangs on the ground, which made the bounces more violent.

5 volunteers took a hand full  of pipe cleaners. These represented the tiny hairs in your ears that you can damage. They gently brushed their hand over the pipe cleaners, pretending their hand was normal talking. The pipe cleaners popped back. Then they violently hit the pipe cleaners. This was meant to be a heavy metal concert. The pipe cleaners got damaged. The volunteers tried to fix them but it was impossible.

The final activity was where 3 volunteers got given a decibel recording device and were told to stand at different places in the room, pointing the devices at a blender. Toni turned it on. The person closest to the blender got the highest amount of decibels, and the person furthest away got the least.

After these things we talked about ways to protect our hearing and how you can keep yourself -and your ears- safe.

Current Events 10

Why is Bounce Below different from other trampoline parks?

Bounce Below is different from other trampoline parks because it is located in an old slate mining cavern. It is also the biggest underground trampoline park in the world. 

What are some of the things visitors will experience at Bounce Below?

Bounce below is lit up with many lights, making it look beautiful and magical. There is a series of trampolines across 10,000 square feet, all connected by slides. The biggest is a  60-foot plunge. There is also chutes and ladders. For different age groups, the trampolines are set at different heights, so that everyone can enjoy it. For people who like thrills, or trampoline experts, there is a trampoline that lies 180 feet above the cavern floor. For young children there is a trampoline set 20 feet from the ground. 

What are the two ziplines called? What is special about each one?

There are two ziplines at Zipworld, for people who are interested in above-ground activities. They are called Velocity and Titan. They are located 45 minutes within each other. 

The Velocity is a mile long, and is 500 feet above the ground. It is the Northern Hemisphere's longest and fastest zipline, allowing people to travel to speeds exceeding 100mph. 

The Titan is the first zipline in the world has four lines that are side by side, allowing family members or friends to travel along beside each other. The Titan goes at 70mph. 

Zip World is also trying to build the world's first underground zipline. 

https://www.dogonews.com/2014/8/20/mining-cavern-transforms-into-worlds-largest-underground-trampoline-park

Rimu Homework - Do an Artsy afterschool activity

On a Wednesday afternoon after school I go to art classes. We can sculpt, sketch, or paint. I haven't done any sculpting yet. Here is some artwork I have done. The cheetah is an old picture.

Rimu Homework - Complete 3 ICAS

This term I did 3 ICAS. Writing, Spelling, and English. I haven't gotten the results yet but will take a picture of the certificate after they come through. 

I am hoping in at least one of them to get a distinction. (Although probably won't)

Maori Myths and Legends - The Unseen

Homework completed story

The frozen air made my nose burn as I sniffed the ground for a scent. My grey fur kept me warm, though when the wind whipped it, or the rain pelted it, I grew cold, as did my pack.

My family.

I caught a whiff of elk and wagged my tail, signalling for my pack to hunt with me. My cubs were at my side already, and they were excited, as it was their first hunt. My luna was just behind me, keeping the cubs in check with short nips to their hind legs if they lagged.

I ran, following the scent, revelling in the feeling of running free with my pack through the bush. I felt invincible.

I screeched to a halt when the smell of elk was overpowering. The smell danced around my nostrils, luring me in, making me pad closer and closer… down on my stomach now, the cold winter frost freezing my belly; but I didn’t care.

I watched my mate crawl forward, awaiting the signal to join him, when, just as he lunged, I spotted a hunched figure sitting in behind a tree, wielding a gun.

A bright flash of light… A loud bang… a terrified scream… then silence.

My mate lay, sprawled across the ground, sunken into the snow in a puddle of his own blood. His eyes shadowed fear, confusion and pain.

My heart slowly got stomped on, shot at, punched, ripped, shredded, and then fell into little pieces on the floor. Tears streamed down my face, and I herd our cubs into the throng of the pack, ordering them to stay, before running out to him, anger and grief overwhelming my common sense.

I only had time to reach him before a searing pain runs through my chest, and I stumble, falling onto my mate. My blood starts to stain his fur, and the world starts to become darker. I close my eyes, making it easier to go. At least I’ll be free, with my mate, when I’m off the face of the earth. I smile. That’s my last thought before everything goes black.

A few years after my parents… died, I led the pack. My head held high, I ran through the deep snow, and avoided the white-topped trees.  The pack ran behind me, following my every movement, and my brothers and one sister ran at my shoulders. Their tongues lolled out of their mouths and their happiness entered my soul, as we ran, without a care, through the forest. I caught a whiff of rabbit and ran, gleefully, signalling with my tail for the pack to follow. I spotted the rabbit, quivering in fear, it’s leg tied to a tree.

Wait… what?

Yes, that’s right. He checked again. It’s leg was tied to the tree. He glanced around, making the pack stop. Under his breath he growled, his tail flicking in apprehension.

His eyes darted around the nearby forestry until his gaze found what he was looking for.

A dark figure sat, holding a gun that rested over a log.

My grow grew in intensity as I realised who this was, and what he had done.

I flicked my tail, and stormed over to the man. When I was a few feet away from him I sprinted, then jumped on him, pinning him down. I put my muzzle my his neck and just let myself breath in his scent, the one that would be all over the forest floor in just a few seconds, in the form of blood.

Just as I bring my head back, to deliver the killing bite, I notice how wide the man’s eyes are, how fear fills them. I falter, and have a thought. If I kill this man, am I just as bad as he is? I can’t bring myself to kill him, so I growl loudly in his face, showing him my sharp canines, my lips peeled back, before jumping off. I stalk over to his gun, and crush it between my teeth, reducing it to rubble.

I turn and give him a stare, before running over to the rabbit and snapping it’s neck. I trot back over to my pack, and start to howl. I think of my parents, and imagine they are watching over me, smiling, happy with my decisions.

That man won’t be killing any more wolves any time soon.