This piece of writing is about a school activity called the Summer Learning Journey. For the activity, we got to pick a picture of an octopus, which is a sea animal with eight arms. They could either color the picture online using a website called thecolor.com or print it out and color it with markers or colored pencils. I had picked a simple but cool-looking octopus picture so that coloring would be both fun and quick. During this activity, I learned interesting facts about octopuses. I found out that octopuses only live for a short time, usually between three and five years. They also learned that octopuses live on the bottom of the deep ocean, known as the deep sea floor. One of the most surprising facts they discovered is that each octopus has nine brains and three hearts. This was especially interesting to them because it is a unique characteristic of octopuses, showing how special and unusual these animals are. Overall, the activity was both fun and educational, helping me learning new things while being creative.
Legs Legs Legs? – Step it up
This activity was about helping Turbo, a small chihuahua, the LI was to get a new special device instead of riding in a simple trolley. Turbo was born without his two front legs, so he needs extra help. The goal was to pick and build a special upgrade that could do useful things for Turbo.
There were three main options to choose from:
1. The “Snack Dispenser 5000”: A machine that automatically gives Turbo treats whenever he wants one, so he can stay happy and well-fed without needing someone to give him snacks by hand.
2. The Auto-Cooling System: A device that keeps Turbo cool and comfortable, especially if he gets hot, so he doesn’t get too warm or tired.
3. The “Turbo Booster”: A gadget that gives Turbo a quick boost or a push to help him go faster or get from one place to another more easily.
We could build this new device on a computer using tools like Google Draw, Canva, Adobe Express, Tinkercad, or even draw it on paper. Once the design was made, we had to label different parts of our creation so everyone could understand what each part does.
I decided to combine all three ideas into one device. I imagined a machine that has a snack bowl that refills itself so Turbo always has treats nearby. Behind him, I put a small fan to keep him cool and comfortable. I also added electric wheels to his device that can make him go much faster than before, helping him move easily even without his front legs. This way, Turbo gets treats, stays cool, and can move quickly all in one upgraded, special device.
Legs Legs Legs? – Kick Start
In the 2025 Summer Learning Journey in LS2, we worked on a project where we had to make a new leg for an elephant named Mosha. Mosha needed a new leg because her actual leg was broken or damaged. Our task was to create and design a custom-made leg specifically for Mosha. We focused on making the new leg fit perfectly and be comfortable for him, so we designed a special cast or support that would help him move better and feel better. We paid attention to the details and drawings on the leg to ensure it was just right for Mosha’s needs. This project helped us learn how to design supports and understand what animals might need when they are injured or have a disability.
Moment in Time
For Inquiry, I was challenged to create a google vid about my moment in time. For this activity I chose the Polyneisian Panthers because they had caught my attention and I wanted to learn more information about them like there backstory and how everything happened. In my Google Video, I included what happened, who was involved, where did it happen, why did it happen etc. One interesting fact I found out about the Polyneisian Panthers is that there wasn’t just pacifica people but also Maori and Cook Island people joined along with them before protesting, I enjoyed doing this challenge/activity because I got to show other people about them and share there story.
Day and Night AI Movie
For Inquiry today we were challenged to use our smart searching skills to research Day and Night, creating an AI video to show the process. We watched 2 videos that explained the Earth’s rotation and revolution, day and time. One full rotation of the Earth is one day, the part facing the light is a day and the part in shadow is night. I used PixVerse.ai to create the video that shows the earth rotating that is transferring from day to night by creating our own prompt. I enjoyed doing this activity because we get to use our skills to create a video by AI and also getting to know how time moves.
Ancient Timekeeping Devices
Today for this task we were challenged to create a Google video about the three old timekeeping devices that were used in the past which were Clepsydra, Sundial and Hourglass I had the Clepsydra. What is a Clepsydra? Clepsydra is an ancient water clock. It was a clever way people told time in the past, like the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, kept track of time using the steady flow of the water. Sundial is a ancient clock but it was also special it was the kind of clock that uses the sun to tell time. It works by using a stick or pointer called a gnomon to cast a shadow onto a flat plate with numbers on it. As the sun moves across the sky, the shadow moves to show the correct time of day. Finally Hourglass is a time measuring tool with two glass bulbs connected by a narrow neck, with sand that flows from the top to the bottom to show time passing. I really had fun doing this challenge/task I wish I could do it again.
Idioms
For this task we were challenged to make our own idioms. What is an idiom, an idiom is a sentence that isn’t real and is a figurative. My idiom was Carry the weight of a wet sponge, which means “To be weighed down by an overwhelming or impossible task, especially one that feels like it will never be solved or completed”. One thing I found intersting about this fun challenge is that we use idioms but don’t know when we use them.
Waltzing Matilda
For Reading we have been learning about “Waltzing Matilda” and how a Swagman stole a jumbuck which came from Austraila. We answered the questions on the document in our own words, and read the poem. Something I found interesting was when at the end of each line it always says “You’ll come a Watlzing Matilda with me”. We were challenged to create a summary that is exactly 25 words that talks about the peom or song from the Waltzing Matilda. I used Gemini to create a picture of a time line of where swagman started to the end that is related to what Barjon Paterson wrote. We enjoyed doing this activity because we get to understand the meaning behind his story I thought that this story was very deep.
Shearers strike of 1891
For Reading we have been learning about “Shearers strike of 1891” and we were challenged by our teachers into putting this text into perspectives ( perspectives is two different opinions and our own opinion with different sides of their story and what they think) between the Shearers and the Pastoralist, The Shearers fought for their right because the prices for the wool had dropped, they persuaded other Shearers ( Shearers are people who cut the wool off the sheep) to stop working because they felt it was unfair that they were not getting paid fairly, basically they protested with the pastoralist to give a better pay and work conditions. But the Pastoralist ( Farmers/ Landowners ) dropped the pay for the shearers because they had dropped the prices of the wool so they wanted to get more sales. They thought it made more sense to drop the pay of the workers because they needed to get more sales than they already had. They also thought it was the right thing to do and so they tried to include the police and the government to agree with their perspective. In our opinion we agree with both perspectives because the Shearers they work hard and are not earning a lot of money to pay bills and money to pay for food to feed themselves and their children. The Pastoralists are also right because they need to drop the price of the wool because they are not getting enough sales from how expensive the wool is. I found this interesting because we got to learn about the different sides of perspectives and how my group collaborated and all participated in this activity.
Procedural Text
LI: To create a procedural text to tell someone how to do something using a sequence of steps, instructions or actions in a particular order.
Our challenge was to work in our dinosaur research pairs create a prototype of our dinosaur’s skeleton my one was a Pterodactyl. The challenge was to make the skeleton of our dinosaur and record the steps we followed. Once we had our first prototype we revised and adapted both the prototype and the instructions. We used the language features found in a procedural text to help us write clear instructions so that another pair could follow our instructions and create our prototype. I think this activity was fun because I got to explain how to make a dinosaur out of paper.