Dragonflies

This week for my Inquiry I have been studying about Dragonflies and what it does to Omaru Creek. So here are some of my questions about Dragonflies.

Omaru Creek Movie

My game about Omaru Creek

Today I had to make a game about Omaru Creek. I then decided to show who ever reads my blog a peak on my game.

The importance of a dragonfly

Vedel              The importances of a dragonflies                    24 March 2017

Did you know that Dragonflies are a big deal to creeks?  Did you know that there is a dragonfly cycle? So first the dragonflies eat the weta, then the dragonfly gets eaten by the eel and then the eel reproduces the water.

When was the last time you saw a dragonfly? Nowhere days you don’t see dragonflies, it’s like they disappeared. You use to see them at creeks but you don’t. Well dragonflies have not been seen at creek because the creek might have been  polluted.

Dragonflies have big eyes which means if a predator tries to catch them, then they can see them coming. Dragonflies have over a hundred eyes. Dragonflies haves many family relatives like Beetles and mosquitoes.

Factors Influencing the creek

Vedel                      Factors Influencing stream health        22 March 2017

Factors Influencing Creek Health

Dissolved Oxygen

Nitrate

Phosphorous

Bacteria

pH

Turbidity

Temperature

Salinity

Flow Rate

_____________________

Today I had to look up the factors that are influencing the creek. And I found out that these factors are a big deal to the creek.

Mean, Median, Mode and Range

For maths this week I have been learning about Mean,Median,Mode and Range. In this slide it will example to you what Mean,Median,Mode and Range is.

Omaru Creek Velocity 2

Today we went down to look at the speed of the water in Omaru Creek.  We made some paper boats, took it down there and let them sailed in the water.  It was great to see the water flowing and not standing still like the first time we went there.

The velocity of Omaru Creek

WALT - check the velocity of Omaru Creek.

What is Velocity?

Velocity is the rate or speed of the creek or stream

How is velocity related to a healthy stream / creek?

Because it shows the rate or speed of the stream or creek’s healthy.

Investigation into volleyball skills

Vedel                                   Investigation into skills Term 1 Week 7            17 March 2017

Today for Maths we had to make a graph for how good I am at volleyball. And I managed to get thru it. So here are my results.  After we did that I had to calculate the mean of all the nuber there are for each skill.

Here are the mean results:

SO this is what I did for maths.

Water cycle

Vedel                                               Water Cycle                          14 March 2017

Precipitation, evaporation and transpiration is apart of the water cycle. They are all parts of the water cycle, it doesn’t just give us water, fish to eat, but it’s also is apart of the weather pattern.

It is an odorless, tasteless, substance that covers more than ¾ of the  Earth’s surface. Most of the water on earth has 97% of salt water which is found in the oceans. We can’t drink salt water or use it for our plants because of the salt. We can remove the salt but it will be expensive.

Omaru Creek Flow Rate

Vedel                           Omaru Creek Flow Rate                   14 March 2017


On March the 13th of March classes room 7 and 8 went to Omaru Creek. It was a exciting trip because we had made paper boats. When we got there we had a looked around and we could see that a lot of things had changed. For example the water was moving, the log that was there wasn't there and the water was clear. We then were told to let our paper boats go. First the girls went and we could see that the boats were moving. Then the boys went and there boats were moving too. I was so happy at the way the creek was at.

Questions and answers about Omaru Creek

Vedel                                10 March 2017                                Omaru Stream

What does a healthy creek look like?
A healthy creek looks likes clean fresh water, sea creatures living in the creek and  the water moves.

What living organisms live in the stream?
Eel
Fish
Catfish
Dragonflies

Saving Omaru Creek

Questions about Omaru Creek

Omaru Creek

The following article has comes from the New Zealand Herald.  It has been shortened so you can read the most important parts. You can find the whole article here.

Read the article and answer the questions to learn about the significance of the Omaru Creek and how it has changed over time.

My Auckland: Glen Innes

5:00 AM Saturday Feb 23, 2013

Tamati Patuwai (Ngati Whatua) tells Elisabeth Easther what he loves about living in Glen Innes, and how much the area has changed since he was a boy

     
 Tamati Patuwai beside the Omaru Creek in Glen Innes. Photo / Dean Purcell

I was born and raised in Fenchurch St, Glen Innes. My whanau had come here as part of the Housing NZ culture. My mum has passed away and my dad moved back to Kaipara, so I now live in my old family home with my wife and four children

There's a proverb that says, "Ko au te awa, Ko te awa ko au", which means "I am the river and the river is me". The Omaru River runs through the centre of GI from the Tamaki River and that proverb explains my connection to the area. When my great-grandmother moved here, back in the 50s or 60s, it was an abundant place.

The volcanic soils were great for growing, and snapper could be caught in the fishing grounds. There used to be mullet and flounder too. We grew up fishing with my dad, floundering in the shallow areas. We used to get oysters and pipi, and puha from the rivers.

The river is really polluted now - we swam in it when I was a kid, but there's no way you'd put a child in it now. There are some planting initiatives to regenerate the area, and because I'm a home boy, my role in all this it to engage the residents, to have them remember what the river is, for us all to become accountable.

We lived in and on the river, so these staged developments will become a lifestyle, igniting the people into action - businesses, council and residents.

There are still some good trails and pathways though, some good walks, from GI town centre through to Tamaki River, or along the Panmure riverside all the way through to Glendowie, all the way to St Heliers. For me, Tahuna Torea Nature Reserve is an example of what can be done. In the 70s or 80s, it was going to be a dump and then a marina, and the locals said no. They made a deal with the council and started regenerative native planting. It's a real treasure for us now.

The River Talks is about our connection with the river and came from our desire to reconnect the community to the river. We're bringing together artists and scientists, and there'll be talks, followed by discussions. We want to stimulate the imaginations of high school students, whether they want to be a scientist about it, or respond with art or music.

Omaru Stream

Our topic for term 1 is about streams. Our school stream is Omaru Stream. When we first visited the stream as a class it was dirty and it look like someone boomed it. We started walking around   we discover a lot of thing like beer bottles, brunches that were broken and had fallen inside the stream, and the worst thing was the water. The water looked slimy, there was properly a few of sea creatures and the water wasn't moving. If the water doesn't move then that could mean that the pipes are blocked.

Speaking about pipes did you know that when the pipes are blocked or broken then you might need to get it checked out. Some sea creatures might like fresh water but some might like dirty water. When we went we saw catfish and crabs. Also the grass or weed needs to be pulled or cut.

So please help our school clean up Omaru Stream because it needs a lot of help.