When Mr Wilkes first introduced us to the poem Jabberwocky, I thought it was useless and I had absolutely no understanding of how the nonsense words could form an image. When he explained how the words are meant to be interpreted however we wanted them to be, I understood. There are many different ways this poem is depicted, the way people picture the Jabberwocky and even what the words mean to THEM. A specific word in the poem that caught my attention was ‘vorpal’. It really made me think and I believe that word could really mean something realistic.

I think that this poem is written in a similar style to the Gruffalo, it describes the scene, eg.. the forest. It uses quite a few language features and if you really think about it, a story can easily be formed. The thing I like about this poem is the fact that it is told in such a way where you can make your own assumptions and make a story of your own. It’s interesting how much sense it still makes although he uses many gibberish/nonsense words. I think that his style of writing seems very sophisticated and he knows what he is doing, which keeps the poem easily understandable.

Today in Textiles we have been learning about sustainability. This is my presentation on what sustainability is, different ways to increase sustainability and problems we face that we must improve on to maintain a safer, clear environment.

For the past 3-4 periods in Textiles we have been working on our worry critters/monsters.

Our objective was to make them look however we wanted but it had to be made in a certain size frame.

We were working on hand-stitching, including how to tie the knot at the beginning, keep the stitches smaller to minimize breakage risks and how to end our sewing (tying another knot).

Firstly we had to cut out all of our pieces out of fabric.

Next we sewed on all of the facial features/added accessories on or near the face.

After that if we had any extra limbs (arms, legs, ears, wings, tails etc) in between the two body pieces. (It was helpful to pin them in place so they didn’t move!)

Then, we sewed around the exterior of the body, we made sure to leave a gap to add stuffing!

The last step was to stuff our worry creature, we added just the right amount of stuffing so it wasn’t flat or too hard to sew shut!

I took an extra step, and drew on some further details with colored pencils dipped in water.

Properties of Beeswax & Honey

To make a beeswax wrap you have to consider what you will be putting into it. You must cut your shape with pinking shears to prevent the material from fraying. 25g of Beeswax is used for 1 beeswax wrap. Place your material with the sprinkled beeswax between 2 sheets of baking paper. To iron it correctly you begin in the middle and push out. Once ironed, allow it to cool and there you have your beeswax wrap!

Beeswax and Honey are used for many things due to the fact that beeswax and honey don’t expire!

Some of these things Beeswax is used for is..

• Fermentation
• Preventing tools from rusting
• Making candles
• Food

Some of the things Honey is used for is..

• Medicine/Home remedy
• Sweetener
• Food
• Skincare/cosmetics

Beeswax wraps and honey have many beneficial uses and are great for the environment!

Some of the things that make Beeswax wraps and honey beneficial are..

• Beeswax and honey are anti-inflammatory, which helps with your skin
• They are also anti-bacterial meaning mold/other bacteria will not grow on them
• These things are ethically sourced and are natural
• Beeswax wraps are a good substitute for plastic wrap/cling-wrap
• Beeswax does not spoil, go bad or expire

We made our own beeswax wraps in class and I gifted mine to my mother.

She said that she will be using it for my younger sister’s lunch rather than using cling wrap. (sustainability!)

Having a growth mindset means to be motivated. To keep on trying, knowing that if you want something enough, and you work hard enough for it, you can learn. Accepting challenges rather than running away from them is important for a growth-minded person!

There are many aspects and skills required to contain a growth mindset. I have learnt many new words but some of the most useful or most interesting are;

Grit; Grit is being passionate, confident and certain with whatever you’re doing. This means that you need to have the strength to pull through, no matter the circumstance.

Development; Development is to grow, mature or evolve. This process may be slow, but there are many features that will need to grow or mature including your mind, your thoughts and your body!

Courage; Courage is to be brave, optimistic and face any challenge. This means that no matter what situation or challenge you are put in front of, you must give it a go, keep trying and don’t be afraid.

This is the activity I did on the brain which explains a few parts of it and the functions (what it does)!

The human brain is fascinating and has many different parts which contribute to how you recognize, see, hear, feel and communicate. 

The hemispheres are the two sides of the brain. The left side controls the right side of our body and our right side controls the left. The left side of our brain is used for academic areas including maths, language, science and problem-solving. The right side of our brain is used for creative areas including the arts, music and imagination.

There are three main parts to the brain. These include the cerebrum, cerebellum and the brain stem. 

The cerebrum is the front and larger part of the brain. Us humans have the largest cerebrum of all animals.

The Cerebellum is the back and smaller part of the brain and it is used for motor control (movement and balance).

The brainstem is the back and lower part of the brain which connects to the spinal cord, which connects our brain to the rest of our body. The brainstem is used for all the unconscious activities, such as breathing.

The cerebrum is made up of 4 different lobes, the frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital lobes.

The frontal lobe is responsible for your personality and how you communicate. This area of the brain is where your wittiness, judgments and impulses come from.

The temporal lobe is responsible for processing things you hear into things that make sense, including language. The temporal lobe is where long-term memories are processed and it is also responsible for object recognition.

The parietal lobe is responsible for your senses and interpreting things. This is the place for visual recognition and the processing of language and maths. The parietal lobe is also responsible for your spatial awareness and navigational skills.

The occipital lobe is responsible for visual processing and it gets information from the eyes. Different parts of the occipital lobe controls your spatial perception, colour and movement. Occipital is also latin for the words ‘back of the head’.

Making mistakes is normal and very common to experience!

Mistakes are a learning opportunity and making mistakes come with trying something new!

If we don’t give new things a go, we will always be afraid of certain challenges and it will be difficult to overcome this fear in the long run.

In Health we have been learning about Death, Dying and the afterlife. So far we have watched coco to learn about the Mexican traditions of DDA and learnt about some different cultural and religious beliefs and traditions.

We have learned and made a presentation explaining the traditions and beliefs of a certain era. (Victorian era, 1900’s, Smallpox, Spanish flu, Black death.) One of the first tasks we did was compare and contrast DOTD (Day of the dead) and Halloween. One of our more recent tasks were learning about the stages of grief and then getting into a group to study and research deeper into a certain stage. (Mine was Denial)

For this topic, I chose to investigate Cultural beliefs around death.

Although we’ve already visited this topic, I will be explaining the beliefs, traditions and practices in more depth.

There are many different types of cultures and they may believe in different things!

• A Cultural practice I find interesting is in West Papua, New Guinea, the Dani (cultural) people used to amputate fingers from the deceased. The tribes believe that fingers are a symbol of unity and strength, and this tradition is focused on the females of the tribe.

• A Cultural belief I find interesting is from the orthodox Jews. Jewish faith believes that people should embrace life, while accepting the inevitability of death. They also believe in multiple afterlives, including Immortality of the soul, the World to Come and Resurrection of the dead.

• A Cultural Practice and Belief I find interesting are from the Hindu people. The belief I find interesting is those who choose Hinduism have a multitude of pantheons (gods and goddesses), with certain Hindu people worshiping one or more of these. Hinduism is an act of mourning yet celebrating the death of someone, they believe in the afterlife the deceased’s soul merely moves from one body to the next on it’s journey to Nirvana (heaven).  The practices I find interesting are the rituals held when preparing the deceased. Family and a priest may accompany the dying person and pray, sing holy songs and recite holy verses. Another ritual includes the tying of thread around the neck and wrist of the dying patient.

Demonstrating Respect

There were a number of ways that I demonstrated respect towards other culture beliefs during this unit. I did this by listening attentively to the topic and trying my best to understand their cultural death practices, traditions and customs. 

I believe that showing respect enhances others hauora because it improves how they think and feel about their culture.

Socially (Whanau), it gives them the confidence to speak up about their cultural and beliefs without feeling judged or embarrassed.

Spiritually (Wairua), it makes others feel proud and not ashamed of their culture.

Physically (Tinana), it makes others feel appreciated if you be supportive and stay engaged during the sharing of their cultures customs.

Mentally (Hinengaro), it makes them feel safe, comfortable and genuinely happy with their culture and how it is being recognized.

Hauora Importance

It is important that I take care of all areas of my hauora when I experience change, loss, or grief because it’s not safe or healthy for me to stop caring about my hauora. All areas of my health are important and I should be taking care of them!

I can take care of my hauora when I experience change, loss, or grief by embracing and accepting what I am going through. It’s perfectly normal to be experiencing change, grief and loss because these types of things are inevitable. If I am struggling, I know that I have supportive and helpful people to talk to, to get me out of my depressive state and to help me move on!

A new and improved invention has proved it is possible to harvest the sun’s energy 24/7. It is estimated that space-based harvesters potentially yield eight-times more power than solar panels at any location on the surface of the globe. If these space-based harvesters are successful, it is possible for earth to have unlimited clean energy!! The wireless power transfer was achieved by MAPLE (Microwave Array For Power Transfer Low-orbit Experiment), using an array of flexible and light-weight microwave power transmitters.

A team of scientists (OSAKA) in Japan are working to make a tooth-growing drug. Following recent promising research from animals, the group is planning a small scale human-testing of the drug set in July 2024. Katsu Takahashi, the team leader has been working on this drug since he was a graduate student. Researchers say this drug could be available for public use in a few years.

Over 1500 brands worldwide are going fur-free. Some of these brands include luxury italian brands such as Herno, Dolce&Gabbana, Armani, Gucci, Prada, Moncler and an online luxury fashion retail company YNAP. This commitment to a fur-less life will take effect starting from fall-winter 2023. There are many articles and practices to conclude how inhumane and cruel this trend of stripping animals of their fur and lives.

There is a song named Weightless by Marconi Union that is very effective at calming people. It it is eight minutes long and it can make people so calm they feel drowsy, therefore why it is not recommended to listen to while driving. Listening to this song resulted in a 65% reduction in overall anxiety and a 35% cut in their usual physiology resting rates.

A growing body of research shows that clutter can contribute to stress, increased cortisol levels and depression. Being in an untidy environment is associated with lower academic performance and a higher chance of behavioral problems. Living in a clean environment has been linked to many benefits including higher positive emotions, improved relationships and increased wellbeing. Be realistic about your energy levels and motivation rates if you are planning to clean, but don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone.

Fomo (fair of missing out) is a very common phobia through out the world today… but there is a solution! Recently a helpful new coping mechanism called Jomo (joy of missing out) has been created and is a very successful form of self care. Demonstrating jomo, is thinking more about yourself than others. About how you feel, why you are missing out and why it is okay to miss out. During these times, you can really focus on how much time you are spending with your families and how you connect with other friends and family you rarely talk or check on. The feeling of staying content with or staying disconnected from toxic environments such as social media, unhealthy relationships and awkward situations is what makes Jomo so helpful to many.

New Zealand is the first country in the world to ban thin plastic bags used to purchase fruit and vegetables in the supermarket. The new plastic-based ban in the future will lengthen to things such as plastic straws, single use bags and cutlery. New Zealand has been working on completely banning single-use plastic bags since 2019 and thus far has already prevented more than 1 billion plastic bags from being used.

Walking is one of the keys to a healthy lifestyle. Just walking 4000 steps per day is enough to extend your life. Many fitness gurus set a goal of 10,000 steps per day, but there’s a lack of scientific evidence to back up that this is the best amount of steps to be taking everyday. A new study has suggested that significant health benefits begin at 4000 steps, plus it’s an easy and achievable goal for new gurus! A team of scientists conducted 17 studies that followed over 200,000 people for a little over 7 years to prove how beneficial just 4000 steps a day are.

Petting other people’s dogs can boost your health. Levels of the stress hormone drop in people from only 5 minutes spent with a dog, even if it’s not yours! Studies show that our oxytocin also increased (that feel-good bonding hormone). Not only do us humans benefits from this interaction, dogs get increased oxytocin too! Dog ownership/interactions have been linked to positive health outcomes, such as heart health and increased physical activity.

A new poll shows that adults who frequently wave or say hello to their neighbors have a higher well-being than those who don’t make the effort to interact with their neighbors. Socializing with your neighbors has been linked to social success, better financial, career, physical and community health. Unsurprisingly, being neighborly can foster a sense of belonging and indicates feeling safe when out and about everyday.

In New York City, children from kindergarten until highschool senior will be required to complete mindful breathing practices during classes. Mayor eric adams announced that 2-5 minutes of mindful breathing practices may be offered in all public schools everyday, due to concern for young mental health. Adams suggests that they make this positive change and add this 2-5 minutes a day because of the rapidly increasing rate of anxiety, depression, self-harm and other mental health challenges in teenagers and children.