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Effects of Heat || Science Class

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog. In today’s science post, I will be talking in more detail about the various topics we covered in science this term. We focused on how heat affects different materials and situations, and we carried out four main experiments to explore this.

The four experiments we did about the effects of heat were:

  • Tea bag experiment (convection)

Convection –

  • Melting ice (conduction)

Conduction –

 

  • Imploding can (contraction)

Contraction –

 

  • Potassium permanganate in water (diffusion)

Diffusion –

 

 

What we did in each experiment –

Tea bag experiment (convection)Flying Tea Bag Experiment for Kids - Coffee Cups and Crayons – In this experiment, we used a tea bag to observe convection currents. When the tea bag was lit, the air around it heated up, became less dense, and rose. This rising warm air created a small convection current that caused the empty tea bag to lift off the table and float upward. This helped us understand how heat can cause fluids (like air and water) to move in currents.

 

What’s convection: Convection means that hot liquids and gases will rise and cold liquids and gases will sink.

 

Melting ice (conduction) –Melting ice beaker Images - Free Download on Freepik We observed how heat transfers through direct contact. We placed ice cubes in a beaker and watched how quickly they melted.  The ice melts faster because they transferred heat from the surroundings directly into the ice. This experiment showed us that conduction is the transfer of heat through a solid when particles pass energy to one another.

 

What is conduction: Heat that is passed on by touch.

 

Imploding can (contraction) – Imploding Coke CansWhen we heated the can on the Bunsen burner, the water inside the can started to boil, and we could see the steam coming out from the top.  After the water boiled for a while, we used tongs to quickly turn the can upside down and place it into the tub of cold water.

As soon as the hot can touched the cold water, the can suddenly crushed and crumpled inwards. It looked like the can was being squashed without anyone touching it. The sides were pushed in, and the can became dented and smaller than before.

This happened to the can because when we heated it, the water inside gained heat energy and its particles moved faster, turning into water vapour that pushed most of the air particles out of the can; then, when the hot can was suddenly placed in the cold water, the water inside quickly lost heat and its particles slowed down and condensed back into liquid, which took up much less space, so there were far fewer gas particles inside the can, creating a much lower pressure than the air pressure outside, and because the outside air particles were now pushing harder on the can than the inside particles, the can was crushed inwards by the air pressure.

 

What’s contraction: When energy is removed, (colder) particles move more slowly. Causing solids, liquids, and gases to get smaller.

 

Potassium permanganate in water (diffusion) – For diffusion, we placed a small crystal of potassium permanganate into water and watched as the purple colour slowly spread throughout the petri dish. At first, the colour was very strong near the crystal, but over time it moved and mixed through the water until it became evenly spread. This showed how particles move from an area of high concentration to an area of lower concentration, eventually spreading out evenly.

 

What’s diffusion: Particles spread out from high concentrations to low concentrations until they are even. Those particles spread faster than cold.

 

 

Which experiment did I enjoy and why –

I enjoyed the tea bag experiment the most, especially watching the empty tea bag lift off the table and fly successfully into the air. It was really interesting to see something so light move just because of the heat from the flame. I liked this experiment because it helped me clearly understand the connection between warm air rising and cooler air sinking. When the tea bag burned, the air around it heated up, became lighter, and rose, carrying the tea bag upwards. At the same time, the cooler air moved in to take its place. Seeing this happen right in front of me made the idea of convection much easier to understand and remember, instead of just reading about it in a textbook.

 

Write up of my favourite experiment – 

Title: Convection experiment / Tea bag experiment

Aim: To make the tea bag fly in the air

Hypothesis: I think the tea bag will rise in the air and disappear

Equipment: Heatproof mat, Tea bag, Matchbox + matches, scissors

Method: pat 1- Set up

  1. First, we got a heatproof mat
  2. We got some safety glasses for protection
  3. Then, we cut the tea bag open, emptying the tea inside. – Just the top – string bit
  4. Open the tea bag to the shape of a 3d rectangle

Part 2 – lighting the teabag

  1. Place the tea bag on the heatproof mat
  2. Light the matchstick over the tea bag
  3. move away from the tea bag once it is lit, as it may fly up in the air,

 

Observation: the tea bag flew up into the air

I think the tea bag flew in the air because of the rising, and the tea bag is light, making the heat particles rise.

 

Thats all for this blog,

Shreeya

 

Contraction Can Experiment || Science Class

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog. Today in science, we did a contraction experiment.

In this experiment, we set up our Bunsen burner with the following equipment: a heatproof mat, a Bunsen burner, a tripod, a gauze mat, tongs, a soda can filled with 100 mL of water, and an ice cream tub filled with cold water.

In this blog, I will give a method, show a video of what happened, explain what happened to the can, and describe why this happened.

 

Method –

  1. We got a soda can and filled it up with 100mL of water.
  2. Get an ice cream bucket and fill it with cold water (add ice if you want it to be colder).
  3. We set up the Bunsen burner, with a heat-proof mat underneath the tripod and a gauze mat as well.
  4. We placed the can on top of the Bunsen burner, which is on the blue flame.
  5. As it started to boil and we could see steam, we grabbed some tongs and firmly gripped the soda can.
  6. After gripping the can, making sure it won’t fall, quickly flip the can into the cold water.
  7. Once the cold and hot water collide, the can will shrink because there is more air pressure outside pressing the can inwards.

Video –

 

What happened to the can?

When we heated the can on the Bunsen burner, the water inside the can started to boil, and we could see the steam coming out from the top.  After the water boiled for a while, we used tongs to quickly turn the can upside down and place it into the tub of cold water.

As soon as the hot can touched the cold water, the can suddenly crushed and crumpled inwards. It looked like the can was being squashed without anyone touching it. The sides were pushed in, and the can became dented and smaller than before.

 

Why did this happen to the can?

This happened to the can because when we heated it, the water inside gained heat energy and its particles moved faster, turning into water vapour that pushed most of the air particles out of the can; then, when the hot can was suddenly placed in the cold water, the water inside quickly lost heat and its particles slowed down and condensed back into liquid, which took up much less space, so there were far fewer gas particles inside the can, creating a much lower pressure than the air pressure outside, and because the outside air particles were now pushing harder on the can than the inside particles, the can was crushed inwards by the air pressure.

 

Thanks for reading my experiment for today,
Shreeya

Shark Infested Custard – Health Class

Hello everyone, welcome to a health blog post.

Today in Health, we played another game, Shark-Infested Custard. We had to form teams of 5, with one person as the leader. The game involved 4 hula hoops, and we had to get our team of 5 across to the other side without stepping on the concrete. It was very fun communicating with my team and giving them a strategy, as I was the leader. We came second, but it was a joy to play. In this blog post, as in every other Health blog, I will be answering the questions given for the Titan work.

Explain what Te Whare Tapa Whā is –

Te Whare Tapa Whā is a Māori model of health that explains how our wellbeing is made up of four important parts, like the four walls of a house.

  • Taha tinana – our physical health (our body)
  • Taha hinengaro – our mental and emotional health (our thoughts and feelings)
  • Taha whānau – our social health (our relationships with friends and whānau)
  • Taha wairua – our spiritual health (our beliefs, values, and sense of purpose)

If one wall is weak, the whole house becomes unstable. This shows that we need to look after every part of our hauora, not just our body or our mind, so we can stay balanced and healthy.

Here are some full answers you can use and then tweak into your own words.

Describe your activity in detail –

Today in Health, we played….
Today in Health, we played a team game called Shark Infested Custard. We had to get into teams of five, and each team chose one person to be the leader. I was the leader of my group. We were given four hula hoops to use.

We started on one side of the court, and our goal was to get our whole team to the other side without anyone stepping on the concrete. We had to communicate, share ideas, and move carefully from hoop to hoop, making sure everyone could fit safely inside without falling out. If someone touched the ground, we had to go back to the start. My job as a leader was to give instructions, listen to my team, and help everyone work together.

The aim of this game was to…
The aim of this game was to get our whole team from one side to the other using only the four hula hoops, without touching the shark-infested custard (the concrete). The game also aimed to help us improve our communication, teamwork, problem‑solving, and leadership skills. We had to think of a good strategy, support each other, and stay positive, even when it was challenging.

Explain how your hauora was impacted by participating in today’s activity –

My hauora was positively affected during the game as…. This had a positive impact on my hauora because…
My hauora was positively affected during the game as I was able to move my body, talk with my teammates, and practice being a leader. This had a positive impact on my taha tinana because I was active, walking, balancing, and stepping in and out of the hula hoops. It also helped my taha hinengaro because I felt focused, proud, and happy when my team listened to my ideas, and we worked well together.

My taha whānau was strengthened because I was building better relationships with my classmates, encouraging them, and listening to their ideas too. I also felt more confident in myself, which supported my taha wairua, as I felt a sense of purpose and belonging in my team.

My hauora was negatively impacted when… This had a negative impact on my hauora because…
My hauora was negatively impacted when our team made mistakes or when we nearly fell out of the hula hoop and had to start again. This had a negative impact on my taha hinengaro because I felt a little bit stressed and frustrated at times. I also worried that I might not be a good leader if our strategy didn’t work.

Explain what is important to know or understand when participating in a game with others –

It is important to understand that communication, respect, and teamwork are really important when participating in a game with others. This is because everyone needs to feel listened to and included so the team can work well together. We need to share ideas kindly, encourage each other, and not blame people if something goes wrong.

It is also important to understand the rules of the game and play fairly so no one gets hurt or feels left out. When everyone shows manaakitanga (kindness and support), it helps to protect each person’s hauora – physical, mental/emotional, social, and spiritual – and makes the game more fun and successful for the whole team.

Thanks for reading my blog

Shreeya

Hauora – Health Class

Hello, welcome back to another blog post.

Today in health, we played a fun game called water pong. We had to form groups of 2 or 3 and play water pong. Sadly, my partner and I didn’t win out of 2, but it was very fun.

After that, we had to do a blog task. We had to choose one of the following: ace, pro, legend or titan, and I picked titan. So in this blog, I will be answering the questions given for the Titan task.

 

Questions –

Explain what Te Whare Tapa Whā is –

Te Whare Tapa Whā is a Māori model of health that explains how our wellbeing is made up of four important parts, like the four walls of a house.

  • Taha tinana – our physical health (our body)
  • Taha hinengaro – our mental and emotional health (our thoughts and feelings)
  • Taha whānau – our social health (our relationships with friends and whānau)
  • Taha wairua – our spiritual health (our beliefs, values, and sense of purpose)

If one wall is weak, the whole house becomes unstable. This shows that we need to look after every part of our hauora, not just our body or our mind, so we can stay balanced and healthy.

 

Describe your activity in detail –

Today in Health, we played a game called water pong. We had a table with plastic cups set up in a triangle shape at each end. Each cup contained some water. We were in teams, standing on opposite sides of the table.

The aim of the game was to throw a ping pong ball and try to land it in the other team’s cups. If the ball landed in a cup, that cup was taken away. We took turns throwing the ball and cheering for our team. The team that got rid of all the other team’s cups first was the winner.

 

Explain how your hauora was impacted by participating in today’s activity –

Taha tinana (physical):
My physical health was impacted because I was standing up, moving around the table, and using my hand and eye coordination to throw the ball. It wasn’t very intense exercise, but I was still using my body instead of just sitting down.

Taha hinengaro (mental/emotional):
My mental and emotional health were positively impacted because the game was fun and made me feel happy and relaxed. I had to focus and concentrate on aiming the ball, which kept my mind active. I also felt a bit nervous and excited when it was my turn.

Taha whānau (social):
My social health improved because I was working in a team, communicating, and encouraging my classmates. We laughed together and supported each other, which helped strengthen our relationships.

Taha wairua (spiritual):
My spiritual health was impacted because I felt a sense of belonging in the class. Playing together helped me feel more connected and included. It also reminded me that having fun, being respectful, and showing good sportsmanship are important values to me.

 

Explain what is important to know or understand when participating in a game with others. Make sure you say why this is important –

When playing a game with others, it is important to:

Follow the rules – This is important because it keeps the game fair for everyone and stops arguments.

Show respect and good sportsmanship – Being kind, not teasing others, and congratulating people even if you lose is important because it helps everyone feel safe and comfortable.

Communicate with your team – Talking and listening to your teammates is important so you can work together, make a plan, and support each other.

Include everyone – Making sure everyone gets a turn, and no one is left out, is important because it helps people feel valued and part of the group.

Stay calm and control your emotions – This is important because getting too angry or frustrated can ruin the game for others and damage friendships.

 

Thats all for my blog today, I hope you found it interesting,

Shreeya

Waitangi || Social Studies ( Titan )

Hello everyone, welcome to my first blog of 2026. Today I had social studies, and I have this wonderful teacher, Mrs Canton. My class BoT (9E) is learning about the Treaty of Waitangi, which is a very important agreement signed in 1840 between Māori chiefs and the British Crown. For my task, I had to explain three ways the celebration of Waitangi Day has changed or stayed the same over time. Over the years, some people have celebrated it more as a national holiday, while others use it as a time to remember problems and disagreements about the Treaty. In this blog, I will be sharing the task I had to complete.

Task –

Explain three ways the celebration of Waitangi Day has changed or/and stayed the same over time.

 

The First Waitangi Day (1934)
The first Waitangi Day celebration was in February 1934. It happened at two main places, the Treaty House grounds and near Te Tii marae. About 10,000 Māori attended, and the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, gave a speech calling the Treaty a sacred compact and talking about unity between Māori and Pākehā. He used the words He iwi tahi tātou (Now we are one people).

3 Ways the Celebration Changed

  1. From unity focus to also including protest and debate
  2. From one main meaning to many different meanings
  3. From a local event at Waitangi to a national day

 

3 Ways the Celebration Stayed the Same

  1. Waitangi is still the key place for ceremonies.
  2. The day focuses on the relationship between Māori and Pākehā.
  3. Māori culture remains central to the day.

Thanks for reading my first blog of this year,

I hope you found it informative,

Shreeya

Aboriginal Australians || Social Studies + Writing

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog.

Over the past two days, I have been working on my social studies work, which focuses on Aboriginal Australians. You might be wondering, Who are Aboriginal Australians? Aboriginal Australians are the Indigenous peoples of mainland Australia and Tasmania. They have lived on the continent for over 50,000 years and have rich and diverse cultures, languages, traditions, and histories. Their deep connection to the land, unique customs, and incredible resilience make them an essential part of Australia’s history and identity.

In addition to our social studies class, we were given a writing task as well, which focused on poetry. As part of this task for Titan, I began by learning about haiku poems. I read through a resource that explained the structure and purpose of haikus, which helped me understand how to make one on my own. After that, I explored a document detailing the instructions for blackout poetry, explaining how to create these unique and artistic poems. Finally, I was required to complete a slideshow which I had to make a Dynamite poem.

Overall, these tasks were both challenging and enjoyable, as they helped me to explore several interesting styles of poetry.

For my tasks, here’s what I had to do

 

My Tasks

Social Studies

 

Writing

 

 

Thank you for reading

Shreeya

Relief Activity – Music Class

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog.

Today in music, we had a relief teacher, so we were given some relief work. First, we played a music game where you have to guess different treble clef notes. If you want to try this game, click here. Next, we completed relief tasks. There was a set of slides, and I had to pick a task to finish before the period ended. First, I explored Music Lab, a fun and creative platform to make music. Then, I completed a task called Reggae. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing my reggae task. I hope you enjoy it, and I would appreciate your feedback.

Task

Music Activity

 

That’s all for my blog

Goodbye👋

Shreeya❀

 

 

Melting and Freezing || Science Class

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog.

Today in science class, we explored the concept of melting and freezing. In this blog post, I’ll share what we learned and help you learn more deeply into this topic. I hope you find it informative and engaging.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

– Understanding Melting and Freezing
– Particle Changes During the Processes
– An Exciting Experiment
– Melting and Freezing Points Explained
– Everyday Examples of Melting and Freezing
– And much more, so stay tuned,

Enjoy

Melting and freezing

Melting

  • A solid changes to a liquid when heat is added. Particles gain energy and move more.

 

Freezing

  • Liquid changes to a solid when heat is removed. Particles lose energy and slow down.

 

Particle changes – Melting

Solid Heats Up

  • Particles in a solid start to vibrate faster as heat is added.

Breaking Free

  • Particles gain enough energy to break from their fixed positions

Becoming liquid

  • The substance turns into a liquid, with particles moving past each other.

Particles changes – Freezing

Liquid Cools Down

  • Particles in a liquid lose energy as heat is removed.

Slowing Down

  • Particles move more slowly and get closer together.

Becoming a Solid

  • Particles lock into place, becoming a solid.

 

Experiment

Hypothesis: I think the salt will make the ice melt faster.

Materials:

  1. 4 ice cubes
  2. 4 beakers
  3. Salt
  4. Sugar
  5. Baking Soda
  6. Sand
  7. Stopwatch

Method:

  • Place the 4 ice cubes in the 4 beakers.
  • Place the salt on one of the ice cubes.
  • Place the sugar on one of the ice cubes.
  • Place the baking soda on one of the ice cubes.
  • Place the sand over one of the ice cubes.
  • Time the speed of melting of the ice cubes.

 

Results

After 2 minutes, the salt was number 1, sugar was number 2, sand was number 3, and baking soda was number 4.

 

5 minutes later –

After 5 minutes, salt is number 1, baking soda is number 2, sand is number 3, and sugar is number 4.

 

Melting and Freezing Points

What are They?

  • Melting point: The temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid.
  • Freezing point: The temperature at which a liquid becomes a solid.

For pure water, both points are 0°C.

 

Everyday Examples

Where do you see melting and freezing?

  • Ice cream melting on a sunny day
  • Water freezes in a puddle overnight
  • Butter melting on hot toast
  • Ice melting in my drink, that’s te whakarewa.
  • Water turning to ice in puddles outside, that’s te whakatio.
  • Chocolate melting in my hand, te whakarewa.

 

Why does this happen?

Melting

Energy and Particles

When heat is added, particles gain energy and move faster. In solids, this extra energy allows them to break free from their fixed positions, causing melting.

 

Freezing

Losing Energy

When a liquid cools down, its particles lose energy and slow down. They get closer together and lock into place, forming a solid.

 

Māori perspective

Māori Knowledge

Traditional Māori knowledge recognises the importance of seasonal changes, including te whakarewa (melting) and te whakatio (freezing), in food gathering and storage.

 

Questions

  • 1. What happens to ice when it melts?

When ice melts, it turns into water (liquid).

  • 2. Why does water turn into ice in the freezer?

When you put water in the freezer, it will turn into ice. The water comes together, forming the water into solid ice.

  • 3. Why do some things melt faster than others?

Some things melt faster than others because of the differences in mass and melting temperature.

 

That’s all for my blog post

I hope you found it informative and interesting

Thanks for reading

Shreeya

 

Chinese New Zealanders || Social Studies

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog.

For the last two weeks of this term (weeks 1 and 2), I have been learning about Chinese New Zealanders. To start it off, we first had to choose either Ace Pro or Legend of Titan. I picked Titan, knowing that I could do it.

In my social studies class, my tasks were to:
1. Watch a video of Chinese teenagers talking about coming to Aotearoa.
2. Read about Chinese New Zealanders.
3. Complete our follow-up tasks related to the article (Step 2).

We also had to watch a video on how to write a PEEL paragraph. Then, we made a copy of two documents: one document discussed why parents should set a bedtime for their kids, and the second one compared the experience of coming to New Zealand in the past to now in 2025.

After completing both activities, we had to blog about our work.

In this blog post, I will be sharing my social studies work. I will explain what PEEL is and answer the question: Why do people decide to immigrate to Aotearoa?

Enjoy this blog! I hope you find it informative and learn something new today.

 

What is PEEL?

P: Point
  • It introduces the topic of the paragraph and states the main idea or argument clearly and concisely. 
E: Evidence/Example
  • This can include facts, statistics, quotes, or specific examples to prove the point. 
E: Explanation
  • It demonstrates your understanding and shows the reasoning behind your argument. 
L: Link
  • It either summarises the point, connects it back to the essay’s thesis, or provides a smooth transition to the next paragraph. 

 

Social Studies

This is my social studies task – Copy of Titan

 

Question

Why do people decide to immigrate to Aotearoa?

People decide to immigrate to Aotearoa for various reasons, but a common reason is the pursuit of better economic opportunities. New Zealand has a strong economy with a demand for skilled workers in sectors such as technology, healthcare, and agriculture, attracting immigrants looking for stable employment. Additionally, the country offers a high quality of life, including a robust healthcare system, excellent education, and a safe environment, which appeals to families seeking a better future for their children. Cultural diversity is also a significant draw, as Aotearoa embraces multiculturalism, allowing immigrants to maintain their traditions while integrating into society. Furthermore, many individuals relocate to escape political instability, persecution, or adverse living conditions in their home countries, finding in New Zealand a welcoming and peaceful environment. Overall, the combination of economic prospects, quality of life, and cultural acceptance makes Aotearoa an attractive destination for many immigrants.

 

That’s all for my blog

Thanks,

Shreeya

Relief Music Activities || Music Class

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog.

Today in music class, the teacher wasn’t here, so the relief teacher asked us to create some songs using Suno AI. After we finished our projects, we could choose to do some relief activities. Out of all the options, I completed two activities. One was about Diwali, and the other focused on movie music.

This blog post is dedicated to sharing what I learned from those two activities.

Enjoy!

Task –

Music Activities

Thanks, that’s all for this post

Bye, Shreeya