Hi everyone, we’re back from Phillip Island bursting with more stories.
This morning, we visited Amaze“N”Things, which is a big playground filled with optical illusions and puzzles. There is a gigantic maze there, where the sides of the maze are much taller than any of us – even the teachers! We were all running around inside the maze for a long time, trying to locate the four flags and their “CONGRATULATIONS!” signs. A few of us succeeded, but most of us had a great early morning 1.6km run, as we were running in circles :D After the maze, we entered Puzzle Island, where we experienced the gravity room (gravity seems to work upwards in the room, but that’s only because the WHOLE room is tilted), the shrinking room (where one of us could appear very small, and the other very very large), a rotating room (where the room is rotating but you feel like YOU are rotating!) and a huge mirror maze (which was very confusing, because you could never tell what was real and what was just a reflection). Many of us who were brave enough also tried the “Look Out!” slide, which is almost vertical at the top. To go down the slide, we had to first wear orange overalls, then climb a flight of stairs to the top. After that, climbed over the edge, and hung onto a bar (of course, some staff from AMaze‘N’things were guiding us). The hardest and scariest part was letting go, because for a little while we felt like we were falling into nothing. Those of us who tried it (including the four teachers) agreed that it was really AWESOME FUN! In fact, some of us went back for a second try!:) The whole morning at AMaze‘N’Things was so much fun, and all of us piled onto the bus with big smiles.
Our next destination was the Wonthaggi Wind Farm. We got up close to a wind turbine, which is pure white and has a tall pillar with three large blades rotating at its end, like a huge ceiling fan that has been stood up vertically. They are huge! Like, HUGE! The circle made by the three big blades of the wind turbine make a circle that is 82m across. Each of the blades weighs 6 tons – or, 6000 kg! Altogether the entire turbine weighs 160 tons, and stands 110m tall. That’s amazing! It is hard to believe that people can build something like this. The teachers taught us that wind is a renewable source of energy, because it never runs out, and we can just keep using it. However, they asked us to think about why Singapore doesn’t use wind power. We think that maybe we don’t have the space for the wind farms (the farm has to be quite big! Wonthaggi holds 6 wind turbines of that size), and our winds are not strong enough. Our guide told us that the wind farm can make enough power for 6000 homes for a year. Wow!
After the wind farm, we had lunch, then had a 2 hour drive back to Melbourne…where we went to the MELBOURNE AQUARIUM! We had a wonderful guide at the aquarium, whose name was Lai (pronounced “Lay”). He had a loud booming voice, and even though we were tired, he made it very interesting for us. For example, he taught us that the larger sharks tend to be the females, and for clownfish, the larger fish turns into a female. It seems that in the world under the sea, the larger and stronger ones tend to be the females! Lai said that it is because they have the big and important job of producing babies. We met jellyfish, a large leopard shark, the only Grey Nurse Shark left in Victoria, massive stingrays that sailed over our heads in the tunnel, and starfish that were surprisingly prickly. We also got to colour in our own bags (with sea dragons on them) to bring home as souvenirs. We even got a special photo to take home, with us in it. It was fantastic!
Well, that brings us to the end of our educational programmes. Tomorrow morning we will be doing some shopping, then it’s HOME for all of us! It’s so exciting but sad at the same time. Many of us really love Melbourne, especially the cool weather.
It seems that the next time you hear from us, we will probably already be home and able to give you all a warm (and sticky, since we’re in Singapore) hug! Can’t wait to see you all again, dear faithful readers, and thank you for all your comments, which the teachers have been reading out on the bus! :D
With big big smiles,
All 35 of us :D
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Personal Messages:)
Personal Messages from the members of Science Alive!:
Afiqah: Mummy I miss you very much and I bought something special for you. P.S. I cried on the first day. Mr James gave me a new scarf.
Azreen: Mummy I wish you can see the penguin parade because the penguins there are very cute, and seeing how they walk to their homes are still cute.
Yiting: Mummy I miss you, and I miss my sister, my brother and my father.
Andy: Mummy, I miss you very much, and I wish you can follow me (next time pack motion sickness pills), and I bought you a lot of presents (I wasted a lot of money, sorry).
Wan Shyan: Why in the world aren’t you reading the blog and commenting? I like the cooling weather, Singapore is too hot :p
Daniel: Mum, how is Singapore? How is the weather, cos the weather in Melbourne is killing me. How is my little baby sister? Has she been taking her medicine recently?
Hannani: I feel like staying here and not going back to Singapore.
Luke: I wish you were here with me to see everything that I saw, I can’t wait to go home, I miss everybody, and I can’t wait to start doing my school homework.
Jian Feng: I wish Singapore’s weather is same like Melbourne, with four seasons.
Gheslynn: I’m very excited to tell my whole family about my adventures in Melbourne. I miss everybody in my family, and I’m super-duper excited to go home back to Singapore.
Sobi: Mummy, I am fine, you don’t have to worry. I miss everyone at home, and can’t wait to come back. Please don’t forget to wish me happy birthday when you meet me in school!
Maisie: Hi mum, how’s Dax? Today we saw all the penguins, they were so cute climbing up the beach. However, this afternoon, the guides showed us the spot where a poor little penguin got eaten up by a big bad fox (so sad, waaaaaaa). Please stop nagging on the internet :)
Coral: Jessalyn keeps on calling me Blue Coral Bubble Tea, and Daniel Chow keeps calling me Coral Snake, of the Coral Sea which likes to eat Coral Cabbage.
Jessalyn: Thank you Mdm Nabeesah for caring me. I’m going back to Singapore soon and I wish to see you soon.
Aliyah: I really miss my mum, and I can’t wait to go home, and I hope I can contribute the things I learnt here to the school.
Melody: I miss you (mother and father) I hope I will quickly go back to Singapore and meet you again, remember to fetch me at the school. At Melbourne is very cold.
Nurathirah: I miss you mother and father, I bought you a lot of things, I hope you like it. Do tell my sibling that I miss them also and also fetch me at the school. Bye bye!
Nasuha: Mummy I miss you, I love you, Daddy same goes to you. Please fetch me at the school. Miss the both of you.
Siti Zubaidah: Mummy I want to hug you, I miss you a lot. I love you. Happy birthday, I cannot celebrate with you your birthday party, I am very very sorry. When I get back to Singapore I give you a present. Do tell my family I miss them a lot.
Jamie: I miss you a lot Daddy and Mummy. I hope you go to school on time and fetch me.
Sharon: How are you, my family members?
Hyzraul: I miss you a lot Ibu. Hope you guys are having a great time there. I am!
Zi Chen: How are you feeling?
Afiqah: Mummy I miss you very much and I bought something special for you. P.S. I cried on the first day. Mr James gave me a new scarf.
Azreen: Mummy I wish you can see the penguin parade because the penguins there are very cute, and seeing how they walk to their homes are still cute.
Yiting: Mummy I miss you, and I miss my sister, my brother and my father.
Andy: Mummy, I miss you very much, and I wish you can follow me (next time pack motion sickness pills), and I bought you a lot of presents (I wasted a lot of money, sorry).
Wan Shyan: Why in the world aren’t you reading the blog and commenting? I like the cooling weather, Singapore is too hot :p
Daniel: Mum, how is Singapore? How is the weather, cos the weather in Melbourne is killing me. How is my little baby sister? Has she been taking her medicine recently?
Hannani: I feel like staying here and not going back to Singapore.
Luke: I wish you were here with me to see everything that I saw, I can’t wait to go home, I miss everybody, and I can’t wait to start doing my school homework.
Jian Feng: I wish Singapore’s weather is same like Melbourne, with four seasons.
Gheslynn: I’m very excited to tell my whole family about my adventures in Melbourne. I miss everybody in my family, and I’m super-duper excited to go home back to Singapore.
Sobi: Mummy, I am fine, you don’t have to worry. I miss everyone at home, and can’t wait to come back. Please don’t forget to wish me happy birthday when you meet me in school!
Maisie: Hi mum, how’s Dax? Today we saw all the penguins, they were so cute climbing up the beach. However, this afternoon, the guides showed us the spot where a poor little penguin got eaten up by a big bad fox (so sad, waaaaaaa). Please stop nagging on the internet :)
Coral: Jessalyn keeps on calling me Blue Coral Bubble Tea, and Daniel Chow keeps calling me Coral Snake, of the Coral Sea which likes to eat Coral Cabbage.
Jessalyn: Thank you Mdm Nabeesah for caring me. I’m going back to Singapore soon and I wish to see you soon.
Aliyah: I really miss my mum, and I can’t wait to go home, and I hope I can contribute the things I learnt here to the school.
Melody: I miss you (mother and father) I hope I will quickly go back to Singapore and meet you again, remember to fetch me at the school. At Melbourne is very cold.
Nurathirah: I miss you mother and father, I bought you a lot of things, I hope you like it. Do tell my sibling that I miss them also and also fetch me at the school. Bye bye!
Nasuha: Mummy I miss you, I love you, Daddy same goes to you. Please fetch me at the school. Miss the both of you.
Siti Zubaidah: Mummy I want to hug you, I miss you a lot. I love you. Happy birthday, I cannot celebrate with you your birthday party, I am very very sorry. When I get back to Singapore I give you a present. Do tell my family I miss them a lot.
Jamie: I miss you a lot Daddy and Mummy. I hope you go to school on time and fetch me.
Sharon: How are you, my family members?
Hyzraul: I miss you a lot Ibu. Hope you guys are having a great time there. I am!
Zi Chen: How are you feeling?
Day 6: Primary School, Picnic and Penguins!
Today we visited Cowes Primary School in Phillip Island. The students there are very friendly. They welcomed us with an energetic and fantastic African drumming performance. Then, everyone got to meet their buddies. Aliyah loved her buddy because she was very friendly and caring, and she said she really likes our school (her name is Alice). Aiman also liked his buddy because he gave him a ten-cent coin. Sharon loved her buddy because she was very friendly and helpful. Christopher’s buddy was very sociable and told him about anything he wasn’t sure about. Andy’s buddy always asked questions about the Chinese language. He was also very friendly. Wan Shyan’s buddy gave her eight badges that were all made by her! We got free food at the school canteen because the school was kind enough to let us try their food. However, Christopher did not realize that the food was free and he paid money! :D We all visited the school’s sanctuary, which was next to their very nice playground. Most of the Grade 3 to Grade 6 students could do backward somersaults, and they asked us to try, but we said no :) Some of us attended an art lesson with the Cowes Pri Students, where we made beautiful Aboriginal paintings using the symbols they taught us. At the school vegetable patch, we planted potatoes, fed the chickens (with worms from the worm farm), and held the chickens. Andy learnt that chickens can fly, and Wanshyan found out that horse dung can be odour-free if it is left to dry for a long time.
After the school visit, we went to meet another Mr Peter (Cole) for lunch at Rhyll Inlet. Mr Peter prepared Apple Blackcurrant juice, orange juice, scrumptious barbequed chicken and fresh bread for us. We had lunch in a natural setting, where there were a lot bushes, and it was very beautiful. We could see the sea from where we were having a picnic, and we also saw an island that was not too far away from the coastline (Mr Peter said it is called French Island). After lunch, we went on a “short” walk that turned out to be quite long. Some of us were running, though, while those who were slower were chased by Mr Helmi, who said he would carry them. We walked to the mangroves, where we saw many different spider webs with different patterns. Mr Peter told us about the four reasons that mangroves are important. Firstly – it helps to prevent soil erosion. Secondly, it helps to keep the water clean. Third, it is home to many birds. Finally, it supports a large number of animals in the ecosystem there. Did you know that mangrove plants live in seawater (unlike rainforests, which need fresh water)? We saw some holes in the soil below the mangroves made by crabs, and Melody saw a worm in the water. Mr Peter explained that the oil from the rotting mangrove leaves makes the water look green and filmy. On the way back, we saw a tree which had flowers which looked like mealworms. Most of us were grossed out! :D By the time we got back to the coach, we were all panting, but surprisingly, we were not sweaty. That is because the air was very cool and dry.
After the walk at Rhyll, we went to the Penguin Parade Centre. We were given a talk by two rangers, Rebecca and Carissa. They said we were not students anymore, but junior rangers. We were all given a headband that we could draw our junior ranger name and picture on! Coral named herself Blue Coral Bubble Tea, Jamie called herself Fluffy Penguin, Afiqah called herself Penguin Master, Azreen was Jedi Penguin Master Azreen, and Jessalyn was Jess-pen. We put on our headbands, and began our adventure. We learnt how the penguins camouflage themselves in sea; that the male has a short, fat beak, and the female has a long, thin beak. Reb and Carissa brought us to the spot where they discovered feathers from a dead penguin. They were very sad, and wanted to find out what had happened. They started investigating, and asked for our help. So, we learnt to differentiate fox and dog footprints in order to solve the mystery of who or what ate the penguin. We found out that fox footprints were found near the site, as well as fox poo (fox poo has a little “tail” that helps us to identify it). They told us that inside the fox poo, they discovered more penguin feathers. So, we concluded that the red fox was the culprit. We felt like we were police, investigating a case. We were sad to find out the truth, and we learnt that foxes are harmful to penguins. In fact, a fox can kill 40 penguins in a day – that’s 280 penguins a week! So, Reb and Carissa explained that they need to work hard to keep foxes away from the penguins.
After the Penguin Mission, it was time for the Penguin Parade! We were EXTREMELY excited (and cold), because we had never seen penguins in their natural habitat before. Previously we had only seen them in zoo enclosures, where they are not very free to roam around. At the Penguin Parade, they are wild animals, with the freedom to roam anywhere they want to. From the Penguin Parade Centre, we crossed a wooden bridge and we could see a very beautiful ocean. The wind was very strong, and we were almost frozen stiff (however, we were warmly dressed in our thick down jackets and our long sleeved tshirts. Some of us, like Coral and Gheslynn, were dressed in 6 layers!). At first, we saw nothing, and then, all of a sudden, we saw movement in the water. We were so excited we nearly had a heart attack! Then, even more penguins arrived. They waited for each other before marching together towards their burrows. Sometimes, they would all be standing in a row, waiting for a big wave to come, and when it hit them, they quickly dove back into the water. We think it was because they were too scared to come onto the beach (Wayne thinks they wanted to go surfing). Once we saw the first group of penguins moving, everyone stood up to watch them, because they were so cute! After a few more groups emerged, we stood up and followed some of the penguins home. Luke counted 120 penguins at one site! When we followed them home, we noticed many interesting things. We saw a penguin couple slapping and hissing. At first, we thought they were fighting; in fact, they were greeting each other after a long day at work. The penguins made a lot of noise, which sounded like they were snoring. Actually, they were just communicating with each other!
Let us tell you about a special penguin named Mr Grumpy. Mr Grumpy is a very territorial penguin. When a penguin waddles casually by his burrow, he “scolds” them by making loud noises and scaring the poor penguins away. We saw him standing outside his burrow taking charge of his territory when the penguins were waddling back to the Centre.
Tonight, we also sent you our special surprise. Wait and see what it is! You will probably get it sometime next week. On the way back to our hotel, the P5s sitting at the back sang Justin Bieber songs, Baby and Eenie Meenie. The bus was like a disco!!!
Tomorrow is our second last day. We have mixed feelings. We will miss Australia so much, but we also really want to go home to Singapore. Tell you more tomorrow! Hope you enjoy our personal messages above!!:)
Love,
All 35 of us:)
Today we visited Cowes Primary School in Phillip Island. The students there are very friendly. They welcomed us with an energetic and fantastic African drumming performance. Then, everyone got to meet their buddies. Aliyah loved her buddy because she was very friendly and caring, and she said she really likes our school (her name is Alice). Aiman also liked his buddy because he gave him a ten-cent coin. Sharon loved her buddy because she was very friendly and helpful. Christopher’s buddy was very sociable and told him about anything he wasn’t sure about. Andy’s buddy always asked questions about the Chinese language. He was also very friendly. Wan Shyan’s buddy gave her eight badges that were all made by her! We got free food at the school canteen because the school was kind enough to let us try their food. However, Christopher did not realize that the food was free and he paid money! :D We all visited the school’s sanctuary, which was next to their very nice playground. Most of the Grade 3 to Grade 6 students could do backward somersaults, and they asked us to try, but we said no :) Some of us attended an art lesson with the Cowes Pri Students, where we made beautiful Aboriginal paintings using the symbols they taught us. At the school vegetable patch, we planted potatoes, fed the chickens (with worms from the worm farm), and held the chickens. Andy learnt that chickens can fly, and Wanshyan found out that horse dung can be odour-free if it is left to dry for a long time.
After the school visit, we went to meet another Mr Peter (Cole) for lunch at Rhyll Inlet. Mr Peter prepared Apple Blackcurrant juice, orange juice, scrumptious barbequed chicken and fresh bread for us. We had lunch in a natural setting, where there were a lot bushes, and it was very beautiful. We could see the sea from where we were having a picnic, and we also saw an island that was not too far away from the coastline (Mr Peter said it is called French Island). After lunch, we went on a “short” walk that turned out to be quite long. Some of us were running, though, while those who were slower were chased by Mr Helmi, who said he would carry them. We walked to the mangroves, where we saw many different spider webs with different patterns. Mr Peter told us about the four reasons that mangroves are important. Firstly – it helps to prevent soil erosion. Secondly, it helps to keep the water clean. Third, it is home to many birds. Finally, it supports a large number of animals in the ecosystem there. Did you know that mangrove plants live in seawater (unlike rainforests, which need fresh water)? We saw some holes in the soil below the mangroves made by crabs, and Melody saw a worm in the water. Mr Peter explained that the oil from the rotting mangrove leaves makes the water look green and filmy. On the way back, we saw a tree which had flowers which looked like mealworms. Most of us were grossed out! :D By the time we got back to the coach, we were all panting, but surprisingly, we were not sweaty. That is because the air was very cool and dry.
After the walk at Rhyll, we went to the Penguin Parade Centre. We were given a talk by two rangers, Rebecca and Carissa. They said we were not students anymore, but junior rangers. We were all given a headband that we could draw our junior ranger name and picture on! Coral named herself Blue Coral Bubble Tea, Jamie called herself Fluffy Penguin, Afiqah called herself Penguin Master, Azreen was Jedi Penguin Master Azreen, and Jessalyn was Jess-pen. We put on our headbands, and began our adventure. We learnt how the penguins camouflage themselves in sea; that the male has a short, fat beak, and the female has a long, thin beak. Reb and Carissa brought us to the spot where they discovered feathers from a dead penguin. They were very sad, and wanted to find out what had happened. They started investigating, and asked for our help. So, we learnt to differentiate fox and dog footprints in order to solve the mystery of who or what ate the penguin. We found out that fox footprints were found near the site, as well as fox poo (fox poo has a little “tail” that helps us to identify it). They told us that inside the fox poo, they discovered more penguin feathers. So, we concluded that the red fox was the culprit. We felt like we were police, investigating a case. We were sad to find out the truth, and we learnt that foxes are harmful to penguins. In fact, a fox can kill 40 penguins in a day – that’s 280 penguins a week! So, Reb and Carissa explained that they need to work hard to keep foxes away from the penguins.
After the Penguin Mission, it was time for the Penguin Parade! We were EXTREMELY excited (and cold), because we had never seen penguins in their natural habitat before. Previously we had only seen them in zoo enclosures, where they are not very free to roam around. At the Penguin Parade, they are wild animals, with the freedom to roam anywhere they want to. From the Penguin Parade Centre, we crossed a wooden bridge and we could see a very beautiful ocean. The wind was very strong, and we were almost frozen stiff (however, we were warmly dressed in our thick down jackets and our long sleeved tshirts. Some of us, like Coral and Gheslynn, were dressed in 6 layers!). At first, we saw nothing, and then, all of a sudden, we saw movement in the water. We were so excited we nearly had a heart attack! Then, even more penguins arrived. They waited for each other before marching together towards their burrows. Sometimes, they would all be standing in a row, waiting for a big wave to come, and when it hit them, they quickly dove back into the water. We think it was because they were too scared to come onto the beach (Wayne thinks they wanted to go surfing). Once we saw the first group of penguins moving, everyone stood up to watch them, because they were so cute! After a few more groups emerged, we stood up and followed some of the penguins home. Luke counted 120 penguins at one site! When we followed them home, we noticed many interesting things. We saw a penguin couple slapping and hissing. At first, we thought they were fighting; in fact, they were greeting each other after a long day at work. The penguins made a lot of noise, which sounded like they were snoring. Actually, they were just communicating with each other!
Let us tell you about a special penguin named Mr Grumpy. Mr Grumpy is a very territorial penguin. When a penguin waddles casually by his burrow, he “scolds” them by making loud noises and scaring the poor penguins away. We saw him standing outside his burrow taking charge of his territory when the penguins were waddling back to the Centre.
Tonight, we also sent you our special surprise. Wait and see what it is! You will probably get it sometime next week. On the way back to our hotel, the P5s sitting at the back sang Justin Bieber songs, Baby and Eenie Meenie. The bus was like a disco!!!
Tomorrow is our second last day. We have mixed feelings. We will miss Australia so much, but we also really want to go home to Singapore. Tell you more tomorrow! Hope you enjoy our personal messages above!!:)
Love,
All 35 of us:)
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