Year: 2025

Today, I did the Step It Up version of the animals hiding. First I watch some examples of animals hiding (camouflage) or trying to be something else (mimicry). Then I explored an interactive site where I tried to find the hidden animals. After learning about those stuff, I created my own camouflage/mimicry animal. My animal is an axolotl hybrid with the Orchid Mantis. These are pictures of my new species, created using AI.

Picture of my species in it’s environment.

Picture of my species, eating while camouflage.

Badge for this activity.

If you, as a human, could choose between camouflage and mimicry, what would you choose and why?

Today, I did an activity about animals fooling other animals. They fool other animals by changing colour and camouflage or pretending to be another animal. For this task, I have to write reasons for four different animals given to me on why they are different from the other 3 animals.

First, I watched some videos on mimicry and camouflage. Then I made a copy of the template given to me. I followed the instructions on the slide and did the odd one out. After doing that, I made my own “Which one doesn’t belong?”. The animal chosen for me were the Orchid Mantis, Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar, Alligator Snapping Turtle and Anglerfish. When making my own “Which one doesn’t belong?”, my chosen animals were the Christmas Tree Worm, Harlequin Gecko, Dumbo Octopus and Sole Fish. Have a go at given reason which animal doesn’t belong and give reasons why!

This is my work and the badge.

What 4 unique animals would you choose and how are they different from the other animals?

Today, I did the Step It up version of the last activity which was making a bug hotel. It was pretty similar to making it, but instead of just making it, I filmed myself and made a tutorial on how to make a bug hotel using Google Vids. I felt really luck because this year at school, Sharon from Manaiakalani had come to share with us an introduction to Google Vids. Thank you Sharon for sharing this helpful information with us.

I quite enjoyed this task because I found it good smelling (when making the bug hotel) and fairly easy. It was also kind of fun, and my favourite part of this task was listening to my favourite song as a background music for my video: Any Dream Will Do from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat! This is my tutorial and the badge for this task.

What song reminds you of hotels?

Today, I did this morning’s kick start activity on making a Bug Hotel. It’s a really fun activity that I enjoy while it helps a the bugs outside have a cozy place.

For this activity, I used toilet paper roll, scrap paper, nectarine and cherry blossom twigs, an S hook, elasticity string and some bay leaf branches. I started rolling a little bit of paper, but it took a while so I stopped. Next, I collected some twigs, sticks, and leaves. I stuffed it into the toilet paper roll, and it formed together. As I stuffed the leaves, it smelt really nice. Even my mum who had a blocked nose could smell it! Last but not least, I tied up the 3 rolls of stuffed hotel with the string I had and attached the hook so it could be hung.

1 challenge I faced while making this bug hotel was the fact that I had to go outside because it was raining hard as I made it. This is my final result and the badge for this activity.

If you were to make a bug hotel, what type of nature would you use and for which type of bug?

Today, I went back and finished off yesterday’s Step It Up task. Similar to the octopus learning, I had to make a poster on octopuses. I made mine on Google Drawings and put some facts the I learnt and found interesting on it. 1 really cool fact about octopuses are the fact that they are really intelligent, proven by the fact that they can play. This is my poster.

What other creature can you name that have 8 limbs?

Today, I did the activity involving the odds of octopuses. First, I researched on some different things an octopus has compared to humans, or even so, it’s name!

Fun fact that I found interesting: the name octopus comes from Greek, with “octo” meaning 8 and “pus” sometimes meaning foot. This is inaccurate because octopuses have 8 “arms” not 8 “feet”. Technically, octopuses have no feet at all!

Another cool thing that is usually mistaken is that octopuses have no tentacles. An octopuses closest cousin, the squids, only have 2 tentacles with 8 arms. Tentacles mean suckers at the tip, but octopuses have sucker all along the arms to help them sense and eat.

A third pretty cool thing is that octopuses have blue blood, containing copper, compared to red human blood which contains iron. It’s different, but also part of the reason why octopuses have 2 brains.

After gathering these information from 2 videos, I read an article about the Dumbo octopus. It lives at the bottom of the sea, and it looks like Dumbo the elephant with massive flaps. These flaps help them swim, both a relaxed glide and a burst of sprints. It really looks like Dumbo, coloured grey, and it’s how the octopus got it’s name: from Walt Disney’s movie – Dumbo!

I coloured a picture of an octopus using my device. I tried to make it look like the Dumbo octopus, but some of the colours might not be what it actually looks like. This is my octopus colouring and the badge below.

Is the Dumbo octopus your favourite? If so, why is it you fav? If not, what species of octopus is your fav and why?

Today, I did the Step It Up version of helping animals with missing legs. The last activity was about an elephant without 1 leg, but this Step It Up task is about a doggy without 2 legs. Poor Turbo the pup was born like a kangaroo!

For the create part of this task, after watching a video and learning about Turbo, I had to create either The “Snack Dispenser 5000”: A way to automatically give Turbo treats on the go, The “Auto-Cooling System”: Something to keep him from getting too hot on sunny days, or The “Turbo Booster”: A way to give him a burst of speed when he needs it the most. I chose to make all 3 of the options for Turbo and I made it a 3D simulation on Tinkercad.

As for the “snack dispenser”, I made a chicken-feeder like food bowl, with a space for Turbo to stick his mouth into and a flap on top of the opening. Making the “auto-cooling system” was a space to hold a premium bird drinker for dogs and a fan at the front that spins itself as Turbo runs, with a cable attached to the wheels. My “speed burst” design is a simple shell for Turbo to speed lots and rest his feet on. There are 6 wheels so it is more stable. Each wheel can move like a 6 wheel drive. I was inspired by the first successful design for Turbo, which is made by an aircraft engineer.

This is my design link on Tinkercad. It first shows you a 2D draft, so in order to see my proper design, you need to click on the “View in 3D” button near the top left corner of the picture box next to the 3 dots.

www.tinkercad.com/things/iLcY6wYsu23-slj-turbos-wheels

This is a picture of my design, labeled, and below my design is the badge.

1. Snack Dispenser 5000
2. Cooling system – drinker and frame
3. Cooling system – fan
4. Hind legs leg rest – burst of speed
5. Bumper
6. Safety strap

What improvements or refinements can you think of to make Turbo’s life better?

This morning, at 10:30, I joined a Google Meet with Mrs. Grant and Eleanor. It was on a science experiment, and every Wednesday, it was different experiments.

For today and this week, we did the experiment of water refraction. I remember doing something similar a few years ago, but instead of being with Eleanor, it was with Nanogirl. When I was on the meeting, Eleanor asked if we could guess what we might be doing with water. I guessed first try if it was flipping the arrow around, and I got it right!

While she demonstrated the flip of the arrow, she mentioned something about water refraction and how it affects the light through it. I asked at the end when she finished the demo about if light such as a torch would be different. Eleanor replied with the fact that torches might scatter out in rays, so I asked about something stronger like a laser. Eleanor didn’t have a laser, so she didn’t know the answer. Instead, Eleanor told me to try it and see what happens. These are my results, and sadly, torches do not work as well. Underneath the results is the badge.

Have you ever noticed on a sunny day that there seems to be a puddle of water on the tar-paved road that disappears as you approach it, something like a mirage, and wonder why this happens? Tell me the reason you find! I’ll give a hint: it relates to light refraction.

Today, I did the SLJ Legs Legs Legs Kick Start activity on designing a new artificial limb for Mosha the elephant. Before designing it though, I learnt about poor Mosha, who stepped on a landmine when she was 2 years old in Lamping, Thailand. Mosha got rescued to an elephant hospital and now wears an artificial limb like some humans do. A group of researchers including a doctor opened the first ever elephant hospital, and Mosha is a patient.

My design includes photo collages and lots of rainbow theme. My favourite colour is rainbow, and considering that Mosha is a girl, I thought she’d might like something colourful too! Apart from the rainbow, I put some shapes like a heart, a star, a smiley face and her name. I put the heart because she got recused and she is loved. I put the star because she is awesome and talented, following the doctor’s orders. I put a smiley face to show appreciation from her and for her. I put her name to personalise her limb.

This is my limb design on Mosha and underneath my design is the badge.

How would you design Mosha’s artificial limb differently and what would the meaning behind it?

Today, I did the Step It Up version of the Legs challenge. This SLJ task was learning about cool, giant centipedes of New Zealand. I was given a template to work with, which I only had to fill the answer boxes. It was very similar to the last activity, the Kick Start, but there were not as much math required for this task. I didn’t enjoy this task as much as I enjoyed the Kick Start. This is my work and the badge.

Which do you prefer, reading, skimming and answering or mathematics, and why?