100 word challenge (138 word challenge )

                           Water        Frozen      Striped       Rubber    Excited

¨Bye sweetie have a great day!¨ Mum said cheerfully.

¨Muumm!¨ Don't embarrass me¨" 12 year old Katie said as she slammed the car door.

It was a typical winter Tuesday morning in Oamaru,  the water in the gutter frozen and the sky overcast and grey. Katie walked to class alone, she didn't have many people to hangout with. Well, there was Emily in her class, but she didn't really count. Katie was happy by herself, as her Dad always said: 

¨It's better to have your own comfort¨ 

As she got closer to the gates, her only view was people in stripes, which is their school uniform. The rubber that Katie always fiddled with bounced against her lunchbox in her school bag. Katie was just busy trying to remember the date of cross country, when she saw it......

*Comment down below if you have to wear uniform at your school! *

How do humans get pimples? By Kezia

 How do humans get pimples? 

Almost 8 in 10 people have pimples, including some adults. Everyone at some point in their life gets them. The formation of pimples occur when oil glands become clogged. Your body sends blood-turning the bump red- and immune cells to the germs lurking in the blockage, sucking them all up. Pimples are natural, and they have their own cycle to complete. 

Firstly, pimples form due to the hair follicle in your skin that contains sebaceous glands. These glands make an oil called sebum, that liquid rises through to the surface and moisturises your hair and skin. Usually, the glands produce the correct amount of sebum, but as you hit puberty, your hormones stimulate the rate of sebum produced.

Secondly, the glands release sebum inside the pores, at the same time, new skin cells are also growing as well, shedding the outer layers of skin. Sometimes, these skin cells are not shed and block the pores, meaning that the extra amount of sebum is stuck inside. That then forms a bump around it. because the sebum provides food for bacteria, they start to build their colonies in it and start to multiply, causing an infection! 

Lastly, Our body quickly reacts by sending blood and immune cells to fight it. The blood turns the infected area red and the immune cells attack the bacteria, eliminating them. This all results in the swelling and formation of a pimple. There are ways to help reduce the amount of pimples that appear on your face such as washing your face day and night. An interesting fact is that the population of around 1200 kitavan islanders in Papua, New Guinea reported no pimples at all! And it was the same case in the Aiche tribe in Paraguay. Researchers think that this is because of their diet, which is entirely free from refined sugar, and processed foods. 

In conclusion, the cycle of the development of pimples happens naturally, and you shouldn't panic and try to pop them. I hope you have learnt more about how and why humans get pimples.  

By Kezia

How do plants transpire?- Kezia

How do plants transpire?

All plants, from the smallest weed to the tallest tree need water. They can transpire in 2 different ways. By being stiff with water pressure, the plants can transpire faster. They let out vapour by the opening on the special pores on the leaves. Transpiration plays a  crucial role in Earth's water cycle, by helping us survive and providing us with fresh air to breath in, and help us function.

The first step in the transpiration process is when water enters the roots from the soil. These roots work like when we are using a straw and our mouths suck up the water going against gravity. That is exactly like the roots. The water travels from the soil where the rainwater has soaked into, to the roots. In Autumn and Winter, plants don't have high transpiration rates due to the fact that there are less leaves on the tree than Summer and Spring. When there is more rain and moisture on earth's surface, some of it can soak into the ground while leftover water starts the water cycle. Roots that are growing underground in soil that is packed with too much open  water may die because they can't get the amount of oxygen they need to function normally. 

The next stage in the process is when the water molecules travel through the xylem tubes; long hollow tubes that are actually dead and empty. These tubes are actually located inside the tree or plant trunk. The xylem tubes are held up by complex organic large molecules or polymers. These molecules are called lignin. When the oxygen and water molecules are traveling upwards, they are actually going against gravity, attached to each other by a slight electric charge that helps them go that direction. A potometer measures the rate of transpiration and is an airtight seal between the plant and the water filled tubes. 

The last step is when the molecules reach the end of the tree, and exit the leaves’s surface through the stomata-microscopic pores that are almost identical to the ones we have on our faces. As soon as the water leaves the stomata, it evaporates into water vapour that will be removed by moving air. If the stomata is closed photosynthesis cannot happen and the plant could starve and die.

In conclusion, plants need water to survive, function and help us live. This amazing cycle is called transpiration and is the reason why we are all here today. I hope you have learnt more about this wonderful cycle. 

100 word challenge

The bike I dreaded

It was a rainy 3:05, and the bell rang. I knew I had to bike home, because my parents are as hard as rock; they wouldn't just come and pick me up with the bike rack. I pulled on my waterproof jacket and my hi viz, grabbed my bike from the bike shed, and set off into the wet, miserable weather with a positive mindset (sorta). After what felt like years, I reached read street, which fortunately for me, is downhill. But unfortunately, is heading straight into the wind and rain. I was biking down at the speed of light, then I saw it. A dead hedgehog, lying there. I grimaced and swerved around it, water welling up in my eyes. Either from the rainwater or my sympathy for the hedgehog. I imagined being at home by the nice warm fire with my pjś on, and smiled.

Why do we need water? By Kezia

Why do we need water?

                        

We need water for many different reasons. Your body is made up of approximately %60 water, and needs to be topped up constantly. It hydrates us and helps almost every living thing survive, everyone needs different amounts of water and there are many health benefits of drinking water. 

My first point is that we need water to stay alive. It's as simple as that. We lose water by sweating, going to the toilet, digestion, when we sleep and even just by breathing. That is why you need to be topping up constantly. Water hydrates us and stops our throat and lips going dry, helps control our temperature and greases joints, so we can keep them moving when we are active. If you simply decided to stop drinking water altogether, you could die within 3-4 days. As well as getting not enough water, you can also have too much of it, that is a condition called Hyponatremia. When you think too much about drinking water and drink it all the time, you will get over hydrated and that causes your body to get Hyponatremia. 

Secondly, the amount of water people need to survive varies. The average human needs 2-3 litres of water a day, but new research shows that the amount of water we drink depends largely on our weight and environment. You can find water in many foods as well, which makes up about ⅕ of our daily intake of H20. Fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, spinach, cucumber and even brussel sprouts include just over 80% of water.  A new study also found that men need 2.5-3.7 litres of water and women need 2-2.7 litres of water a day. 

My last point is that water can also have many health benefits for humans, like functioning better at school, or work, and improving your energy, effort and mood. A dehydrated brain works harder to accomplish the same amount of work as a hydrated brain, meaning that if you drink water you are more likely to get through a decent amount of work. Another benefit is that water helps strengthen cells in your body, meaning you have a good, strong healthy body!

In conclusion, your body needs water to survive, stay hydrated, and function properly. I hope you have learnt more about why it is so important to drink water all the time. 

Tangiwai Disaster in New Zealand

Hi guys! Here is My informative report on the Tangiwai disaster in NZ! Comment down bellow questions, opinions and other statements. I'd love to hear from you!!

Tangiwai disaster- Tangiwai meaning “ weeping waters” in Maori. 

24th December 1953 10:21pm

It was Christmas Eve, and most of the 285 passengers were heading home for Christmas with presents, toys and gifts for friends and family. Then, at 10:21pm, the train to Auckland plunged into the flooded river. The Whangaehu river bridge that the train was crossing had been fatally weakened by a volcanic lahar from Mt Ruapehu's crater lake so the locomotive and first 6 carriages derailed into the river. 151 people on board died.The people waiting to meet their loved ones at the different stations up the line had no idea what had just happened.

 In the next few days, searchers found many mud-soaked presents, toys and teddy bears on the banks of Whangaehu. Among the few from the second-class carriages ( the front of the train) to survive was Richard Edward Brett who was 18 years old, who somehow avoided being swept to his death down the flooded river. Charles Parker- the driver, had applied the emergency brakes around 200 metres from the bridge, an action which stopped the last three carriages from ending up in the river and saved many lives. 

That event made headlines around the globe the next morning and our nation was stunned. The Tangiwai disaster is known to be the world's eighth deadliest rail disaster. Charles Parker- the driver, had applied the emergency brakes around 200 m from the bridge, an action which prevented the last three carriages from ending up in the river and saved many lives. 

Some survivors have trouble celebrating Christmas because it brings back memories of that night, many of the passengers were travelling with family or friends and many lost those people and so Christmas makes them think of the death of their loved ones. For other people, survivors try their best to make Christmas the best it can possibly be for their children and grandchildren. In the queen's annual christmas speech- broadcasted from Auckland- she mentioned the Tangiwai disaster and gave a message of sympathy to the people of New Zealand. 

By Kezia Pestell

Winter poem

Winter By Kezia Winter is grey with blank brown 🌳🌲 Grass 🌲⬆️ 💚 sprouting from the soil, The scent of ⛈️ merges with 💦 paint, 🌬️ 💨, creating mini 🚪⬆️ 🌪️, Exquisite 🔥🌡️ 🍫 explodes in my 👄, All is fresh, 🔇 ➕ lonely in 👥⬅️ nation. Ye, it is so close to Winter in beautiful New Zealand! What is it like where you live?I wrote this poem to see if you can translate it back to original form! Comment down below! I'd love to hear from you!! Stay healthy and safe everyone.