Cute and cuddly? Think again! These incredible river-dwelling creatures are not as harmless as they seem! Take a look at nature’s frankenstien, the platypus!

Onithorygnchus Anatinus, more commonly known as the Platypus is a mammal. This means that its blood is warm. It is also part of the chordate phylum.

Platypus can be found in rives or streams. Although they live in a stream of a certain temperature, when hunting, they move to colder streams, as their prey only live in those colder waters.

As far as physical appearance, platypus are 43-50cm long, they have a duck like black bill, and a plump body covered in sleek brown fur, and their tail is almost just an extension of their main body. Because of their frankenstien appearance, when they were first discovered and presented to the English government, they thought that they were tricked. You could see how they would believe that! The explorers were met with a nasty shock too. Also because of their appearance, the explorers thought that they were dealing with a harmless animal. But when they found the creature’s bill around their finger, they discovered that a male platypus’ bite is poisonous. But more importantly, it hurts!

Platypus are bottomfeeders, that means that they feed on small crustaceans, or in other words, shellfish. Another magnificent thing about the platypus’ bill, is that they can use it like a radar, sensing life in the area. The animal doesn’t even have to move! They sense the electrical currents created by the other animals. Electricity is conducted by water, so they can trace it back to the animal. Clever, right?

The platypus’ venom is an example of a physiological adaptation. Their body injects the venom when the platypus bites the target. Depending on the size of the victim, the venom can make it very sick, or possibly kill it!

I have learned a lot about the platypus over the past few weeks. This was a really fun way to learn about the environment.

I found a lot of this information at:

https://www.worldbookonline.com/kids/home#article/ar831783

and in the book The A-Z of Australian Animals, by Jennifer Cossins.

 

What is your favourite animal?

Do you have any fun facts about it?

 

 

 

A holiday that I celebrate is Christmas, but not the type of Christmas that most people experience. Instead of a white Christmas, Australian Christmas comes in the Summer, which means that it’s. Instead of a white Christmas, in Australia we are blessed with an unbearably hot christmas.

Within my family, we always have a special party about midway through Advent. This is the one chance a year for everyone in my family to meet, so it’s a really special part of Christmas. It is nearly always at my house, so in preperation for the party, everyone in my family is running around doing jobs. The party is always a really great experience, because I get to see my cousins who live far away. The party is really enjoyable every year, and some of my family members have classic dishes which they bring every year.

On Christmas Day, my family will always have pancakes for breakfast, open our presents, watch TV, and then go to our Aunty and Uncle’s house for christmas lunch. Which somehow always seems to include oysters. (They’re my Aunty’s favourite thing to have with Christmas lunch, and I Iove them too.) 

Christmas is a really special time for my family. It means a lot when the whole family is together, and everyone has a chance to catch up. The year just wouldn’t be the same without Christmas.

 

This is my new avatar. I made it on cartoonify .

I made this avatar to look like me. You could say that it looks like me, but there is one minor issue. I have a fringe in real life. In real life, I also love to sit down near my fireplace, and read a book. I am in Grade 3 for cello, and I love playing pieces that are lively, like Cossacks, Siberian Gallop, and Budapesto. I love performing. 

What do you like to do in your spare time?

In 2019, I have moved from year four, to year five  and it hasn’t been an easy transition. In the first week of year five, one big difference has been APS (School Sports) twice a week on week A and once on week B. So far we have been doing cycling, swimming and triathlons. APS has definitely made my week more tiring.

In the classroom, we have been refining our persuasive writing skills leading up to the cold writing task that we have completed earlier this morning. We have also started our class novel, Out Of My Mind, by Sharon M Draper. We have started our individual maths groups that will help us to grow at our own level. We have more homework to complete each week, but I believe that the class is adjusting to the current situation just fine.

Year 5 is a big leap from year four, but with great friends and a growth mindset, pushing through the beginning has been easy.

How has your year been so far?

This term, we have been putting together a Nativity Play. The first step was to learn the details of the story. We had already been learning about it in CARE, but then it was time to really focus. We then wrote the script of our play. We did this by giving two people one scene. I got scene two. (Mary tells Elizabeth). That afternoon I worked with my partner to create the best scene we could make. 

The auditions were scary, but everyone was going to get a role. I went for the role of King Herod. I got it and I was so happy. The auditions were over and it was time to get to learn the script. We rehearsed for a week and all of a sudden it was time to perform.

We performed in the morning to the year 3G students and it was a success. I played Away In A Manger on my cello, while the others sang. In the end I learnt a lot about the Nativity story. Did you know that the wise men actually took three years to get to Bethlehem? And there are not strictly three. We just assume that because there were three gifts mentioned in the bible. I think that next year’s year fours should be happy with whatever role you get, because learning your lines will still be a challenge. No matter what role you get.

Cyclones

Classification

A cyclone is a meteorological disaster, because it is to do with the weather. It is only found in tropical areas since it needs warm air and water to begin the forming cycle. The storms can be as drastic as 320kmph. 

Description

The storm is made up of swirling winds, heavy rain, and possibly hail. It is measured by how fast it is spinning. At one hundred and nineteen kilometres per hour, it is officially a category one cyclone. Most cyclones happen harmlessly at sea, but by the time they reach land, they should have about a week left.   

In that week the cyclone will not stay in one spot. It might give you a day, another city two, and the next  half of one.

Fast Facts

Hurricanes, Cyclones, and Typhoons are all the same thing. The names differ where it happens. There are three parts to a Cyclone. The eye, the eyewall, and the rainbands. The eye is the calmest, and the eyewall is the worst. The biggest Cyclone ever recorded was Hurricane Tip. That was about half the size of the USA. The storm surge is a spike of water pushed into place by the strong winds that can be devastating on land.

  

Causes

Low pressure in the air causes air to rush in and rise, causing low pressure below, which starts the cycle again. This forms the spiral in the middle of the Cyclone. The cycle keeps going, forming clouds, creating the rainbands seen from above. The winds cause the clouds to spin and spin, until the Cyclone is officially a category one at one hundred and nineteen kilometres per hour.

Effects

Some of the effects of a Cyclone include water overflowing, the storm  The storm surge causing damage, trees can be unrooted, buildings toppling over, Homes being destroyed. The winds push people across footpaths, and even cars are not safe. If you are in a Cyclone, you should find a low, enclosed space away from windows and skyscrapers. If you stay in or near a skyscraper, it could fall over and hit you. In a Cyclone it is a bad idea to leave the building, unless it is a skyscraper.

 

This is my Diorama of a Cyclone

 

Bibliography 

NASA Science

Weather Wiz Kids

National Geographic Kids

Ducksters 

Behind the News Topics Natural Disasters.   Isabella Jose.   Pearson