“This was an amazing kit, so much information shared with us and really cool activities that the learners could particpate in. My class particularly loved creating their own secret codes.”
“Excellent kit. Students loved it. Great challenges at the right level. Met curriculum needs. Well resourced and students were excited to use the cool equipment. Would definitely recommend. It did take me some time to work out how to use each activity eg would be good to have video instructions for buzz plane. The resource encouraged team work ( relating to others) and higher level thinking and problem solving. Best kit I’ve used. Thanks!”
“Initially, as part of setting the scene, I set up the map alongside a very old suitcase that had old travel labels glued on for effect. I also hung up an old model plane (1.5m wingspans) from the same era as Jean Batten. This really got the class talking and wondering.
My class really enjoyed taking part in the Jean Batten kit. There was an expectation that there would be something very different each time a task was set.
The paper planes created a challenge in that some did not 'take off' at all, but collaborative teamwork helped a lot afterward.
The coding was a challenge especially with one letter using the Morse code. There were some intense conversations going on over the decoding of them and further research was carried into how they were used. It was great to see motivated learners wanting to find out more.
The buzz planes were a lot of fun to create after the initial reactions from the learners as to why we were using toothbrushes!
I would definitely do this kit again as it helped to create an awareness of a range of aspects of New Zealand aviation history and women who stood tall despite societal pressures not to do so alongside as well as some great STEAM activities.
I appreciated the feedback and great ideas from other teachers who were also carrying out this kit.
Thank you School Kit creators and sponsors.”
“Was a great kit kids were really engaged. We struggled to get the buzz planes going and when they did they just went in circles. Kids loved solving the codes and getting a puzzle piece and seeing it slowly come together. Also really enjoyed learning about jean batten as no one had heard of her. Found a great picture book on her to start the whole kit off.”
“The Jean Batten school kit provided loads of opportunities for the children to work together in a collaborative way to solve problems and experience success together. We loved the mystery and variety of puzzles, codes, coding and riddles that were hands on and helped us make progress on our discovery about Jean Batten. This kit was thoroughly enjoyable and promoted persistence through the tasks that the children had to persevere to complete. Thank you School Kit for such a hands on resource that helped our tamarisk make connections, link prior knowledge and gain new understanding about an important figure in the history of Aotearoa.”
“This kit is well organised and able to be used cross-curricular, e.g. maths (distance and measurement) and digital fluency (coding), not to mention literacy and inquiry. The students were engaged with the resource and I found the planning was very supportive. This is a kit I could easily use again and again. The students have been able to learn about a famous woman in NZ's history. They have developed an understanding of the challenges Jean Batten had to face during her lifetime too and how this was an unusual situation for a woman to be in. Thank you very much for this kit.”
