On the bus

We have been a busy class over the last couple of weeks. A highlight has been the beginning of our bus outings. We are happy that everyone is now working well as a group on outings, so we are challenging ourselves to use the public buses.

We started by deciding where to go. We planned to go to The Palms mall on the Orbiter bus. We walked to the bus stop and waited.

We waited some more.

When the bus came we either used our Metrocards, or we used money to buy a ticket for the bus.

We know that we need to sit quietly on the bus. We can have a quiet talk to each other. We need to stay in our seats until we arrive where we want to go.

Aimee was so quiet. When a lady she didn't know sat beside her, she sat quietly and looked out of the window.

Lots of people listen to music on the bus. William had his i-pod with him so he listened to music quietly.

Alex likes to look for other buses and trucks while we drive along.

James thought the bus ride was awesome!

He gave it a big thumbs up!

 When we got to the mall we had a treat. Everyone had an ice cream. William didn't want his one so he gave it to his best friend Matthew.

We all need to take care of our own rubbish. Alex and Rawiri disposed of their rubbish independently. At the food court if you look around you will see where the rubbish bins are. Don't leave a mess on your table!

Even though he didn't want to have an ice cream, William had lots of fun on our outing.

After visiting the mall we needed to get back to school. We walked to the bus stop. When a bus came we got on. Oh no! Smoke started coming into the bus and the driver said "Quickly get off the bus." We all followed instructions from the driver and got off the bus. The bus driver got his fire extinguisher out and went to the engine of the bus to stop the whole bus catching on fire. Can you see all of the smoke around the bus?

The poor bus needed to be fixed before it could take passengers again. Luckily there was another Orbiter bus in a little while. We got on the next bus and went back to school.

We were so impressed with how well everyone followed instructions from the bus driver. In an emergency, like a fire, we must always follow instructions straight away so that no one will be hurt.

Learning to ride on the public buses is a very important skill for our students. Many of the students in the Allenvale Transition programmes work on bus skills. We have students in some classes learning to travel from home to work places or school independently, and we have others who are learning the basics of behaving appropriately on public buses. We sometimes see former Allenvale students out and about on the buses. It is a great way of getting around when you don't drive a car.

Mona Vale Walk

 Yesterday we had the school van so we were able to travel to one of Christchurch's most beautiful parks. It is a long time since we have been to Mona Vale. During the earthquakes Mona Vale's brick buildings and walls either fell down, or were badly damaged, and repairs are still to be started, or are underway. Luckily the gardens are still as beautiful as ever, and there are lots of birds to be seen.

Mona Vale has some beautiful bridges to walk over.

 Rawiri was happy to be in charge of the backpack that we take on all of our outings.

 Blossom already!!!? Winter has only just started.

 We have always admired the "gingerbread cottage" at the gateway. Unfortunately there are lots of cracks in the cottage, and the chimneys fell down.

 Merit looked so beautiful in the sunlight.

 Rawiri looked for interesting things along the river walk.

 Can you see the twisted shapes of the tree branches?

 Matthew was very fast on our walk. He loves to be the leader.

 Alex thought the birds and ducks were really exciting.

 The old bath house is not able to be used at the moment. It is a beautiful old building made of lots of glass.

 Aimee-Lee and Fay enjoyed the sunshine.

 Matthew and Alex had a run around on the big lawn.

 Over the bridge.

 This year Rawiri has been interested in finding leaves. He was looking under this big tree. What colour are the leaves on this tree? If you use a communication device can you find the colour?

 We went into the gazebo. The light was shining through the stained glass windows and glowing off the tiles.

 Alex was fascinated by the stained glass windows. There is a protective sheet over the special windows so we could get up close to have a good look.

 William seemed to feel right at home in the gazebo. He sat down and looked like he wanted to stay all day.

 On outings we make sure that we have a good look around to locate the toilets, rubbish bins, drinking fountains and other things that can help us to have a good outing. We found the signs on the toilets that show who should use each toilet. Matthew is checking out the sign for the men's toilet.

 Merit found the women's toilet.

There is a drinking fountain by the bathrooms, so we checked that out too.

If you are out and about and need to use the toilet can you ask for help? If you use a communication device can you find a way to ask to use the toilet or a drink?

We are so lucky to have beautiful parks and gardens to visit in Christchurch. A long time ago the Mona Vale house and gardens were a private house. Can you imagine living in such a beautiful place?