Home Learning with Summerland

Home learning is an exciting learning area we invite all year 1-6 students to take part in.

Instead of giving out traditional weekly homework sheets, we have carefully selected home learning challenges for each year level. This is because traditional homework sheets are proven to have little academic benefit. The Summerland home-learning challenges fit the key competencies of the New Zealand curriculum and are designed to be exciting, fun, challenging and meaningful to children. They aim to teach children to be responsible citizens, and promote a real love of learning. They are also designed to acknowledge the extra-curricular activities that your children participate in outside of school hours.

Students choose whether or not they want to take part in home learning and will need to be responsible for completing the allocated number of challenges by the end of the year.

Students who successfully complete their year's home learning will receive a Summerland values certificate at the end of the year. Students who complete 3 consecutive year's home learning challenges in years 4, 5 and 6 will receive a special pounamu award at the end of year Celebration of Excellence.

Challenges are based on 5 key areas:

  • Giving
  • Service in School and the Community
  • Physical Activity & the Outdoors
  • Academic Excellence
  • Excellence in the Arts

A sample of some of the challenges:

  • Give to those in need: learn about a charity of your choice. Find out what they need in the way of donations. Donate some of your pocket money, or food, books, bedding, toys or clothes you no longer need
  • Improve your technology skills: find out what a marble run is. Design and build one that will take at least 40 seconds for a marble to reach the ground from, without the marble getting stuck. Your track must be on a board no bigger than 1 metre high and 50cm wide. Use materials you’ve got at home– eg toilet rolls, paper cups, glue, tape
  • Join a community group: show how through this you have helped others (eg cubs, guides, keas, church groups etc)
  • Make your own air-dry clay. Find some instructions to follow and make a creation of your choice. Here are some ideas: http://bit.ly/Y5HLE3b
  • Improve your fitness: over a 4 week period complete a run or walk of at least 40km or cycle 80km. Show a map of your route. Include a table that shows the dates you exercised and the distances you covered.
  • Learn to code using Scratch: Scratch Home Learning Challenges

Children who complete home learning tasks will be challenged physically, academically and in the Arts. They will learn to give and serve others as part of being a positive member of the community. They’ll also have a lot of fun along the way!


Please see your child's class teacher for more information.