At the end of Term 2 Room 25 were set the challenge of creating their own businesses. These businesses would market and sell New Zealand pumice to the world. We already knew that in New Zealand pumice came from extinct and dormant volcanoes, because we had studied rocks and geology in science lessons.
But first we needed pumice! Fortunately, Owairoa’s school grounds had plenty. In New Zealand we often use pumice as a garden filler but wondered if rock collectors overseas would find our pumice exotic. We also needed some sort of containers, such as a box, to put the precious pumice in if we were to send it overseas.
We were able to create and colour shape nets using Canva. They then had to be folded and stuck down to finish the presentation boxes. Once the boxes of pumice were completed, we needed to work out how much to sell them for? We needed to make decisions, collaborate, and negotiate with our peers. What were other rock suppliers around the world selling their samples for? And then how were we going to market the products. Did we need business cards? Digital technology skills were required again!
One student pictured said: “It was interesting to pretend we were selling stuff”. Another said: “I liked the fact that I could make a business card because it made me feel I was actually doing business.” One other student from the group said: “It’s like we’re learning to do a job. Making the boxes was fun too. We had to make them so they wouldn’t fall apart!”
