Koru- new life, growth, strength and peace

Since New Zealand is surrounded by water, the schools have decided that swimming is a necessary skill for all the students to learn how to do.  Here is my class during free swim time this week.

 Look at my little Caleb on the right side.  Every swimming time he is in the same lime green and black wet suit with these huge red goggles that push his ears down on each side.  I LOVE it!  There is nothing more cute that this sight.

It has been nice because they have let the teachers use the pool whenever they want.  Today Christine and I stayed after and tried to swim laps.  Swimming is so hard.  I am so impressed by swimmers.  But we got a good work out trying to swim back and forth.

I also got my first art work souvenir from New Zealand.  Actually it is a huge volcanic rock (it's probably 20 pounds) and I’m still not positive how I am going to get it back home ha.  But I think it will be fun to put into my classroom this fall to remind me of all the amazing things that I’ve learned on this trip!

The design on the rock is a Koru.  The koru is a spiral shape based on the shape of a new unfurling silver fern frond which is native to New Zealand.   It symbolizes new life, growth, strength and peace.

This is when it's still spiraled up.

Here is the silver fern.

I bought it from this random house down the street from where I’m living.  Christine and I had seen a sign outside of this house that said “rock mosaics.”  One night Heidi and I went on a run and decided to go and knock on the door.  They had some really beautiful pieces.  I wanted something “New Zealandish” and something in my budgeted price range.  The Koru rock was perfect!