Child Slavery in the cocoa bean industry

When you get your bar of chocolate from the shop do you ever think where the cocoa beans used to make your chocolate come from? Have you ever thought when you're eating it, about the children that had to pick the cocoa beans? Have you ever realised that they get beaten most of there lives just for you to eat a simple bar of chocolate? Would you want to get beaten just because some person thinks that you're not doing the job probably.

Well its true! There are children that get beaten because their bosses say that they are not picking enough cocoa beans even if the poor little kid had picked about a million a day. I think this is horrible and children shouldn't be treated this way ever! Thankfully there are people that stop child labour in the cocoa bean industry but its still not enough we all need to help.

Firstly, I think that its awful how people think they can treat kids the way they do. The way they treat them, beat them and care for them worse then you would treat a rat and that only happens to the luckily ones who live on bananas and cornpaste. The unluckily ones are whipped and beaten like horses to harvest cocoa beans that are made into chocolate treats for more luckily children in Europe and America. Would you like to be treated this way?

Thank goodness for companies such as Fair Trade, Save the children, Trade Aid, World Vision and many more around the world who help stop child labour in the cocoa bean industry. These organisation them fair deals so that they can earn more than they use to such as only 50c a week. Fair Trade has gone worldwide and is getting bigger. Have you heard of the 12 year old boy who started up Save the children and took his idea worldwide. He believed he could do it and reached his goal.

You might ask your self "How can I help? How can I make a difference?" You can by buying Fair Trade products at a supermarket. You can help ensure that the growers and pickers will get the money they need to survive off.

Here is the Fair Trade logo

Buddy reading

The year 8s all have either one or two buddies that we see every Friday for half an hour.
My buddy is Maddison. This is Maddison and I making Snakes and Ladders.

New Zealand Sign Language

We have been learning this video so that we can do it in assembly on Fridays.
The reason why we are is because it was Sign Language week last week.

Technology Week

This week we have been at Technology. Half of the class go to wood work with Mr Wilmot and the other when to Mrs Munrow with cooking.  I was with Mrs Munrow and did cooking. We made different kinds of breads each day. My favourite was the chocolate bread but saddly the moment I got home it was eaten so fast I didn't know what happened and all they left me was a crumb (Good thing I had some before!) We also made sushi and lots of other things. I really enjoyed cooking with Mrs Munrow and can not wait until term 3 when we do sewing.

One Day Song

In class we have been learning this song for a topic called 'Reading around links'. We have to pick a song and write about what the meaning of it is. But the song has to be about WAR!
Ms Mynes picked the song so that we could get an idea of what we have to pick.

Multiple Intelligences.

In class we are learning about SMARTS ( Multiple Intelligences ) we did a test on the computer and here are my results...

•  NATURE = 19
• PEOPLE = 19
• PICTURE = 17
• MUSIC = 16
• BODY = 15
• WORD = 15
• MYSELF = 15
• NUMBER= 12

The highest means that its how you learn better because the person that made the Multiple Intelligences said that everybody learns differently.

The first week of 2013, Year 8

WELL, The last year of school until we go to high school its a bit scary. The 7 years has gone so fast it fells like just yesterday the I came to Winton School for the first time when I was only 5 years old and then all of a sudden I'm a big year 8. But I'm looking forward to the last year of school so that I can get on with my life and follow my dreams as I want to go to the Olympics for Horse riding!
This year I'm also looking forward to going on camp to Deep Cove, and seeing my best friend Charlotte as this it is our last year of being together as she is going to Dunedin to board.
Other wise everything, as our teacher Mrs Mynes is challenging us a lot.