Maori Language Week

Tena Koutou, greetings,
We have been celebrating Maori Language Week. This year Arohatia te Reo is the theme which means cherish the language.We embrace and enjoy our Maori language and culture at kindergarten and our tamariki (children) know many lovely waiata and poi songs which they perform with great enthusiasm. They also love to sing our Natonal Anthem and you can will see some lovely photos below of them with their arms around each other as they sing. At mat time we often say "Kei te pehea koe?" meaning "How are you". "Kei te pai ahau" is the reply we are hoping for meaning "I'm good" or even better "Ka nui te ora" which means "I'm great". We have been reading some of our favourite stories such as 'Mere McGaskill's Boil up', 'The Kuia and the spider', 'Kei te pehea Koe?', Nana Mihi's Rainbow along with Maori myths and Legends. As a special treat we purchased some Rawena Paraoa, a traditional loaf made with potatoes. Because it takes a long time to prepare and cook we decided to buy the loaf but made some Maori Fried Bread to share as well. The plates were empty in no time at all and the children agreed that the bread was really, really good.

Ruby, Alex and Sasha - great friends singing our National Anthem.

Tayla, Aimee and our new friend Emma singing beautifully.

Jac, James, Tyler and Nick - Ka pai to mahi. Great work!

Our enthusiastic helpers mix up the ingredients for the Maori fried bread

Kneading the dough - what great teamwork!

Master chef Megan at work

Rawena Paraoa

We shared the Paraoa outside. It was such a lovely, sunny day.

Kimberly said the bread tasted "really yummy"

A satisfied Stella finishing off the last piece.

How To Leave A Comment On Our Blog

I hope the school holidays are going well for everyone. Our team has been attending Professional Development Courses, so we will be back with lots of fresh ideas next week.
Up until now it has been a bit tricky to leave a comment on our Blog but hopefully you will find it a bit more user-friendly now.
To leave a comment:
You can type straight in to the Leave a message box. Before you can post the comment you will need to put in your name (first name is fine) and an email address. The email address will not show up on the Blog page and is a safety measure. Only our staff will be able to see it.
We welcome your feedback and look forward to reading your thoughts and comments.
Have a great week and enjoy the sunshine.

A Trip To Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World

Due to the on-going interest in the ocean and sea life we planned a trip to Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World in Auckland. The children were so ecxited as they counted down the number of sleeps until the trip. They have especially enjoyed some stories about sea creatures lately including 'Tiddler', 'Commotion in the Ocean' and the ever popular 'Rainbow Fish' book. We have also noticed that the children were sitting down with our non-fiction books to look at all the photos of the sea creatures. The great thing about going to Kelly Tarlton's was that they could identify many of these amazing creatures such as penguins, sting rays, sea horses, sharks, hermit crabs and of course Nemo. Kelly Tarlton's also put on a very good puppet show which was enjoyed by the children and the parents. It was a great day out and provided a valuable learning experience for the children. I'm not sure who looked more sleepy on the way home - the children or the adults!

A rock pool with all sorts of star fish to look at

We had a great view from the conveyor belt

"Look at their bright blue eyes" said Sasha

Fish, fish and more fish

Amanda and Thomas had a good look around

Well hello Mr Hermit Crab

Anya - driving already!

James thought the Hermit crabs were "really cool"

Our clever children knew a lot about the sea creatures, especially sharks like this one

Conor dressed up like a diver

We all enjoyed the puppet show

Did you know that seahorses can change their colours to camouflage themselves?

Watch out for those sharp teeth everyone

What Do I Learn At Kindergarten?

A big thank you to our families who came along to the Parent Partnership Meetings. We value the opportunity to spend some time discussing the activities and learning that your child has been involved in and it is great to get to know you  better too. We believe that children learn holistically at kindergarten - by being immersed in day to day activities that are relevant, have meaning and are fun for a child.
Each child is supported as they learn and grow so please enjoy reading this from a child's perspective:

What do I learn at kindergarten?
I learn to be away from you - my parents - and this may take some time
I learn to be with teachers and other adults
I learn to be a with a large group of children
I learn to work alone, I learn to share and co-operate
I learn simple rules and routines
I learn to complete a task or activity
I learn to be independent, but not afraid to ask for help
I learn to select and choose
I learn to take responsibility for my belongings
I learn to share my family and experiences with others
Remember I will learn at my own rate, and this may be faster or slower than others. All the activities at kindergarten, both inside and outside are provided to allow me to develop as a happy, healthy person. I am able to explore, ask questions and make new discoveries with support from my teachers. Through climbing, building, digging and running I learn to organise and direct my play, while learning about my safety limits. My confidence and my physical strength will grow and I can challenge myself to complete new obstacles and skills.
I learn about my world as I explore by:
Finding out what things are called
How they work
What they are made of
How they feel, taste, smell, look and sound
How things grow, develop and change

At kindergarten I also develop skills which I will need later on in life. I learn to understand about letters, numbers, shapes and colours, the difference between big and small, top and bottom, left and right. I am also supported as I learn to handle books, pencils, paint brushes and scissors. Some of these fine motor skills will help me with my pencil grip when I go to school.
My language and my listening skills will grow with all the stories, poems, singing, rhymes and music that I hear. As I am doing, I am learning. Because I do not always take something home, does not mean I have not been busy. There are plenty of things for me to discover and explore like nature, blocks, the family corner, puzzles, games, sand and water. I learn through all the activities because I want to and it's fun.

Fire Truck Visit

Today the Firefighters from Ngaruawahia came to visit us. We were so excited and lots of children were singing the 'Firetruck' song before they arrived. We learned all about what to do if there is a fire at kindergarten and our clever children told the firefighters where our Assembly point is. One of the firemen put on all of his safety clothing to show us and he had a special mask. It sounded funny when he was breathing but we know it is very important for him to wear all of this clothing if he is called out to a fire.
The children sat in the cab of the Fire truck and got to hold and turn on the fire hose. The water shot way up in to the air...wow. At mat time Karin read the Firetruck story and everyone sang along to the music.
Thank you to Neil (Torrin's dad) for organising this visit.

Have a look at some of our photos