Kaitiaki of Papatuanuku

 Over the last few weeks we have had a few visitors to our playground.  First we found a rather large spider hiding in our teepee.  We managed to carefully put it in a box so we could have a good look at its very long legs and delicate body.  We talked about what it might eat and where it should live.  We decided it wasn't fair to keep it in the box so a small group of us released it into the bush near the community garden.

We then found a snail hanging out in the carpentry area (not the usual place you might find a snail!)

We decided to rescue him/her from its unsafe living place and then again talked about what it might eat and what a suitable home for a snail would be.  The children searched the playground and gathered leaves and we watched carefully as it slithered all over them.  The children asked why it wasn't eating the leaves and we talked about how they might not be the right type of leaves and how at the home we have seen snails eat things growing in vegetable gardens like lettice or cabbage.  The children then had a great suggestion, maybe it would eat some apple.  We luckily had some apple we were saving for the worm farm so we gave a piece to the snail which it seemed to be more interested in.  After our discussions about its habitat we found a cool, damp place under some leaves in the garden and left our snail there to enjoy its apple.

As we observe and learn about all the beautiful plants and creatures that Papatuanuku (mother earth) has to offer the children develop a sense of care and responsibility over it. They are becoming Kaitiaki (Guardians) of our natural environment. 

 

Our Pop up Pictures

The Tamariki love to read books and Kaiako Jo reads a pop up book about different modes of transport.  This has become an often requested book and the children love seeing the complex images that jump out from the page.  With our imaginations switched on we gathered lots of different materials and made our very own pop up pictures.  

The children enjoyed telling their own stories through their creations with the most important elements 'popping' out from the page.  Through story telling the children are able to make connections to previous experiences as well as learn to express their thoughts and ideas through multiple mediums.

They are gaining skill and confidence with the processes of art, developing their knowledge of different materials and how they can be manipulated  to achieve the desired outcome and mastering the different tools involved in the process of creation (celotape dispenser, scissors, hot glue gun etc).

We also learnt some new technical words talking about concepts such as , landscape/portrait and background/foreground.

(Te Whariki - Communication and Exploration)

Building Boats

 

Some of the tamariki were curious as to why I had put a container of water on the table with a pile of recycled containers for them to explore.

Following up from a mat time with Jojo where she talked about floating and sinking, I wondered if the children would enjoy making their own boats.

We looked at a picture book that had different types of boat, picked out a base, used playdough to make a mast and tested to see if the boat would float!

Using early scientific thinking skills, we first predicted if we thought each boat would work, then we observed and problem solved. When our boats didn’t work we talked about why! When our boats did work, we also discussed how it could sink.   For fun, we tested how many Duplo characters could sit safely in the boat ! 

Some children’s initial thoughts and understandings were challenged by what they saw. This sort of activity, paired with questioning helps to develop critical thinking skills, but it’s also a fun and engaging way to explore properties of items whilst still expressing their creative flare through construction with loose parts!

Striking skills!

Tuesday was the day for striking skills.

Soccer stars united at Uxbridge whilst we cheered others on, took turns, and gave striking the ball a go!

It was tenpin soccer so to speak, and it was a hit!

Whilst playing,  the children were working on hand-eye coordination ( or foot-eye coordination for that matter)! Balance, spatial awareness, kicking skills and sportsmanship, patience and participating with a can do attitude.

Connections within our Community

Today we went for our very first visit to Gulf Views Rest Home in Howick.  This will be an ongoing monthly excursion where we will take small groups of children to go and say hello, sing songs and maybe do some crafts.  

The children this morning made some beautiful flower posies, using various flowers, and rosemary from our garden.  They wrapped colourful pipe cleaners around the stem some string and wrote their names on cards with our logo.  We set off in our rain coats, and walked up the path.  

When we arrived the children were welcomed by the staff and residents as everyone's faces lit up as we walked into the main lounge as the residents had just finished their morning tea and cup  of tea.  The children engaged in gentle conversation giving out our beautiful posies.  The room was full of smiles as we stood up, and sung twinkle twinkle little star, The wheels on the bus,  and Baby Shark finishing with great applause. 

This heart warming experience was such a great moment for all involved.