Te Kakano

Uxbridge loves being involved in the community Te Kakano trips. We were invited to be the tangata whenua and welcome the manuhiri ( visitors) onto Te Whare O Matariki. Being part of this pōwhiri gives us exposure to a traditional māori ceremony so we are privileged to be part of this. We sung a waiata about growing seeds and  then had a picnic on the whāriki, sharing some kai. We went for a hikoi (walk) over to the library for more singing, dancing and stories.

We learnt some names of huarākau and huawhenua, fruit and vegetables with Whaea Taini and were given a special gift, a kōkihi- spinach for our tamariki's own māra kai -gardens. How lucky are we ?

By participating in community events tamariki are continuing to grow their sense of belonging and connection to our local area. They are building relationships with local organisations and practising social skills that are appropriate for these locations. By being involved we are also learning about Te Ao māori world views.

Constructing a scene

Today the tamariki constructed a scene out of one of our favourite myths “ How Maui Slowed the Sun”

They built a pit for the sun to rise from and we decided after all of our practise that we would perform this at our morning mat time. 

Samantha told the story loud and proud using pictures from the story ( and her amazing memory ) to lead the characters through the play.

Maui (Everly) and her brothers worked together in collaboration to weave Harakeke ropes to catch Tamanui Te Rā ( Blake) , the sun. 

The brothers went “ over mountains, through rivers to the edge of the earth where the sun, Tamanui Te Rā rised up” Samantha told the story so beautifully to the tamariki.

After the great battle between brothers (Everly, Matthew, Lucy and Rylee)  and the sun. Tamanui Te Rā ( Blake) said, “ I will go slower in the sky.”

Everyone cheered that the sun would go slow and our character took a bow. The audience clapped for a play well done!

We were responding to stories, using our imaginations, entertaining for a purpose, using loose parts to construct the scene for reenactment. Many of the tamariki had a turn at being the characters throughout the morning so we also shared too! We also always encourage the stories of Aotearoa where we can practise our te reo and become more familiar with the myths from the past. 

A sandpit, a speaker and a fire truck

With our imaginations in full force, we created a fire truck fit for the finest firefighters at Uxbridge. We made sides for it, where the tamariki looked at a real fire truck and drew their own versions of  buttons on it. We had props, jackets , fire hoses and sandpit loose parts. To add to the atmosphere I brought out the speaker and we enjoyed The Fireman’s bbq story song on repeat while we rushed to the fire. 

You can listen to free story here:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FNESC9Z-M7w

Children are contributing to the group, sharing ideas, exploring loose parts using constructive thinking, navigating play using social skills and enjoying music and singing.

You may have seen in the community the fire trucks have ahi written on them. Ahi means fire in Te Reo 🔥Luckily, we didn’t find ahi! But if there was a fire at Uxbridge we went over where to go and what to do as a follow up at mat time. It’s always important to reinforce and practise the drill.  Do you have a family meeting spot like the letterbox if there was a fire-alarm was going off at your place?  

What is your house made of?

 As a part of our ongoing interest in exploring construction, the children used collage materials to create their own houses. We were wondering what our houses are made of. What shape is the roof? Why are bricks better to use than straw? We talked about the different building materials used in building our houses, as we used collage materials  in creating our own houses. This is a fascinating way for children to explore the world around them to understand more about structures and building materials. Purposeful questioning helps children to come up with their own ideas, build on their understanding, and make more sense of their surroundings. They are building on vocabulary, maths knowledge, and language skills and making connections to their prior knowledge and experiences.

Community Garden Project

Wire Sculpture Art 

Continuing on from the children's interest in constructive exploration.  We set up a table with wire and beads for the children decorate.  This process took lots of concentration as well as eye- hand coordination and creative flare.  Once they had placed the beads on the wire, the children were able to manipulate the wire into different shapes.  There were hook, spirals, hearts and circles master pieces.  It was really awesome to see everyone's unique artwork.  

We proudly went and attached these to the trellis ready for it be out to share with our community and in the mara kai community garden. 

The children participating actively and building stronger connections with our Marae and community  really emphasis the equitable opportunities we provide for all learners and our passion of holistic learning. 

*Te Whāriki, encourages teachers to intentionally implement learning experiences so children learn about and through the visual arts.

Diwali celebrations at Uxbridge!

Today we celebrated Diwali the Festival of lights. Traditionally Diwali is celebrated by the making and lighting of diya's (candles), fireworks, story telling and sharing food with friends and family to celebrate the triumph of light over dark. Here at Uxbridge we marked the occasion by making our own diya's, creating Rangoli patterns, making marigold flowers, getting henna designs on our hands, dressing up in cultural clothing, listening to the story of Diwali and dancing to Indian music. We even made some yummy mango lassi a smoothie drink, which went down a treat!