Libby and Alyssa

One of the parents came in and asked if we had the camera handy because, as you can see, Libby and Alyssa are sitting on the park bench with their bags to the side and Alyssa is checking herself out in the mirror making sure her hair is in place. This was a lovely moment to see. The girls were into great imaginative play. Don't they look like they are waiting for a bus?

Thursday Trip to the park

We took all the children from KIDSPACE to the park near the Onekawa pools for morning tea. The children had so much fun they ran around, kicked the balls, hid behind the trees, (looked for pukeko's?) and found cicada skins attached to the trees. We also took the T-ball sets which the children have been enjoying at KIDSPACE. The park gave them more space to hit the ball and get physically active. We then made our little walk back to the centre and had a wee play then it was time for lunch.
Hopefully we can make the visit to the park a regular experience because the children get a lot out of being in the community, for instance, on the way we saw a postie on her bike and all the children said, "hello". Also it gives children a bit more space to run around and use some of their energy.

Bug hunter

Isaac went looking for bugs this morning and was successful, he lifted the little blue

boxes and found a daddy long legs, he has been holding into it and observing it for about 45 minutes discussing with teachers and children nearby how many legs it has and what colour it is.

What a good scientist you are Isaac being a curious learner and sharing your findings with friends and exploring the natural environment.

ART DECO Guys and Gals

Art Deco is a big part of living in the bay and as many older brothers and sisters were already dressing up, we decided to do so too. During the week, the art room sparkled with sequins, glitter and feathers with hairbands and bow ties in the making. Wow, what a fabulous day we had at KIDSPACE on Friday despite it being a rare rainy day making it impossible for the vintage car to make it's visit. The children's bow ties and feather headband looked fantastic! It has been reported that several children were spotted proudly wearing them in town over the weekend! The children found it very entertaining to see their teachers dressed up in Art Deco clothing...HeHeHeHe...check out James's fab costume!  A big thank you to the parents who helped their children dress up in such funky costumes! The colourful conversations since the weekend have showed just how much these young children were taking in. Sarah

KIDSPACE BIRTHDAY PARTY

This Sunday 1.3.09 KIDSPACE will be celebrating our 8th birthday in conjunction with international children's day. We would love for everyone to join us with their picnic lunch at Botanical Gardens at 11.30am. We hope to see you there.

Budding Friendships

It is wonderful to observe the wonderful friendships between the children at KIDSPACE. Throughout the day little groups are busy
working in their chosen curriculum area. It is heart warming to stand back and listen to the wonderful conversations taking place
between the children, and it never ceases to amaze me how much knowledge these little people have about many things.
It is also amazing how the older children care for the younger ones, even ensuring that any security blankets, toys etc, are given
to the rightful owner, should they be found lying around. Monica

Taking Snap shots

Often when I have the camera, Ruby will approach me and ask if she could have a turn too or she'll say, 'take a photo of me'. When she gets the camera she puts the strap around her neck and takes photos of different things around the centre that she finds interesting or relevant to her. It has been an interest of hers for quite a while now. Ruby knows how to use the camera quite well so I was thinking perhaps to extend her interest she could come into the office and help one of the teachers print some of her photos off. Does Ruby get a chance to use a camera at home?

Here are a few examples of her work and a photo she wanted taken of herself. Tamara

Seesaw

Maia and Isabel have been playing on the seesaw everyday of this week, it seems to be one of their favorite
things to do. When the seesaw wasn't out they asked if it could be put out and helped me grab the pieces that were needed from the shed (they were very helpful). I have watched them have so much fun laughing and laughing till their hearts content. They have become such great friends through sharing experiences like these together.
Tamara

Sports

Caelyn decided to have a turn with the T ball set, she placed the ball on top
and gave the ball a huge wack!!
Caelyn enjoyed this experience and she showed great coordination too. What great practice for
hand and eye coordination.

Meal times with Under two's

Meal times are a great way for the under two's to have time together
where we talk, sing songs and eat.
On Tuesday I read the story, "There was an old lady who swallowed a spider" the young children were so engaged
listening to the whole story, they loved it so much.

Ka Kite Ano

Wow! I never thought in a million years that I would be saying goodbye to KIDSPACE (temporarily), to go on maternity leave! That's something that usually happens to everyone else, not me!! HOWEVER, here I am, on my last day, before the long awaited arrival! Everyone asks if I am excited about finishing....I AM, because of the heat wave, but I am going to be a little lost for a while. KIDSPACE has been a huge part of my life for 3 1/2 years and it's going to be strange for a wee while! I'm sure my son will but a stop to that when he arrives!!
Thank you all for letting me be a part of your family's life over the years and sharing your precious ones. I look forward to being able to share my little miracle with you all. Thanks for all the support, words of wisdom and encouragement. The thought of almost being a parent is both exciting and bewildering, but a journey I have wanted to take for a very long time!
Take care everyone, I will see you all soon xoxoxo

Still haunting KIDSPACE!

Well here I find myself of maternity leave - lounging in front of the tele, becoming a Trademe addict, and spending money I don't need to spend buy I have the time so why not!!! I see some of you at KIDSPACE for a quick catchup when I drop Mollie off and it's so nice to still be in the know with so many families via this fantastic blog and to see photos of the children as they are nurtured at KIDSPACE. Will keep my eye on the blog as to not miss out on any gossip with children, teachers and whanau!! And definitely add afew comments here and there. You can't get rid of me aka Shrek that easy! (ask your kids about that name!) Take care, aroha nui, Jude

DR BOB STRIKES BACK!

From Dr Bob's Book of tricks, we created some wonderful art using a balloon, a tooth pick, and some water! Want to know how?
Simply fill an ordinary party balloon with water, until it's about the size of a grapefruit. Tie a knot in it and then, using a tooth pick, pierce a hole into the balloon, just under the knot. About half a centimeter under the knot should do it! Sometimes, but rarely, the balloon pops, so BE PREPARED!
The water slowly squirts out of the balloon, and that's your cue to get creative! You can "paint" designs on the deck, the concrete, anywhere you like, the possibilities are endless! If you squeeze them once you've poked a hole in them, they tend to explode (as Meegies found out the hard way), so remind the kids not to squeeze!!
Some of the children made patterns on the ground, while others chose to water the plants. Of course, no one got way unscathed, and a number for them decided to squirt each other! Everyone had different ideas on how to use them, but the one thing they agreed on, was that it was fun!
As well as promoting some creativity and hand/eye co-ordination, they also learnt about keeping their environment safe. The children learnt about slippery surfaces, and where was best to squirt, as well as picking up the broken/deflated balloons and popping them in the rubbish.
So, give it a go, it's HEAPS of fun!!
Meegies

Climbing skills

Boys fishing trip

Dr BOB

This week I filled some containers with water and added shells and plants then put the containers into the freezer. On Monday I got them out and they looked great with the shells stuck inside. Children looked at this block of ice and wondered what it was and I explained it had shells inside, i explained that inside the ice it had not all frozen because there was a bubble inside moving around. Several of the older children held the ice. Isabel said, "it's so cold, it's melting". Tyra and Sarah decided to take it down the water slide and observed as it gradually melted when it was in contact with water.
This is a good science experience, concept for young children and teaches them about the properties of liquid, ice and melting. It gave opportunities for children to enquire and become curious about how it works.
Tamara

Summer time

It has been so so so hot, as you all know. So the children have been enjoying getting into their togs
and getting wet. On Monday the teachers got the water slide out and put it onto the hill. The children were all lined up they slid down the slide with the water and bubbles, they had so much fun giggles and laughs were heard all around KIDSPACE. This was a great fun experience that also encouraged children to be aware of taking turns and not pushing in, this is good practice for their social skills.

Happy 4th Birthday Tyra

We celebrated Tyra's 4th Birthday on January the 28th
Thank you for sharing your wonderful cake with your friends at KIDSPACE

Self help skills

Sophia had her nappy changed and decided she wanted to put her own shorts on, Mum has told us she has been doing this at home also. Sophia came to Tamara for a little bit of help, when Tamara tried to help Sophia changed her mind and decided to try again her self. She did get a little bit frustrated but with persistence Tamara and Sophia got there in the end. It is great to see Sophia trying these every days skills for herself and trying to master them what a great feeling for her when she can do it all by herself. Keep up the great work Sophia!!

Great Friends

Mollie hurt her finger on Tuesday and got a bit upset for Mum, she didn't want Louise
or Tamara's comfort, but once she saw her friend Alyssa that is who Mollie wanted,
unfortunately we didn't have the camera near by to capture this lovely moment. Alyssa opened
her arms to Mollie and gave her a great big hug, this made Mollie feel a lot better and she carried on playing.
Friendships are so important for children and Alyssa and Mollie do have a great friendship. Alyssa you showed great empathy and care towards Mollie what a great friend you are Mollie will always know she can come to you again and you will be there for her.

Being Nurturing

I noticed Alyssa carrying a baby in her arms very carefully on Tuesday, she had play dough in a pan
and was feeding it to her baby. Modeling what she has seen before.

Welcome

We have two new children at KIDSPACE Noah and Corbin
We Welcome you to KIDSPACE and hope you enjoy your new adventure to come,
we also give a warm welcome your families and Whanau.

Happy 4th birthday Te Kira

All the children join in the excitement of helping Te Kira celebrate her birthday (a couple of days early because her birthday was on the weekend).

Shark Bait!

After Charlie and I read the Shark book and learnt that some sharks lay eggs, Charlie suggested that we do the underwater floor puzzle to see which sharks he could name. So engrossed was Charlie in putting this difficult puzzle together, that he did not welcome his mates trying to finish it for him. This led to some harsh words being exchanged but with a little bit of help they soon decided to pass the pieces to Charlie for him to finish it (to great clapping) then they started all over again doing the puzzle together. Laker sorted out the corner pieces quickly with Charlie telling him, 'You're great at puzzles'. (Irene)

What do you think about KIDSPACE?

Have you been particularly impressed about something you or your child has experienced at KIDSPACE? Perhaps you might like to tell others about it? Would you like to share your ideas about what we could do better - staff, activities, resources...? If so, please click on comments below.

What do you think of this blog?

This is the third and final year of our ICT action research project of which setting up this blog is the last cycle. Below is an outline of our research question and the indicators we have developed. We would be very grateful to get your feedback on what you think of the blog and whether any of these indicators are relevant to you.

Research Question: In what ways will we enhance our partnerships with whānau using I.C.T?
Sub Question: What impact will developing a KIDSPACE blog have on enhancing our partnerships with whanau?

INDICATORS - we hope that the blog will promote:
1. Conversations with whanau about learning experiences at KIDSPACE
2. Whanau sharing experiences at home
3. FEEDBACK from whanau responding verbally or commenting on the blog to the learning and information the teachers have shared on the blog and from children giving feedback from having accessed the blog with whanau
4. Connecting with whanau who are not regular visitors to KIDSPACE
5. Teachers gain a greater understanding of children’s interests and strengths
6. Parental leave teachers stay connected with KIDSPACE happenings

KIDSPACE Birthday

KIDSPACE is now 8 years old! The last couple of years we have combined a centre birthday celebration with International Children's Day. This is on Sunday 1 March 2009. Suggestions have been either a Friday night sausage sizzle type of family celebration at KIDSPACE or Sunday at a park - Anderson Park (last year was great!), Botanical Gardens (lots of room to run and play, avaries, trees to climb), Marine parade playground (play equipment, safe, fenced), Pakawhai Park. Other suggestions are to dress up in international costumes?; have James as games master again? We need to decide by the end of this week.

Welcome

This week we welcome three new members to our teaching team. Sarah Bauld officially starts next week working Mon-Thurs 8.15-4.45 but is coming in Wed and Thurs this week to release staff to work on our ICT research while we still have Meegies with us.
Our two Yr1 EIT students, Sarah Frings and AnnMarie (Rie) Magee, will be in 9.30-4, Sarah on Wed and Thurs and Rie on Thurs and Fri

Kiwi Camping

At Waitangi weekend I discovered a slice of kiwi paradise! Glenn Falls are just 40mins drive from Napier (turn right off the Napier - Taupo road onto Waitara Rd just before the Mohaka River. It is such a family friendly place to camp or just picnic for the day. There's a little sandy beach and shallow, slower moving water on the camp side then for the 'big' kids there's a rock on the other side of the river to dive into a deep, clear swimming hole. The only facilities are a toilet block but camping is free. (Irene)
How did you celebrate Waitangi Day and the long weekend?
Perhaps you might like to share some other magic places within easy reach of Napier?

THANKS FOR THE FUN!

Jude and I would like to thank everyone that came to the Baby Shower last night! There were lots of giggles and games, all pretty bearable and in the name of good old fashion fun!
Thanks Katrina for co-ordinating all the games, you did a fab job...a new career path maybe? Thanks to the KIDSPACE whanau who were extremely generous. Jude and I will have the best dressed, nicest smelling, happiest babies in the bay! Irene provided us with drinks & nibbles, to keep us fueled for the events, I certainly needed it with all that laughing! Phew! The most interesting game of the evening was "Guess that Smell." If only all nappies smelled like chocolate!
Aroha nui, Meegies ox

Infants and Toddlers

The under twos have been enjoying exploring their environment moving from one area to the other. Harry has a huge passion for waterplay and an interest in the train set. Oliver has also been interested in the water play and sand. He has been spotted
walking around KIDSPACE with other peoples shoes on, does the shoe fit Oly? Sophie has been taking good care of the babies in the family area, feeding them and putting them to bed. Netana has been interested in the baseball bat, holding onto it for as long as he could, he then decided he would get the ball and have a few shots. This is great for gross motor skills as well as his hand and eye co-ordination. Paige is enjoying being more mobile, she is passionate about the sand and enjoys squashing sand castles and loves to taste them too.

It would be great to hear what your children have been interested in at home during the week and in the weekend feel free to post a reply:) Tamara