Sorting the colours

Ainslee

Alana exploring the puzzles

Ainslee

Blessing's first week

 
This is Blessings first week at KIDSPACE, she already enjoys family corner play, exploring outside and kai and sleep times. We welcome Blessing and her family and look forward to getting to know you all.
Jessie

Welcome Jorja

Jorja joined KIDSPACE last week. Jorja loves water and outside play, she also enjoys puzzles and our large wooden cubes and balancing planks.
Welcome Jorja and whaanau, we know you will have lots of fun experiences here.
Jessie

 

Coconuts

Have a look at Jude's display on the artroom wall about coconuts.
Jude brought a coconut to KIDSPACE yesterday and the children had a day to think of how to smash it open. This they did today then we ate the coconut flesh. Ask your child how they liked it (a few spat the coconut flesh out) and see how it was done in our photos.

Jessie, photos by Ann and Jude.

KIDSPACE social netball team

This is our teachers and mums of KIDSPACE social netball team in action. We play on Tuesday nights in our pango KIDSPACE uniform t-shirts. A few of our players are off with injuries but we have a great cheering squad made up of KIDSPACE tamariki, their siblings and whaanau from week to week.

Support us by coming down to watch at Pandora and shout out or just by giving us a pat on the back.

Jessie, photography by Ainslee

May New Zealand Music month

May is New Zealand Music month. We thought we would organise musical instrument players to entertain our tamariki ma, national or international instruments. If you can play an instrument or know of anyone who can please let Jessie know. Just for 15 minutes or so or just to bring in for us to look at, touch and talk about.
Think weird, wonderful and different instruments.
Jessie

Happy birthday Jess

 

'Flu Vaccine

You may have seen in the weekend newspapers about changes to advice given about immunising under fives with the flu vacinne following some adverse reactions in Western Australia. New Zealand has not had these reactions but as a precaution the Health Ministry is advising parents to avoid the Fluvax vaccine (which is now almost out of stock here anyway)for under fives and opt for the Influvac or Vaxigrip.

Trip to the Sport Shop

Today we took a group of children for a walk to the sport shop on Taradale Road to replenish our KIDSPACE sports gear. Charlie, Eneri and myself had looked at the catalogue last week so we had a good idea of what we needed to get. On our shopping list was....
A kiwi cricket set,
2 rugby balls,
A soccer ball,
A volley ball and,
A basket ball.
We managed to get everything on our list and a couple of extra goodies. With such a huge selection, we had so much fun choosing what to get. When we got back to KIDSPACE, everyone was so excited to try out the new gear. Sarah and Maia had a crack at the cricket set and found their strengths bowling and wicket keeping (Sarah had a definite bit of speed in her bowls and was bowling all the boys out!!). Everyone had a great afternoon experimenting and challenging themselves with different balls and sports. What a fantastic way to get fit and healthy!



Jess, April

Traditional Maori Games

Yesterday (April 22nd), Tamara, Rie, Ainslee and myself were lucky enough to attend a workshop run by Sport Hawkes Bay, where we learned about the history, tradition and rules of a variety of traditional Maori games. One of these games is Ki-o-Rahi. As there are a number of children interested in sports and physical activity at KIDSPACE at the moment, I think it is the perfect time to introduce the language and concepts surrounding this game which has such a rich history in our country.

Ki-o-Rahi is a traditional pre-European Māori ball game. It is a fast running contact sport, played on a circular field, involving imaginative handling and swift inter passing of a "ki" (ball). Before the arrival of Europeans, Ki-o-Rahi was played by Māori throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand. Often different tribes would play different adaptations of the game.

Traditional Ki-o-Rahi ki (ball)

During World War 2, Maori soldiers played this game to pass time, introducing it to many soldiers from different countries. At the moment Ki-o-Rahi is a lot bigger over-seas than it is in New Zealand. In America there are 31,000 schools involved in the sport, and a lot of European countries like France and Spain have national teams. We had a quick go at a game yesterday, and we had so much fun! There are many ways the game can be adapted to work as a fantastic learning experience for the children.

Jess

Feel the gloop

Happy Birthday Oly

Making apple pie

New vege garden

This afternoon more vege's were planted in our vege garden. We finished the last of our small whero and kowhai tomatoes a while ago, we have been sampling sprigs of parley in the mean time. With our newly planted leeks, lettuce, beetroot, broccoli and vege combo children will be able to pick and eat straight from the garden. The vegies we need to cook, we will try at morning tea times or whaanau and teachers can take home.

Jessie

Jess' dog Luna

Today Luna the puppy came to visit. Luna is Jess' family's new pet, she came in with Paul Jess' husband. Luna is only young and hasn't had all of her puppy injections yet, when she has she will come back to visit us so we can pat, play and talk to her. Today Luna visited at kai time and we had all just washed our hands and were eating lunch.

Jessie

Hokoi to St Patrick's school play ground

Thank you Dan

We are very grateful to Dan Gallagher (Rionagh and Donnagh's Dad) for welding our front gate back together. If you have need of a first rate welder - letterboxes and creative projects call DG Stainless 06 8340429

Ainslee's birthday

Story time with James

It was nearing the end of a short week ready for Easter weekend. James came in for a little bit at the end of the day. Here James is pictured reading a story with Kian, Donnagh, Rionagh, Jack and Noah the children were really engrossed in James story telling.

Cleaning the KIDSPACE chairs

It was a quiet day on Tuesday so after lunch when some of the children were asleep I started to wipe down some of the chairs in the art room to make them nice and sparkling clean. Next thing I know Sarah, Maia, Caelyn and Charlie are saying, "can we help?, can we help?" I said, "sure" (I promise you it wasn't slave labour, they were very willing and keen), the children each had their own individual cloth, they wiped down the wooden parts then the metal frame and used a bowl of water and spray and wipe when they needed, between them they would communicate, "can you pass the spray please, I need the spray, where is the spray?". This experience lasted at least half an hour. It was great to see that the children are contributing to the life of the centre and knowing they have a place. They are displaying skills in caring for the KIDSPACE environment, Ka pai children keep up the great work.

Tamara

Playing with the baby dolls

Tamara

Sports Hawkes Bay Visit

This afternoon Char from Sports Hawkes Bay came to visit to give the children a movement session.
First we did a warm up song with movements of clapping our hands, stamping our feet and twirling our bodies around in time to the music. Next was the "clothes line" song where we all were given two pegs that we had to peg onto different parts of our clothes and twirl around to dry our clothes - what fun and great for developing and strengthening our fine motor skills. Lots of fun was had with the balloon song, where the children were able to further develop their gross motor skills by tapping the balloon with their hands, feet and throwing up into the air and catching! This was only some of the activities within Char's visit all of which supports KIDSPACE aim to gain the Healthy Heart Award. Ann

Te Reo Maori Waiata

I introduced three Te Reo Maori songs to our tamariki about three weeks ago. The children have been practising and practising the words and the tunes at group times, before kai and spontaneously through the day. The three songs we have been singing are "Tapa toru, tapa wha", "E noho, E noho" and "Tahi, rua, toru tamariki". These are small action songs with a funny tune, and are easy to learn.

Today, Jessie was taking group time, singing the new songs with the children, and I recorded all their wonderful singing. Tapa toru, tapa wha is the song that they have really got the grasp of quickly. Isaac and Eneri quite enjoy the tahi rua, toru tamariki. I often see Eneri really focusing on counting with his fingers as well as singing. Sophia, Kian and Sarah have got the hang of Tapa Toru tapa wha, and are confident in singing the words and making the shapes with their hands at the same time.

Here are the words to the songs, so please feel free to practice yourself or with your children, or even join in when you are hearing us sing these at KIDSPACE.

Tahi, rua, toru tamariki

Tahi, rua, toru tamariki

Wha, rima, ono tamariki

Whitu, waru, iwa tamariki

Tekau nga tamariki e

E noho Tamariki

E noho, e noho, tahuri te waka

E noho, e noho, tahuri te waka

E noho, e noho, tahuri te waka

E noho! Tahuri te waka

Tapa toru, tapa wha

Tapa toru, tapa wha

Tapa toru, tapa wha

Tapa toru, tapa wha

Porohita nui

(To the tune of 'happy birthday to you')

Ainslee

Going on an egg hunt...

 

Before lunch today we had an Easter egg hunt. Hunting for child made decorated Easter bunnies on a stick in the garden. Once these were found and exchanged for a real chocolate Easter egg, we ate them all sitting together in the sun.
Happy Easter to all of our families and we look forward to your Easter break stories on Tuesday 6th April.
Jessie

 

 

Tamara

Little Fancy Feet

On Tuesday we had Nicole in who has a dance business called 'Fancy Feet Social dance Studio'. She took a music session with the children, who all really enjoyed it, including the teachers. We did foot exercises flexing our feet up and down forward and back. We moved around the room stretching our bodies up high, turning our bodies around in a twirl. Nicole provided the children with a variety of action songs making bubbles with our bodies, we did the actions to twinkle twinkle little star, being little fairies, then being BIG GIANTS, all supported with great music in the back ground.

What a fantastic music session that was had, it held the children's attention and they all participated including most of the under two's joining in with actions and bobbing their knees. Great to see the children keeping physically fit. This experience provided opportunities for children to learn about spatial awareness, gross motor skills (big muscles), fine motor skills (small muscles) we did this by doing finger action songs. The children also gain "confidence with moving in space, moving to rhythm, and playing near and with others" (Te Whaariki).

Hopefully we can organise to have Nicole back to KIDSPACE to take another session.

Tamara