Welcome to Aimee

Welcome Ashton

Happy Last day Teihana

Napier Cental School Visit

Last Tuesday (24th August) Napier Central School orchestra and choir visited KIDSPACE! About 50 students attended with the ochestra setting up their wide range of musical instruments on the deck, while the choir waited and watched by the sandpit until it was their time to shine! The KIDSPACE kids sat excitedly on the obstacle mats and grass, watching and taking it all in. Some of the big school kids had a turn to stand up and speak briefly about the musical instrument they were playing. The orchestra played 5 pieces of music for us. All the children in the orchestra all played an important role. The KIDSPACE kids and teachers clapped when they finished and were eagerly waiting for the next one. The choir were up next, singing a range of high and low pitched songs, plus some songs with lead singers singing in the microphones. Some of the KIDSPACE children joined in by doing quack quack actions to one of the songs. Netana was excited to see his big sister after the concert, who played in the orchestra. The attention of the children was really good, as they sat and observed for about half an hour. A very well put together performance.

Ainslee

Exploring Colours with the Light Box

After lunch today the children played some games naming shapes and colours in Te Reo Maori. Jess and Jessie organised the Light Box and some coloured squares and circles for the children to experiment with. They had multi coloured ink inside, kind of like marbling inks. As they are squashed and moved about the inks divide and form patterns. The children enjoyed exploring the movement of the liquids inside each shape and trialled layering the colours over top of each other. They followed up with some painting. Libby made a rainbow. Vicky (Massey Student)

Teihana the Michael Jackson groover

Teihana had lots of fun this afternoon dancing to Michael Jackson, check out her great dancing skills, she too like Rionagh has fantastic rhythm and free movement

Rionagh in the groove

Last week Rionagh showed a keen interested in dancing so I captured this video. Then on Friday when I was in the office I heard that Rionagh continued to do more dancing in the art room creating a crowd around to watch her dancing skills. She shows great rhythm and co-ordination with her body. Rionagh is confident in movement and dance and often will participate in dancing when ever she can, she has a real ear for the music and timing.

Sorry it's upside down

Tamara

Dancing with the stars

Tamara

Happy 2nd Birthday Taneesha

Tamara

Visit from Health Nurse

Helen from the Ministry of Health visited us at KIDSPACE today, delivering messages to the children about healthy teeth. She used visual props and bought Dr Rabbit along. She talked to the children about brushing teeth regulary, how much toothpaste to use, healthy eating and drinking plenty of water. Some of the children, including Jack, Shaydn, Ataahua and Acacia had a turn at brushing the big set of teeth. I hope the parents found the note from the nurse in the lunch boxes :)

Ainslee

Emily and Isabella's first week at KIDSPACE

Ainslee

Literacy at KIDSPACE

Lately there has been a very strong interest in reading books amongst the children, and much of the time, this has been initiated by the children themselves.

It was just the other day, that I caught this wonderful example on camera.

Max, Mollie, and Libby spent a lengthy period reading "We're Going On A Bear Hunt", and were able to tell the whole story word for word, and using such wonderful animation in their voices.

Through reading, Children develop an expectation that words and books can amuse, delight, comfort, illuminate, inform, and excite, as well as a familiarity with print and its uses by exploring and observing the use of print in activities that have meaning and purpose for children.

The learning through this experience, links to the New Zealand School Curriculum in the areas of English, the Arts, and Social Sciences.

Monica

Hikoi to the park

Tamara

Have you heard about Hector the Dolphin

Hector's World Safety Button™. This button is a child-activated safety tool which children can use if something on-screen upsets or worries them when using the internet.

The Hector's World Safety Button™ is a simple executable file which you can download here for free. The file installs a swimming Hector's World™ character in the upper right-hand corner of the computer screen. A child can just click on Hector (or one of his friends) who then covers the screen with a beautiful underwater scene and gives the child a positive written message for clicking on the character, while encouraging them to get adult help.

If you go onto the netsafe web page which is www.netsafe.org.nz you can download Hector the dolphin for your home computers, they are only available on PC computers though.

Connecting the straws

This morning the connector straws were set up on the deck and were a real hit with the children, particularly Xavier, Luke and Netana. Luke's construction was coming together rather quickly. Although he put pieces together carefully and thoughtfully, he still worked fast. Netana was watching what Luke was making and was careful selecting similar pieces. It was nice to see Luke being a role model for Netana and others. I think these were new to Xavier, and he enjoyed exploring the mechanics of these. How they connect, what pieces go where, and how to take them apart etc. Charlotte joined the activity and left a few times, but when she did come back to stay, Charlotte enjoyed putting both hands in to the container and stirring them all up, before tipping some out. Charlotte also held on to the straws and squeezed her fingers around them.

After Luke shared what he made, he started up a fun game. He would point the end of his straws towards me and the camera, and wait for me to snap it up like a crocodile. Netana joined in and both the boys thought it was so funny.

Children develop the confidence to choose and experiment with materials, to play around with ideas, and to represent their discoveries using creative and expressive technologies and equipment (Exploration, goal 3, Te Whaariki).

Ainslee

Diamonds are Forever

Congratulations Jessie!!!

Meegies Baby

Congratulations to Meegies (former head teacher at KIDSPACE) who had a baby boy, Fletcher, last Thursday night!!!

Haere mai Shaydn

We welcome Shaydn and whaanau to KIDSPACE. Shaydn has formed a fast new friendship with Theo. He also enjoys outside play, painting, carpentry and playing with the large 'Shrek' soft toy (which he also has a special toy of at home). Haere mai Shaydn.

Ruby draws

Ruby uses our Literacy area at KIDSPACE to draw. She is showing her skill in gaining experience in using communication technologies such as pencils.
"Children experience an environment where- they discover and develop ways to be creative and expressive", Communication, Te Whaariki.
Jessie

Farewell Tyson

 

Happy last day for Friday to Tyson and whaanau, haere ra and we hope you visit soon to tell us of your adventures.
Jessie