Wonderful Weaving

Yesterday Irene brought in all the tools we needed to create an amazing weaving masterpiece. Irene had prepared the frame for the weaving and brought along a selection of dried and freshly cut natural resources ready to use. This quickly caught the attention of many of the children and they worked hard with Irene all afternoon creating this beautiful piece of work. Lyrique, Mollie, Max, Isabella, Emily and Tarquin all mastered their weaving skills quickly. This learning experience held the children's attention and kept them engaged and working hard together for a long time. You can now see this wonderful weaving hanging in the artroom where the children can continue to add to it whenever they like. So, if you have any feathers, bark or anything else at all that could be used to weave, please bring it in for the children and watch their masterpiece develop!!

"We had to put them in this way in the strings" - Lyrique

"I put something else on there...cool" - Isabella

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)

Whaanau Weaving Evening

On Wednesday 21st of July, from 7 to 8.30pm we had our Whaanau Weaving Evening at KIDSPACE. Thank you to the parents and grandparents who attended. We welcomed Rev Marie McDonald, who blessed our art room 3 years ago, to say a karakia to the group and share some of her knowledge and the tikanga around harakeke. Things like cutting it on an angle, returning the unwanted trimmings back to the flax bush, and not to step over harakeke, nor work with it while pregnant etc. Jess took a group to demonstrate making a ki (ball) and Rie took a group making putiputi (flowers). Tamara's dad helped Bridie, Tamara and Monica to make a kai bowl. We interacted and learnt by watching and doing (just like our tamariki do). We had some drinks and nibbles towards and the end, while sharing what we had made.

Ainslee

Recovering our poi

One morning, I invited children to help me recover our poi with material. I wanted to do this with the children (rather than in my office time), as it is a bi-cultural experience for them. I wanted to talk about the importance of poi and ask the children what they thought they are used for. To begin with, we looked at the different patterns on the material we were using. There were taniwha's, a marae and koru designs etc. Donnagh helped me to do the first poi. We needed to follow a process: cut the material in to a big enough square, cover it over the poi, cut the string to tie around it, then wrap some cello-tape around it. Libby was confident in using the scissors and cut the material that needed to cover the poi. She also used the scissors to cut the string. Maia was extremely helpful and willing to participate. She helped to cut the material and string, and held the poi while I knotted the string around it. We needed to make sure we were covering them properly so they could be used effectively with poi dance. The children had fun using the poi later in the afternoon, spinning them around and using great co-ordination.

Ainslee

Matariki head bands

The children were looking at Maori designs to use for Matariki art work. Maia decided to make a head band and decorated it with Maori patterns. A lot of other children joined in, wanting head bands of their own. Everyone had a lot of fun making their own designs, measuring their heads to make sure they would fit and wearing the head bands around KIDSPACE. These photos show Caelyn finishing hers off with some help from Rachel. Libby and Alana are wearing theirs proudly while they play.

Rachel

Matariki screen printing

Today was the perfect opportunity for the children to do some Maaori inspired screen printing for Matariki week.

The children looked through books with korus and other Maaori art works. After looking Caelyn and Maia then drew and cut out their own shapes.

"I am going to make a zig zag, like in this picture", Maia was telling me. After carefully drawing and cutting out their patterns, the children then placed their patterns where they wanted them to be on their piece of paper.

"I would like the red first, but not to put on all of it", Caelyn told me as she was setting up her picture.

The children spread the paint over their picture, and then re-laced their cut outs to make another pattern. They then chose another colour and repeated the process.

Rochelle

Trumpet and Kazoo players

Matt visited KIDSPACE with his two trumpets on Wednesday, as part of May New Zealand Music Month. He had an old beaten up brass trumpet and a newer silver trumpet. We listened to him play then made kazoos- musical instrutments that produce a buzzing sound when the player hums into it. We made ours from combs and baking paper. Together we hummed the theme to the 'Muppets' and 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'. This was lots of fun just from a comb!

"Children develop an expectation that music... can amuse, delight, comfort, illuminate, inform an excite", Communication, Te Whaariki.

Jessie

NZ Music month, Matt from Horusset

Wow at real drum kit set up on our deck.

For NZ Music month we had Matt from Horusset and his drum kit in. He played great beats with one arm (his second arm was in a cast).

This is what our budding drummers enjoyed best...

"I liked the noise of the drum, I had two turns", said Maia.

"(I) sat on the stool, (I) used the drum", added Oly.

Eneri commented, "I liked looking at the drum, the letters (of band name) and the cymbals, I didn't want to turn".

Kian shared, "I liked the cymbals, I liked the drum stick (it was) really loud".

"The drums sticks, drumming it and the banging noise", Caelyn enjoyed best.

Sarah shared, "I liked the cymbals".

Max said, "I did the drum and banged it, I remember the pillow goes under it and then I banged it".

Lastly Charlie commented, "I banged the drum, I carried a part of the drum inside (from Irene's car)".

Jessie

NZ Music month at Room 13 Onekawa School

Room 13 at Onekawa School invited a small group of us to watch their ukelele practice on Friday. They also had two recorder players aswell. Noah, Sarah, Taneesha, Kian, Maia, Paige, Rochelle and Jessie walked to Onekawa School, passing Isaac's Nanny Beth on road patrol and once inside Room 13 we sat on school chairs. Joanne our cleaner was there too, this is one of her twin daughter's class rooms.

We listened to two songs played by ukelele then one recorder song. After two more ukelele songs Room 13's teacher Jenny Sargenson said these ukelele players had last week perfromed in front of their school assembly and had just looked at Gin Wigmore's new song on You Tube that morning to practice next.

Our small group of children took in the class room, musicians and Sarah said, 'I like the red ukelele'. On our walk back Maia said, 'I liked the one with the stickers'.

"Children develop awareness of connections between events and experiences within and beyond the early childhood education setting", Belonging, Te Whaariki.

Jessie

KIDSPACE waiata

Tune- I'd Love to Teach the World to Sing.

We are the kids of KIDSPACE
We love to laugh and play
We are the kids of KIDSPACE
We have fun throughout the day

Ko maatou ngaa tamariki
o Te Matauranga, e
Ki te mau Te aroha, me te Takaro
Ko matou ngaa tamariki, o Te Matauranga e
Ki te mau Te Aroha, i ngaa wa katoa.

Composed by Monica, and Paul Blake

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

Storyteller

Jase the storyteller is coming to visit KIDSPACE on Friday 2 October @ 10am. Jase tells Maori legends and sings songs and plays instruments. There is a lot of interaction and child involvement.

Newspaper people

This afternoon Jessie helped to make newspaper clothes. We chose hats,

t- shirts and skirts. Max wanted to be a pirate and asked for a hook! Chardanae and Tyra where witches. Sophie and Sarah where happy in a skirt.

"Children are asked for their ideas and allowed to make some significant decisions about the programme", Belonging, Te Whaariki.

Jessie

To find out more about Te Whariki: Early Childhood Curriculum and how you can support your child's learning at home click here