A beagle comes to visit...

During our lunch time today a friendly beagle dog came up to our art room/kai room window. Monica wanted to take this dog home, but instead we called the dog, give him a pat, and put him in the front garden with a big bowl of water. He had a rest on the deck in the shade. Monica called the Dog Control officer and our new friend the beagle was picked up a in white van. His micro chip was scanned and the Dog Controller drove him back to his home. Children eating their lunch and upstairs for bed enjoyed the beagle's visit to KIDSPACE.
Jessie

Celebrating Healthy Hearts

Today Char Savage from Sports Hawkes Bay presented KIDSPACE with our Healthy Heart Award, one in Te Reo and one in English. We also received a large goody bag of active music cd's, Push Play adult and child t-shirts, Push Play balloons, blow up beach balls, Sport Hawkes Bay drink bottles, Push Play bags, Come on the Bay black bracelets, a soccer, rugby and volleyball also. These active resources are a real treat and the children have already enjoyed using them today.

Come and look at our certificates on the wall above our kitchen and laptop bench. Thank you to Ann for all of her hard work with this award.

Jessie

Mela the lamb

On Friday Jude visited with daughters Mollie and Aimee and pet lamb Mela. MELA is named after Jude's children- Mollie, Emily, Lachlin and Aimee. Mela walked in on a lead, wearing a dog collar. One of our children thought she was a goat. Mela had very soft wool to pat and after smelling our outside area and nibbling at our grass Mela did wees on our lawn.

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

Jessie

Literacy and Numeracy

Monica and I had another informative 2nd day of the literacy and numeracy course. Most of the morning was spend looking at brain development and how this impacts on literacy. Also how children engage and learn in early childhood settings. Judith has sent us an email with some very interesting information and links. We discussed the different numeracy concepts that children learn from an early age, and then how they develop through to more complex concepts, for example 'more or less' are comparing things; 'upside down' is about position and direction; 'grouping and matching' are about counting; and 'big and little' are about measurement.

As an extension of the literacy area that I set up, I have taken photos of visual literacy within the local community and displayed these on the wall. I want to engage children in conversation surrounding these and use representation and recall to extend their learning.

Ainslee

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

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

Teddy Bear's picnic

This is the day we had A Teddy Bear's Picnic. In preparation we made a sign with children drawing crayon bears, love hearts, shoes, a table cloth, a green lady and food. These drawings were to invite bears to attend our picnic. We baked muffins with Rochelle, biscuits with Ainslee and bread cases too all in bear mouth sized pieces. Bears made their own necklaces with Ann in the morning and after the picnic helped to build and paint a new ramp for Murphy and Jo-Jo to enter their hutch by. We also read "The Teddy Bear's Picnic" story all week.

"Children develop a playful interest in repetitive sounds and words, aspects of language such as rhythm, rhyme, and alliteration, and an enjoyment of nonsense stories and rhymes", Communication, Te Whaariki.

Jessie

Noah's cousins

Noah's Nan Sonia and cousin's Maisey and Tyler visited at the end of the day, one day last week.

They sang 'Ring-a-Ring-a-Rosie' at the top of the hill. Jack, Keita then later Libby joined in too, as they where laughing and having so much fun!

These special cousins played outside for a long time before moving in to discover our bookshelf, supermarket trolley and ride-on bugs.

"Children develop an understanding of the links between the early childhood education setting and the known and familiar wider world through people that are the same as at home", Belonging, Te Whaariki.

We look forward to Maisey and Tyler visiting again with Nan Sonia.

Jessie

Rachel is here for 5 weeks

Hello everyone. My name is Rachel and I am a student from the Graduate Diploma of Teaching ECE at Waikato University. I am here for 5 weeks and I am really excited about my time here in such a warm and welcoming centre.

I have 2 children of my own aged 8 and 10. I love hockey, photography and holidays with my family.

I am privileged to be working here with such dynamic teachers and wonderful children. I am looking forward to some fun KIDSPACE learning adventures. I look forward to getting to know some of you, please come and say Hi.

Kia ora, Rachel

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