Term 2 Week 4

Where do things go when they get lost?

Our ... where are the lost keys for the Post Box conumdrum is sorted.  Tks to Hunter Wylie - Hunter's idea was to take the hinges off the Posting Box, so we did.  Tricky - yes it was - our value 'Don't Give Up' meant throughout the morning we persevered even when it seemed 'too hard'. Our perseverance paid off.  Inside we found many 'taonga' treasures.  But alas ... NO key!

Sketch It!

Last week we introduced a LED Lightbox Tracing Pad (check out the Books & Gifts Box on the Kitchen bench) - chose some leaves from around all the shedded leaves outside & SKETCHED!

Kaitiaki values within this encounter provide such a visuality to children's learning - awareness of the changes in the season, contours & characteristics of various leaves along with a tangible & distinctively authentic caricuture of 'My Leaf'.

Kapahaka Roopu

This week we introduced the rituals and routines that accompany being a special part of a Kapahaka Roopu. It was impressive to see how well some of the children recalled the actions, lyrics, and the red commands from last year's performance - ka kai to mahi!

Robbie's Magic Stone!

On Monday, Robbie arrived back from a weekend in the Hawkes Bay, bringing with him a 'volcano stone'... "Did you really go to a volcano?" was the question of the morning... We learned that the pumice stone is the only stone that can float when placed in water...how very intriguing...

Chess

Matariki

We have been exploring more aspects of  Matariki this week as the tamariki were introduced to the book 'The Seven Kites of Matariki' by Calico Mclintock & Dominique Ford. This sparked an interest in kite making and the Seven Stars of Matariki. Judy introduced crystal connectors on the light box which captured the tamariki's imaginations as they crafted abstract stars. Another fantastic opportunity to express their ideas through the One Hundred Languages.

This week we have also been enjoying a Maori language game Kei a wai? (Who has it?). 

What a fantastic and fun way to share te reo with our tamariki as they learnt some te reo names for kai moana (fish), Miiti (meat), and Hua whenua (vegetables). Come and have a game with your child next time your in!     

Taiao Tuhura

 ... Our first Forest Kindy frost for 2019, and what a stunning morning it created for us - noticing our tracks forming across the white grass, feeling the sun warm our cheeks as the sun came up high in the sky, and locating the majestic Takitimu Mountains with their fresh sprinkling of snow!
Celine and Rosa led the group along the Hidden Path - where we discovered many intriguing things...including the fallen tree following along from the high winds last week.

Day 1 – Waitī

Waitī watches over our freshwater environments. Our awa (rivers), roto (lakes), kūkūwai (wetlands), and waipuna (springs) – to name just a few. As the waters flow, she sees how they support us, provide for us, connect us, and sustain us. Waitī has heard the important stories that our waters have to tell. She encourages us to listen, and to learn from them as well.

*Our question*
Fill in this sentence: Ko _______te awa/roto/moana (______ is my river/lake/sea).

Day 2 – Waitā

Waitā surveys our vast oceans, Te Moana-nui-o-Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean) and Te Tai-o-Rehua (the Tasman Sea). The variety of life in these waters is so diverse that he finds he is still discovering different species of marine plants, whāngote (mammals), manu (birds) and ika (fish) – even after all of this time. Biodiversity is essential to our world. Our actions need to support it, and even better still, enhance it. Waitā encourages us to respect our coasts and oceans, and treat their inhabitants like the taonga (treasures) they really are.

*Our question*
What NZ marine species (plant or animal) do you most treasure?

Harakeke

This week we have introduced Harakeke (flax) as a beautiful, natural, artistic resource. The tamariki have been having a wonderful time exploring the fibers of the flax while working with it outside with Antonia this week!
There were many aataahua tipare been worn around Kindy, but each tipare has a special mana to up-keep. The tamariki who made and wore these had a special job to be Kaitiaki to our environment and each other, and what a wonderful job they did!!  
 

See you all next week,
Your Teaching Team!