Term 1 Weeks 6 & 7

Winton Horticultural Society - Autumn Show

Our completed Kakahu - proudly displayed in the Memorial Hall.  To everyone that contributed ... our thanks. Kakahu/Korowai is worn as a mantle of prestiage & honour.  It also creates a sense of identity, whether it be a gift, a connection to our NZ heritage & family tradition or a graduation acknowledgement.   With that in mind - our winning entry in the annual Autumn Flower Show was repurposed for a very celebration ...  'Happy Schooldays Harpur'.

Blueberries ... Here we come!

We continue with our passion in evoking healthy & nutritious food opportunities with an emphasis on locally grown produce. A BIG tks to everyone who was able to come along 

Meanwhile ... back @ Kindy

Hmmm ... how much is tooooooo much?

Volcano ... we have some very intrigued volcanologists!!!

Curiosity from Zkynt and Hunter Elder was the catalyst for interests shared through the provocation of amethyst stone/s.  Indeed Kaiako were able to support this interest through the introduction of 'Rocks and Fossils'.  We were able to identify & classify the various gems - topax, opals etc. A thought was to introduce a hands-on encounter to represent our understandings - metallic paint becme the provocation & the gems became REAL!!! Lots of Kōrero (dialogue) & through all this interchange dinosaurs & volcanoes were discussed. And so it began - a group of volcanologists creating their very own VOLCANO!
Tks to Hunter Elder for sharing some LAVA with us (the coloured ribbons were very realistic).

And there's nothing like a volcanic eruption - in the sandpit -  a wonderful scientific appreciation of chemistry (baking soda & vinegar) -  to finish off this encounter!

Southland A&P Show - Gumboot Storage Innovation Competition.

We decided to take on this challenge, as we discover daily a pile of shoes and gumboots at our door.
Ideas were shared around where to safely store our footwear ... Beau "In a treasure box";  Jack"In a cupboard";   Maci "In the garage" ,Knox"In the garage",  Zkynt "On a boot rack",Nora "On my shoe rack ", Harper "On the rack" , Luke "In a box" ,Lexi "I keep mine on a rack in the garage", Lizzy "In the garage", Andrew "In the boot room",Angus "Ive got one of those too".
Our collective design concepts were around creating a gumboot 'thingy' that stood up - now that's a  challenge.  Sticks were considered - a variety of sticks and toi toi, and yes the gumboot could sit on a stick. What next ... some aesthetics were considered. Beau suggested pushing the sticks into the sand or clay -  trail & error skills. And clay became the winner.  Brilliant!!! Logistics were also considered ... will it work or will it not! It worked! Now we also need a sign & sign holder.  We needed a sign holder which Alex enthusiastically formed, and some words to put on the sign.  Thanks Michaela ... done.  Winton Kindergarten 'Gumboot Storage Innoviation challenge' completed!

Pop into the A and P show on Saturday 7 March - Donovan Park Invercargill to view!!!

AGM & Brainwave Trust presentation 

A BIG tks to everyone from our Kindy whanau who were able to come along on Tue night prior to our Brainwave Trust presentation.  A BIG congrats to Gemma Bradley our new President.  Our whanau nights are soooo well attended & a BIG part of the Parent Group is their organisation of these night.  Our whanau nights are one of the most remembered 'memories' older children share with us.  They indeed an opportunity for ALL our families to gather once a term!  

A tks to Dr Tabitha Luecker for your thought provoking presentation. These are the links that we were unable to share on Tue night ... click on the links to view.
 https://youtu.be/apzXGEbZht0     https://youtu.be/F87RcxJPIbo

New visitors @ Kindy

We finally managed to source some Swan Plants (with eggs) from Diacks Nursery (if you pop in you may be able to purchase some for home) which is the most meaningful way for children to apprecaite the wonderful life-cycle process called metamorphosis.  Each morning ... spare a moment to 'notice' these munching/crunching Lepidoptera.  And today some harekeke caterpillars were created ...       tino tino pai Mereana's Mum!!!

Have a GREAT weekend everyone.  

The Teaching Team

TERM 1 WEEKS 4&5

Nau mai haere mai - we continue to welcome new faces to the Winton Kindy whanau -  Demi Johnston & Benjamin Bakiau.  We are so pleased to have teacher Linda Eade rejoining us for the Term investigating crystals, volcanoes and many other learning experiences with the tamariki.

Congratualtions and well wishes to our Winton Kindergarten Parent Group President Bex Excell on the birth of Nikita - Sophie is soo proud to finally be a big sister!

Winton Horticultural Society's Autumn Flower Show

COLLECTIVE KOROWAI PROJECT  -  WINTON KINDERGARTEN LEARNING COMMUNITY

“The Kākahu (Maori cloak) was a garment made in early Maori times and was generally woven or made from traditional materials like flax and feathers. They are worn as a mantle of prestige and honour. Everyone has different reasons for wearing Kākahu/Korowai, whether it be a sense of identity, a graduation acknowledgement, a congratulatory gift or a connection to our NZ heritage and family tradition.” https://www.academicdresshire.co.nz

Here at Winton Kindergarten, the Korowai/Maori Cloak is a special way to acknowledge children who are Graduating from their time with us, preparing to embark on their next learning journey - starting at school.

It is a reminder of who we are, where we have come from, and what the future may hold We have woven these values into our learning around the Treaty of Waitangi – learning about what makes us who we are.

Creating our own unique korowai, weaving each child and their family into the fabric of the cloak is symbolic of our collective – we are individuals within a group, not a group of individuals.

We support, include, care for and celebrate one another.

Our ‘Collective Korowai Project’ will set the scene for our learning this year, with a strong focus around, “What inclusion means – what inclusion looks like – what inclusion feels like???”

Our Korowai represents our identity, our individuality, our creativity, our values and our inclusion as being a special part that makes the whole: I am Winton Kindy and Winton Kindy is me!

We are so proud to have our Korowai on display for the wider Central Southland Communtiy to enjoy at this year's Autumn Flower Show.



A big tena koutou to all of our parents who took a hikoi with us to the show. The tamariki were in awe of the wafting smells of the various flora and vegetables on display. There was a beautiful hum of questions and conversations shared by the tamariki of their own gardens and gardening encounters with whanau.

Taiao Tuhura

Searching for fish off the bridge, spotting the Black Fantail, repairing the Dragon's Nest, collecting feathers for our Korowai, racing on the Monster Truck Track, feeling the rain dropping down, noticing the new growth on the Rimu "Hairbrush" Tree.

Albatross Colony

The Albatross continues to watch over us as we play and learn at Winton Kindy. We have noticed the DOC workers coming to weigh the Albatross Chick in the mornings.  Diligent parents take turns to sit on the nest, whilst the other feeds. We wonder where and how the parents collect food to feed the family, we ponder about how they communicate to one another, and we wait in anticipation as the Albatross chick continues to grow in front of our very eyes.

Student Volunteer Army (SVA)

Nau Ma Haere Mai ...  Keely, Raff, Kayden and Lucas - Student Volunteer Army from Limehills school have who join us every Thursday afternoon. We are honoured to have this group of volunteers join our Winton Kindy community.

Blueberry Country
Tuesday (25 Feb) we are off on a blueberry hunt!! We love this annual excursion which provides another beautiful way for us to explore our rural community and the delicious fruits from our local Otautau based Blueberry Country.

Please ensure you have read the information which is posted on Facebook (printed copies are on display at Kindy) and signed permission, parent helpers are essential for these excursions to take place so please consider coming along to make this trip possible :)


Nau Mihi, your Winton Kindy Teaching Team