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Children have shown a lot of interest in boating since we made a boat with a wooden pallet. The next day, the children wanted to go fishing. They made their fishing rods and went fishing off the ‘boat’. Some children used our surfing board as a kayak. They enjoyed this so much and remembered to wear a life jacket too. Other children went surfing on the surf board too. Children's interest in boating was extended further through the making of a submarine. Fergus made a flag first then started gathering his crew for the treasure hunting submarine. Finding underwater treasures was not easy, but they continued on with their journey without giving up, and they even found dinosaur fossils!
As a teacher, we value our children's play as meaningful learning because their spontaneous play offered them to discover and develop their working theories for making sense of the worlds.
Te Whariki Exploration / Mana Aotūroa
Kaiako: Mi Hee
Now we are back at HeadStart, the children have been sharing what family activities they most enjoyed during the lockdown. This allowed us to see how our children's interests and feelings have changed through many experiences with their parents.
Baking with parents has been a most enjoyable time for the children. The children shared what they baked at home and talked about the banana cake and cheese puffs they made with Kim during the online mat time.
The children are very interested in baking. So Rachael and Mi Hee decided to give the children a baking opportunity during the 4-year-old group activity time.
We decided to bake a banana cake as we did in online mat time. Before making the cake, we reminded children about the importance of hygiene. The children enjoyed participating in the process of baking, and the cake tasted so good we ate it all before we had time to get a photo of the it after it cooked!
We always want to provide familiar environments, experiences and activities for our children to help them adapt back into HeadStart life. As a result, we can see our children settle happily again at HeadStart.
Te Whariki Belonging/Mana Whenua
Kaiako: Mi Hee
Always a focus at HeadStart is caring for each other - Manaakitanga. We talk about what makes a good friend and how we can show kindness to others. We are so proud of how our tamariki embrace this focus and how it is evident in all areas of their play. Our learning relates to Te Whaariki and the Belonging strand. “All children need to know that they are accepted for who they are and that they can make a difference. Feeling that they belong contributes to their wellbeing and gives them the confidence to try new experiences” (Te Whaariki, 2017, pg. 31). Kaiako Rachael.
Well said! Change start at home and with a new generation. Let us all be great examples for our tamariki.
There is a lot of construction happening across the road from HeadStart, we hear and see huge machinery in action so it’s no surprise that our tamariki are incorporating what they observe into their play. This has resulting in the formation of new friendships and consolidation of old friendships after we all had been away during lockdown. Being able to play with and near other provides the opportunity to develop an understanding of the rules around social interactions and the impact our choices have on others as well as ourselves. Exploration/ Mana Aoturoa.
Kaiako – Rika
The swimming lessons our children had been waiting to return to have finally started again! The children were so happy they couldn't hide their excitement when they arrived at the Hilton Brown swimming pool. After a quick review of the swimming skills that they learned previously off they went! Learning to swim and water safety are essential skills for young children to have in New Zealand and we are so lucky to have these private swimming lessons just for our children each week at Hilton Brown Swimming Hobsonville
Recently, the number of rainy days is increasing so, whenever it is sunny, we encourage children to participate more in outdoor activities.
On sunny days, our children like to stay outside and participate in various outdoor activities. Children have not been able to ride a bike for a while due to the rainy weather. As the sunny weather come out, many children enjoy focusing on bike rides. One day our most impressive children's activity was a bicycle parade.
When many children chose to ride a bike and the playground became crowded, Ava installed traffic lights to prevent the speeding of the bikes. Children who participated in the bicycle parade enjoyed following Ava's signals and instructions.
While participating in the parade, the children made up rules to make their play more enjoyable. As a result, they were able to keep the game safe and more enjoyable while following the rules as a team. This experience provided the opportunity for our children to learn the positive impact of what they get when they follow group rules.
Te Wharki Exploration/Mana Aotūroa
Kaiako: Mi Hee
Our children noticed that there was a moon in the sky in the morning. From this discovery emerged an interest in the moon, satellites, space, and rockets. So we provided a small obstacle course on the deck for children which the children used as a rocket ship launch dock. "Three, Two, One, blast off!" children counted down while they jumped off! But what does a real rocket sound and look like when it is launched. From watching the real rocket launch, their interest in a rocket ships increased and resulted in a variety of rocket ship related activities such as drawing rocket ships, launching rocket ships, creating rocket back packs and creating a rocket ship dock, etc. Children's interests in rockets is still evolving and will continue for a while.
At HeadStart we follow an emergent curriculum and this is a great example of how we plan and build our programming around our children’s interests.
To enhance our children's interests in rockets and space, we provide a variety of materials for children to be able to create rockets and have space theme play. We have also incorporated the children's interest in our new project, "What Can We Build?" so that children will continue to discover their theories.
Exploration / Mana Aotūroa Kaiako: Mi Hee Jang
The children have been very busy in the sandpit. As the construction progresses across the road, our children are inspired to engage in our own construction. Many children have been occupied in the great sandpit construction project. They piled up sand on the stairs between the kitchen and the sandpit, which became a steep hill. As the hill became steeper, the children tested its firmness by sliding down on it. But it collapsed so easily because it was not hard enough. So the children had to rethink their plan and continue their tests until they found the right formula and the right tools to harden it. They worked together as a team to compact the hill. Finally, they succeeded in creating a steep hill.
When the children tested the rigidity of the hill, they found it not as hard as they thought. To solve this problem, they shared ideas to find out a different method to harden it and used a variety of tools. They learned strategies for active exploration thinking and reasoning while collaborating as a team.
Te Whariki Exploration/Mana Aotūroa
Kaiako: Mi Hee
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