Grasslands Kindergarten

newsletter2012

2012-02-09T15:41:00.002+13:00

Quail Eggs

2012-02-02T14:19:00.002+13:00

2011-11-16T15:27:00.001+13:00

A new Kea Crossing for the children of Grasslands Kindergarten to help keep them safe when crossing the road.

Doesn't it look great!

Butterfly Creek Trip

2011-11-04T18:00:00.000+13:00

What an amazing trip! We had fantastic mums, dads and grandparents as helpers and a wonderful comfy bus to travel in. We begun with the crocodiles then moved through to the butterfly house, the fish, the train ride and ended with the farm visit. A very busy fun filled day.

Next Butterfly House

We had a very careful pat of one of the baby crocs but were very careful not to touch his head or his tail he did not like that very much and he had very sharp teeth!

we all enjoyed the fish after this and the train ride was heaps of fun going around twice waving to our friends.

Lunch tasted so good then it was off to the farm to see all the animals. Great experience and hands on.

A fantastic trip with many of the tamariki asleep on the way home!

Grasslands Kindergarten ERO Report

2011-09-30T13:46:00.000+13:00

Staff were delighted with the Education Review Ofices Report. Please go and check it out. http://www.ero.govt.nz/Early-Childhood-School-Reports/Early-Childhood-Reports/Grasslands-Kindergarten-19-08-2011

Our New Deck

2011-07-11T15:19:00.004+12:00

We had the seating underneath our tree removed to make way for our new deck/platform. We are so excited about this new deck and the opportunities it will bring for for creating new play spaces, such as the water play or hanging the hamock. It also makes it safer for climbing the tree because now we are able to place a saftey mat underneath. Our school day children are very excited too. Eager to have their lunch out there on the next sunny day, we are still waiting for the rain to pass yet.

Rough and Tumble play

2011-06-27T14:14:00.006+12:00

The children love this! They call it Bomby Knockers and the aim is to try and knock each other off the pole. If your left on your the winner and you challenge someone else. Its especially ticky because you need to hold your balance at the same time as you try to knock off your opponent. There are rules involved and the children are excellent at following and enforcing them, such as no hitting in the face only on the body. We do this to provide our tamariki with an outlet for their physical play and built up energy. Rough housing play such as this is particularly exciting for boys and provides a great opportunity for children to take and manage risk, build apon their motor skill competence, and boys especially enjoy the play because it enables them to address their need for power and to manage and keep their sudden increase in playful aggression within the limits of fun!

The day the plumbers came to kindergarten

2011-06-08T15:44:00.003+12:00

Today we had plumbers come to kindergarten to replace the guttering. We asked them to check for the hippopotamus on the roof eating cake. If he wasn't there then he probably was at his job at the zoo. The children were eager to ask once they got outside to which the plumbers Mike and Chris replied that they had chased him away....he was late for work. A fantastic big boy answer!!!! The children were highly engaged in the work and observed measuring with purpose and the use of authentic tools. They investigated alongside and interrogated the big boys about what they were doing. Chris and Mike you guys rock.

Matariki Celebration

2011-05-30T14:59:00.001+12:00

Click to enlarge notice.

We hope to see you there.

Toasting Marshmallows

2011-05-23T18:27:00.005+12:00

Some of our Tamariki have been requesting a fire pit (we haven't had one in a while) so this morning in the beautiful sunshine we made a fire pit - for one thing only - Toasting Marshmallows. The children absolutely love it, from finding a tree twig, to working out the right amount of charcoal. Its a very serious job as the expressions on our tamarikis faces will show. We had great weather too, no wind makes it much more enjoyable.

Marshmallows for morning tea! Delicious.

Welcome to Willow and Pepper

2011-05-16T13:49:00.004+12:00

Our two new additions to our kindergarten whanau, Willow and Pepper. They are a little shy and have very bad eyesight so will nibble on fingers poked through the cage as they think this is kai!!! A litle more handling and they will be just lovely. They are a great size for the children to handle and are very social affectionate animals.

Kapahaka

2011-04-07T15:21:00.000+12:00

Rhode Street Kapahaka Junior Group

2011-04-07T10:49:00.004+12:00

Today we had the Junior Rhode Street Kapahaka Group come to Grasslands Kindergarten

Tau ana - Amazing !They sung beautifully and gave us an awesome preformance. We even knew some of the waiata. It was great to see so many of the tamariki who used to come to Grasslands Kindergarten and acknowledge them and their friends. We had a little surprise for them too. We had been practising Tainui te waka and preformed this for them too. Ka pai to mahi tamariki

Ally

Magic Matt the Magician

2011-03-21T15:39:00.002+13:00

Today we had Magic Matt visit the kindergarten and give the children an half hour show. He was great value and a barrel of laughs. It was free and he is from Auckland promoting his services. Good fun!

"I do love a good boil up"

2011-03-17T15:32:00.000+13:00

We have been reading Mere McGaskills Boil up and decided to make our own. We made a list and wrote a note to our whanau for donations of kai for the boil up. We had a fantastic response and a delicious lunch. Check it out! Ka pai to mahi tamariki preparing all the vegetables.

Guinee Pig Visit

2011-03-17T15:26:00.000+13:00

Today we had a visit from Ella and her mum with their new baby guinee pigs - puppies. It was a great experience for the children, thank you Ella and Tiffany. Interesting fact - did you know that the babies are eating grass and pellets day 2 of their lives and they are born with teeth.

Welcome to 2011

2011-01-24T13:08:00.002+13:00

Welcome back to 2011.
We hope you all had safe and happy holidays and look forward to hearing your news. A warm welcome to our new families and their whanau and we look forward to meeting you and getting to know you.
We are enjoying a quiet start to the term as our families return. This is a special time for us as we are building relationships with our new children and families and renewing our relationships with existing children and their whanau. As it is quieter it gives our new children time to really settle and get to know the routines and make new friends. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to talk to staff, we are always avaliable.
Thank you
Ally, Abby, Steph, Trina and Jo

FishnChip Evening

2010-11-17T13:36:00.003+13:00

FishnChip Evening At Grasslands Kindergarten

We had a fantastic turn out from our families, extended whanau and children. It was a great evening just to relax and enjoy each others company. We were lucky with the weather and it was awesome to meet members of your family and make connections. Thanks to everyone for their donation and for taking the time to come and have dinner with us. A special thank you to Brendon for the blessing!

Dental Checks at Kindergarten

2010-11-11T13:12:00.002+13:00

Today we had the lovely dental nurses come in and give us our fluoride treatment. It was so easy. We sat in the chair, they wiped our teeth dry and then painted on the fluoride. It tasted like bubble gum or so they said it wasn't quite as nice as they said! We couldn't eat our kai for half an hour afterwards, so when it was kai time we tucked in Yummy. The fluoride treatment is part of a dental programme to try and help prevent dental decay. The children all got to take home a toothbrush and toothpaste. Thank you to our lovely dental nurses.

They had lovely things to say about our kindergarten and the children too saying it was one of the best they had been into and had received wonderful support from the staff, children and families...we rock!!!!

Dinosaur Muffins

2010-10-22T13:16:00.005+13:00

This morning Kaylee asked if we could make Dinosaur muffins. We discussed what might be in the recipe. Milk, flour, chocolate, sprinkles, a little bit of butter, sugar and dinosaur eggs.
We talked about where we would we get dinosaur eggs from. Not the lake, not the garden, not the museum and not the warehouse. We rung the supermarket and we were very lucky that the supermarket had dinosaur eggs in stock! Jo and several children got very busy making the dinosaur muffins. They were just delicious!

Dinosaurs

2010-10-20T15:29:00.003+13:00

The children have had a growing interest in Dinosaurs over the past fortnight. This has been sparked by several children's visits to the Dinosaur exhibit at the Hamilton museum over the term break. At kindergarten we have been hunting for bones, hunting for dinosaur eggs, excuvating fossils, painting and drawing dinosaurs and using them in our dramatic play. We have also just had a request to make dinosaur muffins! We will let you know how they turn out!

Toasting Marshmallows

2010-10-20T15:14:00.003+13:00

Today was one of our children's last days at kindergarten, he made a request to toast marshmallows so this afternoon we set up a fire pit in the sandpit to cook them. Its loads of fun plus a great hands on experience when it comes to learning about fire safety.
I think we were all marshmallowed out by the end of the day!

Bird Houses

2010-08-06T15:28:00.003+12:00

Today the boys were busy building bird houses at the woodwork table then brought them into paint. At our end mat time we made some bird feeders out of the pine cones in the nature corner and put them in the tree. Hopefully the birds find them before the rain does....we will keep you posted!

The Flying Waka!

2010-07-20T07:49:00.000+12:00

The Flying boat named by the children as we strung it up has provided wonderful imaginative play opportunities for them. Rowing through the air, flying like Peter Pan, developing their understanding of balance and movement, Pirate ships and taking turns. Something so simple providing so much fun!!!!!

Welcome back to Term 3

2010-07-19T15:37:00.004+12:00

Welcome back to term three. This year is passing by us very quickly! In the holidays I picked up a canoe frame with the intention of extending the children's dramatic play opportunities in the outside environment. Boy did they have a ball today rowing in the bark, I want to hang it as well, the flying boat...watch this space! Ally

Matariki Celebration

2010-06-21T16:02:00.003+12:00

Friday the 18th June we began early in the morning setting up our hangi (in a keg) ready to cook some kai to share with our kindergarten community. We had some superb helpers early in the morning and throughout the morning. The kai was delicious and the support from our community amazing. It was a very special shared lunch with hangi, boil up and party food to clebrate the Maori new year. Thank you to everyone who contributed. Ally

Hello Everyone

2010-05-30T16:37:00.002+12:00

Hi Everyone

Just a quick note to let you know that I am missing you all but I'm having a lovely time at Miropiko Kindergarten too. I am enjoying working with our friend Jodie who use to work at Grasslands last year. I enjoyed my visit last Wednesday afternoon. You were all so busy! I like your writing board for your words and letters. I am glad you have made Stephanie feel welcome. She told me she loves Grasslands...who can blame her cos Grasslands ROCKS!

Take care my friends

Arohanui

Rope Climbing: Gross Motor Development

2010-04-28T15:55:00.002+12:00

Our Growing Baby Bunnies

2010-04-28T15:20:00.003+12:00

Our baby rabbits are growing quickly. They are now 5 weeks old, and are eating lots!! They need to stay with their mother until they are 8 weeks old, because they are still not weaned. The children are really enjoying having then at kindergarten and give them lots of cuddles so they are well handled bunnies.

Abby.

Surprise!......Baby Rabbits

2010-03-31T13:28:00.007+13:00

What a surprise i received last Thursday night when Honey Bunny started having babies and we didn't even realise she was pregnant! She had 7 in total over Thursday night and Friday. Unfortunately 3 have died but the remaining 4 are thriving now that mum has worked out how to breast feed. She is a very good Mother rabbit. The vet has told me she is doing everything she is suppose to be doing. The babies are similar to her in color with one darker bunny. We are still not sure what dad looks like tho. Haha.

These photos below are from this morning at 6 days old. The above photos were taken moments after their birth. Abby.

Baby Quails

2010-03-31T13:23:00.005+13:00

About 6 weeks ago our quails had their second lot of babies. They had 6 but unfortunately only 3 have survived. They are very cute and are growing quickly. The children have enjoyed watching and learning about the life cycle of these birds as they have laid eggs, hatched, died and survived. The Children have gained a great deal of knowledge from this experience.

Abby.

Tomato Pasta Sauce

2010-03-17T14:51:00.006+13:00

Before Jodie left she planted some tomatoes around the back. We have been collecting the ripe ones for a few days now and decided to make pasta sauce with them. Yummy! Thanks Jodie!

Kelly Tarltons Visit 11th March 2010

2010-03-15T14:31:00.002+13:00

Fire Truck Song

2010-02-25T13:18:00.004+13:00

Today Abby brought in her book. The Fire Truck. This is a favorite of the children's. They engage in enthusiastic singing as you can hear!

I thought it a good idea to post up for everyone to learn, previously we have only accessed this through the internet (initially shared by a reliever) Enjoy Ally.

Thinking Outside the Square

2010-02-18T15:57:00.003+13:00

This puzzle promotes 3dimensional thinking and planning. It is complex and challenging but for these boys with practice it has become a breeze. Well done Guys you are thinking about your thinking, communicating with clarity and working interdependently. WOW!!!! Ally

Pool Party - This Wednesday!

2010-02-05T15:44:00.003+13:00

Fish n Chip Evening Notice

2010-02-05T15:43:00.003+13:00

Practise makes Perfect!

2010-01-27T14:45:00.007+13:00

Well as promised i received a pink hula hoop for Christmas. Thank you Troy. Unfortunately i did not have the opportunity to practise, so i have returned to kindergarten with no new hula hooping skills BUT.... a lot of our tamariki have been practising hard over the holidays, they are becoming very skilled, Sharrayah can even switch her bracelet from wrist to wrist as she hula's. Great work Ladies!!

Abby.

2010-01-21T15:16:00.002+13:00

Just cruising............
First week back and we have had low numbers with a maximum of 10 children each day. It has been a lovely time for those 10 children to re-establish themselves and their relationships with teachers and each other. We are looking forward to seeing the rest of our tamariki as they return from their holidays. Welcome to our new whanau that have joined us this week. We are looking forward to getting to know you all as the term progresses. Please feel free to ask for any information you might need. We welcome Amanda to our teaching team. She has joined us in the afternoon session. Please make her feel welcome and introduce yourselves to her. Thank you. Ally

Early Morning Sunrise

2010-01-19T16:07:00.003+13:00

The view from the deck at home at 6am. Took the photo and was so impressed I wanted to share. This is looking over to Maungatautari. Ally

2010-01-19T15:38:00.004+13:00

Another wonderful holiday camping at Opotiki on our brother in laws property at Waiotahi Estate.

This year we had more friends with us and we learnt lots about gathering kaimoana. We set flounder nets, long lines, gathered pipis, made fritters, kayaked and set the surf casters every day. It was great fun and a very special time for all of our blended family to be together which hasn't happened in a long time. New years was lovely with a bonfire on the beach and a hangi at 1am!!!! As before we took the truck which meant we had the quads, bikes mattresses ( as i don't do air beds anymore) and it was a great space to entertain in as well. A fantastic holiday!

2010-01-18T14:20:00.010+13:00

Hi everyone
Well what a great holiday I had with my kids and partner, Steve. We spent time in Raglan and up in Leigh. I snorkelled for the first time ever (at Goat Island Marine Reserve) and discovered a whole new amazing world. I swam with Blue Mao Mao, huge Snapper and even a sting ray. I have also had my first ever go at biscuiting which was fun and a little scary as I'm not a deep water person really! We witnessed a grass fire and had fire appliances down the drive in Leigh which was exciting. We kayaked, swam and fished in Raglan.

We also added to our family. We now have a wee girl Jack Russell puppy called Indi. She is very cute, has very needle sharp teeth and a delightful energetic character.

Funky Monkey Visit

2009-12-08T13:46:00.003+13:00

Yesterday the morning session went to see the Funky Monkeys. We had lots of fun dancing to their songs and trying to help them find Dizzy the Dog. We had lots of wonderful mums come and help too. Thanks for your support.

2009-12-01T12:07:00.002+13:00

Hula skills in progress

2009-12-01T06:29:00.002+13:00

The practising continues..... we are getting better and better.

Hula Mania

2009-11-30T16:27:00.004+13:00

The interest that Lia's hula hoop sharing has sparked has been amazing!

Children have been persisting and practising, some for four hours straight, days on end with incredible results. The hard work has paid dividends with some very confident and competent hula hoopers. The chipmunks song I am now hearing when I go to sleep! The children have become apt at using the stereo also to replay their song too. It has been fantastic to see them sharing at mat time their developing skills with their friends and peers. It takes guts to get in the middle and show what you've got. I am constantly amazed by our children and their growth,development, confidence and ability to contribute and support each other. What fantastic children we have here and i am so privledged to share in their learning. Ally

Congratulations Abby on Your Registration

2009-11-29T12:38:00.005+13:00

A very special evening for Abby celebrating her registration as a Teacher on Friday night at a function provided by NZEI at the Verandah by Hamilton Lake. Jo, myself, Bev (Abbys mum) and her partner Brendon attended and we were very proud of her and her achievement. Abby has worked hard over two years to demonstrate her ability to be a passionate, knowledgable teacher. She is this and more. Well done Abby.

Ally

Children's Artwork

2009-11-20T13:47:00.002+13:00

Please take the time to click on the curriculum link - creative expression. On this page you will find the children's amazing artwork that they have been doing. Lately painting has taken off with reinspired enthusiam - we are very proud of the wonderful work our Tamariki do. Please take the time to look at their work too.

'Art' is often seen as static - describing a finished product. but more than that art is a lively process of engagement that is reflective, creative and deliberate, that deepens and extends children's learning. - Ann Pelo, The Language of Art.

Hula Hooping

2009-11-19T11:12:00.002+13:00

Lia has really starting something going at Grasslands with her amazing hulahop skills. After watching Lia a lot of the Tamriki decided they wanted to have a go and have been practicing all morning to see if they could get as good at Lia. Love the music. Thanks Lia Ally and Office Jo

The Funky Monkeys

2009-11-17T15:46:00.003+13:00

Guess who dropped into visit us...THE FUNKY MONKEYS!

They are promoting their upcoming show and we got our photo taken with them to share with you all. COOL AH..we think so. They were surprised as the usual is photos with children not the teachers LOL

Toasting Marshmallows

2009-11-04T15:03:00.005+13:00

On Friday last week we toasted marshmallows in the Sandpit over an old milo tin. The children were so excited. We were very authentic in our experience - breaking twigs of the bushes to use as skewers. The children had a fantastic time trying to toast their marshmallow just enough, some were however a little charred!
It was a fantastic practical learning experience for the children. We discussed and modelled safe fire use and risk management and the children were able to build apon their developing working theories for making sense of the natural, material, social and physical world.

We only stopped because we ran out of marshmallows!!!

Abby.

The Skateboard Project

2009-10-21T13:19:00.002+13:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Noah has been very passionate about skateboards in the last couple of weeks, and has become very focused on building them. This photostory documents his 3rd skateboard creation and the inspiration he has provided for the other children. Well done Tamariki, you have shown a lot of independent and creative thinking building your skateboards, you should be proud!

Abby.

Our Adventure

2009-10-14T13:27:00.004+13:00

We had quite a lot of excitement here at kindergarten this morning, Les from down the road came to visit us. He had been doing some gardening and had found a sleeping hedgehog in the garden. Several children took turns having a cuddle before we decided to find a place in our garden to put her. First Aragorn, Kya, Kaia, Ashton, Jeneah, Chikoia and I went back down the road with the wheel burrow for some leaves for her. Les showed us his guineapig before he went a collected some hay for us to use instead. Then on the way back down the street we were lucky enough to discover a dead bird lying on the foot path. We brought it back to kindergarten to share with the other children. It had very beautiful and colourful feathers. Ally took lots of pictures so that we could investigate what type of bird it was. Kaia seems to think a bat may have killed it. After the excitement of the bird, we found a place in the garden for the hedgehog and Renee and Jeneah kindly built a little garden fence to keep her safe. Thank you girls, that was such a kind thing to do. We'll keep an eye on her to see when she will wake up.

Abby.

Pet Snails at Kindergarten

2009-10-14T13:17:00.004+13:00

Final ICT Report

2009-10-12T15:42:00.002+13:00

WOW!!!!!

Staff have finally finished our final report summarizing our research over the last three years. We are very proud of our combined effort. The report is on the sign in desk, please take the time to read it and feedback to staff. Thank you for all your support and time taken in your surveys, you are so appreciated. THANK YOU Staff

Ulearn

2009-10-12T15:24:00.006+13:00

Staff had an amazing time at Ulearn in Christchurch. A big day the first day with us starting at 2.30am in the morning for shuttle pick up to Auckland. The pre conference workshop by Margie Carter was inspiring and affirming.

Between staff we attended 26 workshops on different ideas around ICT and innovative teacher practice. The keynote speakers Gary Stager, Derek Wenmoth, Margaret Carr were interesting and thought provoking. We have a lot of reflecting to do!!!! Our presentation was very successful with a range of people attending from The Ministry of Educartion, ERO Education review Office, Secondary teachers, Primary Teachers, Principles, Correspondance Schools and other Early Childhood Centres. We were challenged and affirmed. A great experience, well done to the team. We have worked hard for this.

A great team building event, the weather was reasonably kind and we managed to get some shopping in too! Looking forward to sharing with you our inspirations and ideas. Ally

Having a blast at U-Learn

2009-10-08T14:49:00.004+13:00

Hi Everyone, we are in the South in Christchurch this week at the U-Learn Conference. We had a great flight down and there was heaps of snow on the Southern Alps.

Yesterday we did our presentation and we were able to share heaps of your cool learning.We were so proud of you.

Miss you

Jo Ally Jodie Abby

Honey Bunny

2009-09-18T10:01:00.004+12:00

Honey Bunny arrived in the neighbourhood over three weeks ago and nobody has claimed her! So she has joined our kindergarten whanau and she is beautiful, friendly and snuggly. Honey Bunny loves the celery, broccoli and silverbeet from our garden. She is keen on the parsley too...fresh breath! She is going to be able to visit with you all over the weekends and possible the holidays too.

Our Twisters

2009-09-17T13:29:00.002+12:00

We wanted to share this story with you as this has been a popular activity with the children lately. It encourages them to work as a team, as they look out for and support each other, negiotate and turn-take, all valuable skills in social development. To enlarge this story don't forget to double click on it and use the back arrow to return to our blog site. Thanks, Jodie.

The Gingerbread Man

2009-09-16T09:24:00.006+12:00

This is the infamous Gingerbread Man song that your children may have been singing/talking about at home. This is a very popular song/story at kindergarten and has been for the last few terms. Today we finally got a chance to video it for the blog, the children did a fabulous job. Enjoy!

Abby.

Water play and scientific discoveries

2009-09-09T15:19:00.001+12:00

The fine weather has encouraged a great deal of water play over the last couple of weeks, especially in the sandpit. Click on the group learning story to enlarge to read.
Thanks Abby.

Planning & Evaluation 17-28 August

2009-08-31T20:51:00.004+12:00

Planning & Evaluation 3-14 August

2009-08-28T16:05:00.005+12:00

The Salon

2009-08-21T14:48:00.004+12:00

This is a video of the salon that the children set up in the family corner. I unfortunately had been taking still photos and switched to video mode without turning the camera but still felt it was just too gorgeous to not show you all. My apologies for being a dizz! You'd think I'd have sussed this out with 3 years on an ICT contract. LOL! Anyway enjoy our video and we are taking bookings for a fabulous style and massage (which you may need to get the crick out of your neck after viewing this!!!!!).

Jo

Swing Challenges

2009-08-19T14:05:00.010+12:00

The learning that's happening:
We have recently purchased some new swings, pulleys and ropes; this combined with some fine weather has given the children the opportunity to experiment and enhance their physical skills and capabilities. In this video clip the children are practicing their abilities, gaining increased control over their bodies, gaining increased agility, co ordination and balance, are building their self confidence and physical strength, are working together, taking on challenges and managing risk. This is just a small snippet of their swing capabilities.

Abby.

Wombat Stew Grasslands Style

2009-08-19T13:56:00.003+12:00

On Tuesday we made Wombat Stew. This came about after one of the children discovered a photographic story about some Wombat stew that children from 2007 had made. We read the real story of Wombat Stew then made a list of things we wanted in our Wombat Stew. As you can imagine it had lots of sweet stuff in it!

On Tuesday morning Teacher Jo and Office Jo took Tyne and Ebony to the supermarket to buy the ingredients on our list. All the morning children helped to make our stew. They did a fantastic job because it was scrumdiddlelylious!

Hokey Pokey Biscuits!!

2009-08-17T16:02:00.005+12:00

Process Cooking:
The gingerbread man has been hugely popular at kindergarten lately. We sing about him, read about him, dance about him and of course we bake him. This morning the children asked to make him again, not having all the ingredients we improvised and settled for Hokey Pokey biscuits instead. They were delicious!

What we are learning:
1. We learn about the equipment used - spatula, mixing bowls etc.
2. We learn and extend upon early literacy skills - reading the recipe cards that are laid out numerically, following the instructions and writing down our name on the cooking list.
3. We learn new groups of words - stirring, mixing, beating etc.
4. We learn maths concepts - 1 teaspoon, 1 tablespoon, half a cup etc.
5. We learn early science concepts - chemical reactions, temperature, hot and cold, rising etc
6. We learn about textures - salt and sugar, flour and icing sugar, oil and water.
7. We learn about taste - lemon, sugar, flour, sweet and sour.
8. We learn patience, waiting in line and waiting for our cooking to cook.

Most of all we have fun and hopefully can sample our creations!!

Jahrome's Voice

2009-08-14T09:22:00.002+12:00

Today Jahrome and I had a play with windows movie maker documenting his story about the day that the digger visited his house. What a cool story. Thanks Jahrome.

Laura's Puppy Cocoa

2009-07-26T19:49:00.003+12:00

Laura has a new puppy and she brought the puppy named Cocoa to kindergarten back at the start of July to show us! I finally put the photos up for everyone to see! Isn't Cocoa cute?

Jo

Making a Sally Lunn using mashed Potato!

2009-07-23T17:27:00.003+12:00

We made Sally Lunn Buns with our left over potatoes from the Matariki Boil Up. If you view the slide show you will learn the recipe. Give it a go. It tastes great especially with sultanas added to it!

We hope you try it and enjoy it.

Jo

End Of Term 2 Newsletter

2009-07-03T15:05:00.005+12:00

Have a safe and happy term break, we will see you all back next term Monday 20th July.

Good Friends the tamariki's perspective

2009-06-30T10:23:00.002+12:00

Our children have definitely got it sorted about being a good friend. Their contributions at a mat time discussion confirm it. We are so proud of them and they role model our good friends policy every day seeking help when they need it..which isn't very often as they are very articulate at expressing their thoughts, ideas and feelings. What a great place to be!

Our visit to Rhode Street School

2009-06-17T06:37:00.003+12:00

We visited Rhode Street School today. We learnt about the things that happen at school and we had lots of fun exploring the junior playground with some of our old and new friends at school. Miss Ryan and her class were so welcoming. We always enjoy our visits to the 'big' school.

Parachute Fun

2009-06-10T22:55:00.000+12:00

The parachute is a favourite with children and staff. It is always a noisey and fun time. The parachute is a wonderful cooperative activity requiring all the children's participation to manage the parachute. It is a wonderful tool for engaging the children who may be a little whakama (shy) during mat times.

Under the microscope

2009-05-26T20:10:00.003+12:00

Our Digiblue microscope is wonderful because it allows the children to observe objects, insects, spiders and other creepy crawlie creatures in minute detail. It is interesting what children do notice and how they perceive things. Living and moving creatures under the microscope have the ability to capture children's attention for longer periods of time than inanimate objects. Our seemingly lifeless bald caterpillar came to life and Elijah, being familiar with 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' story by Eric Carle, was able to use his knowledge of what caterpillars eat to excite the wee fella into moving.

Remember our links!

2009-05-26T14:22:00.005+12:00

Just a wee reminder to you that we have 6 other useful blog sites attached to our main blog that we have constructed. These can be found on the right-hand side of our home page under the heading Curriculum Links. Click on the green links to get to the curriculum blog of your choice.

Please take a look and feel free to suggest other ideas for these sites either by leaving comments or by talking to staff.

Curriculum Links

Adventure Bear
Creative Expression
Habits of the Mind and Your Child's Learning
Literacy
Numeracy
Transition to School

We love your feedback and want to make these sites work for you and your child.

Kia ora
Staff

2009-05-20T10:40:00.004+12:00

Kia ora everyone

I just thought I should write to you all to explain the process I have gone though while doing this blog on the children and their adventures with Adventure Bear (Addy).

Three times a week I have been choosing a child that has been displaying 'being a good friend', helping to tidy up without having to be asked, or just something that reinforces being part of a team at the kindergarten.

When the children come back in the morning with the camera and Addy, I take the time to sit somewhere quiet and listen and document the child's voice. Once I have all the information I need I then move to the next step. I print the photos out and put them all into a scrap book that the children have decorated. The scrap book is accessible to the children so they can be looked at whenever they want to. This is all then posted onto Adventure Bears Blog that you can access from the kindergarten blog. Check it out. Thanks for your support.

Bye for now Tiffany (student)

Allie and Juno Visit

2009-05-19T16:00:00.010+12:00

Today we were lucky enough to have Kaia and her mother bring in their much loved family pets, Allie the lop eared rabbit and Juno the guinea pig.
Claire, Kaia's mum talked to us about what Allie and Juno eat, and showed us how Allie likes to be held - Upside down with her feet in the air! She likes to be held tightly like a baby on her back, then she closes her eyes and goes to sleep. She is such a beautiful rabbit and so placid, letting all our children give her a cuddle while she lay on her back. Juno was a bit more timid, Jo held on to him while the children gave him a little pat so that he didnt get to frightened being introduced to so many children at once.

Thank you very much Claire, Kaia and Che for bringing in your very special family members, we enjoyed having them here and all the cuddles we got to give them.

Abby.

Adventure Bear

2009-05-14T13:40:00.003+12:00

Hi my name is Tiffany Hedges I am a student from the University of Waikato and will be at Grasslands kindergarten for seven weeks starting last Monday.

I have a project that I hope you will all enjoy reading about. My project is about strengthening relationships between home and kindergarten. I have decided to introduce to the tamariki Adventure Bear (Addy). He is a delightful bear that will be coming home with the tamariki. He will come with a digital camera so you and your tamariki can take pictures of Addy having fun at your place.

I hope you all enjoy your time with Addy. I cannot wait to see his adventures in the future.

Cold Day? Hot Chocolate!!!

2009-05-13T13:31:00.007+12:00

The weather has been so cold lately. Yesterday afternoon I tried warming up with a milo. Elijah mentioned how good it smelt and how he wished he could have one to keep warm. I felt like a meany drinking it in front of him, but made up for it today with bottomless hot chocolate and marshmallows all morning!
Several of our children utilized this offer to its full extent, not just having seconds but going back for 3rds and 4ths!! Its a great way to stay warm and enjoy each others conversation on a cold Autumn day.

Abby.

New Link!

2009-05-12T14:23:00.003+12:00

Check out our new link called 'Creative Expression'. You can click on this link to go to the site. It is found under Curriculum links on the right hand side of this blog. Abby has created this new site to show case the children's work on display in and around the kindergarten. It also shows you the everyday masterpieces/treasures made and the creative talents your beautiful children have. We are very proud of the children. We hope you enjoy their work.

Thanks the Staff

Jodie's Graduation

2009-05-11T12:45:00.003+12:00

To share Jodie's special day click on top of her story. It will enlarge into a full page. Use the back arrow at the top left hand side of the screen to go back to the blog.

Congratulations Jodie! We are so proud of you.You look very clever in your gown and mortar board!

Love all the staff and children at Grasslands Kindergarten.

Farewelling Dad

2009-05-10T10:04:00.002+12:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Recently I have taken some time out from work because my dad lost his battle with cancer in the holidays. I have been spending time with my mum as we come to terms with not having Dad with us. We are grateful that we have so many wonderful memories to carry with us and of course Dad is ever present in our hearts. He was a great man and I shall miss him forever.

Jo

Caring for our Axolotls

2009-05-08T13:37:00.005+12:00

Our Axolotl tank was looking rather grim after the holidays. I decided to clean it out with the help of some friends who have a strong interest in our slippery friends.
The learning that's happening...
We learn lots of things when we clean out our tanks; such as encouraging the proper care of living things, educating children on the correct handling of our Axolotls and our fish, how to feed them, the way in which we clean out the tank, and how we change the filter and add water ager to protect their skin.
By having hands on experience and contact with our animals here at kindergarten our children are able to develop healthy attitudes and interests towards animals, that has the potential to become a life long passion.

Tyne and Elijah have a strong interest in our Axolotls. Tyne handles them with great care when we clean them out and is now very good at feeding them especially when i am away - this is great because nobody else will touch them!!

Abby.

Jibidi Update

2009-05-05T15:44:00.005+12:00

I mentioned during the holidays that i would keep you updated with our new Jibidi song. The children are full of enthusiasm for it and it is requested and danced everyday! Here the children are joining in on the song and it's actions during the session. They are very competent and confident with the actions and rhythm of the song. On this particular day it was played over and over by a group of children unassisted by any teachers.

Abby.

What is a good friend?

2009-04-30T13:28:00.004+12:00

At Grasslands Kindergarten we talk lots about being a good friend, what a good friend is and does. I interviewed small groups of children to gather their thoughts, ideas and insights.

It was very enlightening.

We have been using ‘Playing as a good friend’ at Grasslands Kindergarten for quite some time in order to provide simple and consistent positive guidance for children. It doesn’t come naturally, but it does work. It’s now part of our kindergarten culture and will work if used at home as well.

What is ‘Playing as a Good Friend?’

There are three basic rules:
1. We don’t hurt anyone (or use rude gestures)
2. We use good words (includes: No shouting, and using appropriate tone/pitch of voice)
3. We listen (to each other, to the teachers, and to parents/whanau)
For this to work, it is important for the adults using this with children to support each other and be consistent, especially with the language we use. For example rather than saying to children “Are you playing nicely?” we say , “Are you playing as a good friend?” This is more meaningful because we have discussed with children what being a good friend is and what it means to be a good friend to each other. This is continually reinforced and reflected upon in daily practice and in interactions with children and between children.

What do we do when children forget to play as good friends?

First we stop the child and find out what happened, asking questions like “Tell me what happened?” We listen to what the child says, and acknowledge their feelings. We are very clear about the behaviour we are trying to address. For example, we say “You stopped playing as a good friend when you hurt/didn’t listen to/ shouted at ….” Sometimes the issue can be resolved on the spot. We encourage children to think of alternative solutions to the issue through strategies such as asking, “Can you think of another way that you could have asked for that/said that/done that?” We often model the appropriate words and/or behaviours to help the child. For example, “ You need to use your words to tell ——— what it is that they are doing that you don’t like”, “You need to tell ————— how you are feeling and ask them to stop.”

We love hearing your feedback. Please post a comment. Ally

Fishing Success

2009-04-29T14:16:00.000+12:00

These are my boys Paul and Cam with their catch of the day. They wanted to share with you via the blog their wonderfully big fish they caught. Whoppers ah!

They spent some time with their dad in the holidays and went to the Coromandel fishing off the mussel barge. Great fun. Cam caught himself a 9 pound snapper. and paul a decent sized trevally Their dad organised for them to be smoked and we have been enjoying smoked and fresh fish for dinner. Thanks Dad!

Ally

Our Easter Holiday at Opotiki BRRRRR

2009-04-28T12:36:00.009+12:00

Yes we slept in Fluffys Truck!!!!

Thursday we headed off late with our king size bed the 3 kids mattresses, 4 bikes, 1 motorbike, 1 tent, 1 BBQ, 1 couch, loads of blankets and food. The locals and my husband assured me it would be warm.....we woke to a frost the first morning!!!!!!

Arriving late at night we were focused on getting into be with what bedding we could find! What a difference after camp mother had been through camp!

Each morning the boys were up before the sun!!!!! to go fishing. They would roar off on the motorbike to the designated fishing area and no be seen for 2-3hours! They had some success with us enjoying yummy smoked kahawai.

We had a great adventure in spite of the cold nights and bed at 7pm. I don't know that it will be next years Easter Adventure though!

Even Jess enjoyed the holiday but found the nights cold insisting that she be under the covers on the beds!

The bigger bigger digger.

2009-04-09T14:39:00.002+12:00

Jahromes mum Ra brought in her camera and shared the photos of the bigger bigger digger at their house doing their driveway with us. Awesome photos and what great timing with the work going on the footpath outside the kindergarten. Thanks Ra.

Happy Easter and Happy Holidays

2009-04-09T13:05:00.003+12:00

Happy Easter to all our whaanau. We hope you have a safe and happy holiday and we look forward to seeing you all back on Monday 27th April for the start of Term 2.

We have had a busy and long term so everyone is in need of a good rest. The staff hope you are enjoying viewing your child's learning from term one on our blog and sharing the day to day activities that occur as part of our programme. Please take time to add your comments as we love your feedback.

Take care
The staff (Ally, Jo, Abby, Jodie and Office Jo)

Mauri Ora

2009-04-08T15:36:00.002+12:00

Today staff had their induction into the Mauri Ora programme as part of our on-going commitment to bi-cultural practice. We have all identified this as an area of professional development. Mauri Ora is a free 12 month in-home programme (NZQA level 2) run by Te Waananga o Aotearoa that helps us learn about things Maori. We are very excited to be undertaking this programme particularly as a team. We hope our understanding and sensitivity of the Maori world will be more evident in our teaching practice as our knowledge increases during this period. We have a lovelykaitiaki to support us on our journey ...

2009-04-06T14:39:00.005+12:00

We had K9 Sense visit us toaday with thEIr friends Sky and Zea. This is a very valuable service that StEph and her team provide, teaching the children about dog safety.

The best way to approach a dog and what to do in tricky situations!!! The tree, the rock and fist out then shoulders and chest is best! Talk to your children about what they learnt today to reinforce the importance of keeping safe around dogs. Watch the video with them, talk about what you are hearing and seeing.

Jibidi Dancing

2009-04-06T09:26:00.003+12:00

The tamariki have been learning a new dance called Jibidi for the last week. It requires some coordination and control of our bodies...which can be quite challenging and a bit of a giggle for children and staff. Remembering to choose our friends for turns after managing this feat is an accomplishment!!! Stepping out in front of a group trying something new is a real confidence tester and our children are building these skills in a supportive and very encouraging environment. Ka pai to mahi tamariki - Good work children.

2009-04-02T11:57:00.000+13:00

Links- Don't forget these!

2009-04-01T18:05:00.001+13:00

Please check out our literacy links, numeracy and transition to school sites. they have lots of valuable and interesting information that you can view and also comment on

The little digger visits kindy

2009-04-01T13:01:00.000+13:00

The footpaths are being constructed on our side of the street this week. The tamariki have been watching the workmen with interest and after we talked with them they gave us an opportunity to have a real life experience on the digger!

Tauranga Presentation

2009-03-30T15:51:00.000+13:00

On Saturday I went over to Tauranga with Sharon Carlson Our Core Education Facilitator to present to 2nd yr students with the Bay of Plenty/Tauranga Polytecnic.

It was a great opportunity to share our journey about blogging with them, the why, the outcomes and the amazing contributions staff, children and whanau are making to the kindergarten blog and their child's individual blog. They were easy to present to and asked questions at the end which was a good indicator for presenting on my behalf. I had incited some real interest!!!! A great professional opportunity with more to come.

Part of our contract is to disseminate our findings to whanau and the wider community. We have plans to disseminate to our colleagues who are interested next term by providing professional development workshops in blogging. We have teachers visiting our kindergarten seeking knowledge and information about ICT and we are creating a spotlight for the Ministry of Education about our findings. We will be having a whanau information evening next term to share with you our fantastic supporters, contributors and posters and for those who want to know more. Thank you for your support it continues to be a challenging and rewarding journey.

Jo's bush visit

2009-03-29T17:02:00.000+13:00

I was enjoying a walk through the Forest and Bird Reserve on Waiheke Island with my children and took these photos which I thought I'd share so you can see I do have another side to my life outside of kindergarten too. We often get to share what you do at home through the children's portfolios but we don't get to share about ourselves!

The kauri and nikau forest is just so peaceful and everywhere you look there is so much beauty. It is nice to get away from the city and back to nature and important for my children to see the New Zealand bush as it was before we began replacing it with farmland and settlements. As I'm getting older I'm beginning to realize the importance of sharing what makes New Zealand unique with my children and also sharing some of the experiences that have shaped me as I have grown up. I think as I watch my dad loosing his battle with cancer that I am beginning to truly appreciate what it is to share our history with our whaanau so it is not lost.

We had a piwakawaka (fantail) nearly land on us. It was just so cheeky but very beautiful too as it danced around. Unfortunately I kept missing the good close up shots possibly because I was so excited it was not frightened of us.

I found a stick insect that had died that we will look at under the microscope at kindergarten. I wonder if it will look as interesting as the cockroach we looked at last week!

Process Cooking, making Muffins!!

2009-03-20T13:57:00.006+13:00

For the past few weeks we have been process cooking, this is an extendion of the children's strong interest and skill in cooking.
Some activities need steps to get from start to finish to get the expected result. Process cooking is one of these activities, here we follow a series of steps to get to the end product in this case muffins!

As time has progressed the children have become more skillful, confident, knowledgeable and empowered to manage the process themselves.

The Value of Process Cooking
1. We learn about the equipment used - spatula, mixing bowls etc.
2. We learn and extend upon early literacy skills - reading the recipe cards that are laid out numerically, following the instructions and writing down our name on the cooking list.
3. We learn new groups of words - stirring, mixing, beating etc.
4. We learn maths concepts - 1 teaspoon, 1 tablespoon, half a cup etc.
5. We learn early science concepts - chemical reactions, temperature, hot and cold, rising etc
6. We learn about textures - salt and sugar, flour and icing sugar, oil and water.
7. We learn about taste - lemon, sugar, flour, sweet and sour.
8. We learn patience, waiting in line and waiting for our cooking to cook.

Most of all we have fun and hopefully can sample our creations!!

Pizza Hut Watch Out!

2009-03-19T15:51:00.004+13:00

This morning we made individual pizzas using scone dough as a base. The children chose their own toppings then we baked them and tasted them. Only two children chose not to be involved and only one child tasted their pizza and chose not to eat the rest. All in all the children were successful in making themselves a delicious snack I think it's safe to say!

We had quite a production line going and I have a new appreciation of Pizza Palour employees working to time deadlines on their orders!

I don't think Grasslands will be starting up a Pizza franchaise in the near future though despite the tamariki being great little cooks.