Mangere Bridge Kindergarten

Kia Ora School buddies

2011-12-13T16:31:00.000+13:00

Kia ora, thank you school buddies. Once again you have done a wonderful job supporting kindergarten children in transitioning to your schools.

The Rocky Shore

2011-12-05T15:40:00.001+13:00

The tide goes SOOO far out at the farm and so we can explore the rocky shore in safety.

We turn over rocks, investigate grassy knolls and enjoy the muddy experience.

And then once again we walk home across the paddocks. Some children have found this challenging - the distance - but in fact we are advocates for children walking for fitness and this experience increases their capability at walking distances. We want children to see this as just part of the farm and no big deal. It is what we do here. (And look at that fabulous long grass - it is just like a bear hunt, swishing through the long grass).

The Mangere Bridge Santa Parade

2011-12-01T16:18:00.000+13:00

We love taking part in community events and were delighted once again to be able to have the use of this stunning little red truck to carry the children safely on the parade.

Thanks to our helpers, it was a fun evening. Thanks also to the Mangere Bridge Business Association for organising this evening.

Looking for godwits and wader birds

2011-11-28T15:28:00.002+13:00

The farm has such interesting areas for us to investigate and today we packed up the binoculars and went off to look for wader birds.

Disco at the farm

2011-11-18T15:17:00.001+13:00

It was disco night!!! at the farm.
We were there to welcome everyone

One of our mum's was busy facepainting and then it was time to dance the night away.

A special big thanksyou to Pani, Steve our DJ and to Janine and the farm rangers for making this fun night possible.

A kindergarten swap with Botany Downs Kindergarten

2011-11-18T14:57:00.000+13:00

We swapped kindergartens for the morning with Botany Downs Kindergarten. We had to take the bus all the way to Botany but it was such fun being in another kindergarten. The children chose these as the highlight of the trip. We done have a twing - we ordered one as soon as we got home!!

We also ordered those fantastic hooped dresses as everyone had a fun time with them. We would like to work out how we could have a track for those bikes too which are just like BMX bikes.
This was an extremely interesting and informative experience for teachers, children and parents - kindergartens have different resources, foci and experiences.
We left a letter of thanks form the children

and climbed on our bus back to our kindergarten.
Thanks to BDK for suggesting this - we would all love to do it again sometime.

DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOK

2011-11-15T14:51:00.001+13:00

This book is just such a huge favourite of the children. It is read with much hilarity and interaction. Some children are even word perfect now, and also understand prediction in stories. What a great literacy experience this book provides by creating such delight in reading for children.

It's a plane!!

2011-11-09T14:29:00.001+13:00

Today Cameron constructed this beautiful and thoughtfully put together aeroplane. Then he chose the colours to go on it just as carefully - great work Cameron.

Looking after our trees at the Farm

2011-11-07T14:32:00.003+13:00

We are an Enviroschools kindergarten and when Janine suggested we help plant a stand of trees and then come back to mulch them we were delighted to be able to do so.

We began our usual Monday at the farm by watching Gary the farmer work in the yards - always something we enjoy. Then we wandered around to check out the piglets - there were 12 of them in with their mum and we love seeing how they are getting on each week.

We did get a little sidetracked at a favourite place where children love to practice jumping into the air and "flying"

Finally after some food and a drink of water it was time to cross the paddocks to 'our tree planting spot' and see what work needed doing.

Gary had left two bales of straw for us to use and we got to work and mulched the trees to protect for the summer. Hard work but fun and then it was time to walk back over the paddocks back to kindergarten.

Fab art!!

2011-11-05T14:22:00.001+13:00

Some fabulous art from everyday art experiences. We believe it is very important for children to be able to express their own ideas in art and construction and so provide a range of resources and places for them to do so. Isn't it fabulous.

Back on the farm - to check out the new piglets

2011-10-31T21:35:00.000+13:00

It's great to be back at kindergarten for the new term - and especially to be down on the farm again.

We spent the morning checking out the new piglets, so cute and then went off to spend time in the 'forest' near the frame.

We found a duck sitting on her nest - and kept her company for a while.

Some children found a pukeko nest too. The pukeko had wandered off for a while and left 3 eggs but Janine assures us she will be back to look after them and lay more yet.

We wandered back through the paddocks to kindergarten - climbing the rocks and exploring in the grass.

Another fantastic day down on the farm. We love it!!!!

Carol and William on holiday

2011-10-25T21:24:00.000+13:00

The blog has not been updated because Carol and William have been on holiday. They went to London - here they are at the Science museum. You have to take an escalator right through a big metal planet, William thought it rather scary and he was glad he was with Carol.
They went to visit the St Vincentius Kindergarten again in Wegberg Beeck - this time to see the new natural climbing equipment in their new garden. It was fabulous, William had a climb on the posts, a swing and a walk along the rope bridge.

After exploring Amsterdam, Wegberg and Brugge it was back to London, he even found some grass in Chancery Lane, a quick visit to Oxford ( William is very interested in education ) and then back on the plane and home.
Now Carol and William are back they will get on with the blog.

Fantastic dinosaurs From Cameron

2011-09-13T21:37:00.005+12:00

Wow Cameron we love this stegasurus, it is a fantastically creative drawing. And your two other dinosaurs are just as carefully drawn. Well done. Hi to Cam's nana - we got your postcard and we had a great chat about it and about where you are. Thought you might like to see the dinosaurs too.

What a surprise. A Russian Rugby World Cup polar bear!

2011-09-08T20:06:00.000+12:00

We are all set to rock for the Rugby World Cup and very mysteriously a polar bear arrived at our kindergarten. He must have heard that Mangere Bridge has adopted a second team - the Russian team - and also our kindergarten is a fun place to be. We gather the polar bear is their mascot so he has taken up residence and is having a great time!! with our rugby fans.

We are an Enviroschools kindergarten

2011-08-11T20:40:00.003+12:00

We are an Enviroschools kindergarten and as part of the kaupapa of building a community of learners we have included the sustainable jobs in the job list. Now the children help to bottle the worm pee, empty the worm food into the worm farm and put the compost into the compost tumbler. They take these jobs VERY seriously and really want to be the one on the board to do these jobs.

Kindergarten at the farm on Mondays: Lamb Feeding

2011-08-08T20:43:00.014+12:00

The lambs were waiting for us when we got there after mat-time, crying out for their bottles.

We had to hold the bottles up in the air until everyone was ready at once then put them down and feed them. It was so funny as they tugged at the bottles and then ran to another if their's was empty.

After lamb feeding we walked past the loading area for the farm trucks and it provided the most amazing place to jump - it looked like flying.

At the end of the morning we wandered back to kindergarten up through the paddocks. The children were quiet and walked very carefully so as not to disturb the sheep and their baby lambs.

A visit by train to the Skytower

2011-08-05T21:05:00.016+12:00

We all climbed aboard Dawn's bus and off we went to the Onehunga train station. We only just made it in time before the whistle went and we were off. We arrived at Britomart, got off and had a quick bite to eat before walking up Queen St. We came upon a big queue at the intersection and it was people waiting to see the All Blacks. Much as we would have liked to wait too, we had to keep moving to have time to go up the Skytower. The trip up the lift was great and then it was time to have a look around, walk on the glass!!!! and watch the jumpers. We saw lots of people bungy jumping and then it was time to go down again, climb aboard dawn's bus and back to kindergarten just as mums, dads, nanas etc arrived for pick up time. Some children really didn't want to go home as they hadn't had playtime!!

New guinea pig babies

2011-07-06T21:04:00.001+12:00

We wanted to get new guinea pigs as company for Biscuit but sometimes it is difficult to introduce new ones so instead we asked the owner of Biscuit's two babies if Biscuit could go to live there with her babies at their free range backyard home. So Biscuit has gone to the Retirement home - a fabulous free range guinea pig Retirement home and is very happy with her extended family.
So we looked on Trademe and found two gorgeous little little guinea pigs at Papakura. We drove out and picked them up - thanks Sharon they are so lovely and brought them back. We have introduced them to the children and now they are happily residing in their new home.
We are in the process of choosing names - we have some amazing suggestions. Rainbow, Sparkle, Thumbalina, Spikeyhead, and lots of others. How do we choose? Maybe draw them out of a hat? We have still to decide. But they are much loved already.

Kindergarten at the Farm on Mondays: Exploring the mud

2011-06-27T20:27:00.003+12:00

Our destination was the covered area, past the frame, to spend the morning exploring the foreshore. The tide was SO far out - it had almost disappeared from sight. There was mud everywhere, lovely, lovely, wet mud just right for running in, digging in and finding crabs, shells, prawn looking animals and even an amazing heron skeleton.

We had so much fun we really didn't want to leave. But leave we did, returning all the living creatures to their homes and wandered home up through the paddocks, past Bella Donna and back to kindergarten. These experiences will remain with us for a very, very long time.

Turning into a Superhero

2011-06-23T20:11:00.001+12:00

Lots of children have wanted to make masks to turn themselves into a Superhero. The first part of the process was to check the computer to see what the masks look like.

Next they were laminated to provide a model.

Then it was out to the work table and discuss what resources were required. Coloured card, pens and scissors and away they went drawing the mask and cutting it out.

Finally some elastic was attached and we had Batman, Robin, Catwoman and Ironman. Fabulous. Look at all that skill development - putting an idea onto paper, scissor cutting, knots and working together providing support for others. The results!!!! Stunning

Making Matariki stars

2011-06-22T20:07:00.001+12:00

Since we hung the Matariki sign up by the mat Tiana has been working on making enough stars to decorate the area.

She uses the hot melt glue guns and ice block sticks and then colours them in each with different coloured dye. If the dye wasn’t out ready each day Tiana happily asked for it - she shows great confidence in asking for the resources she needs. Once the star is dry Tiana uses the glue again to add a strip of fabric. Then in she comes to find us to show us and we pin them up on the blue fabric.

We had 6 stars but then Tiana wanted to take the last star home so a couple of days later she was ready to make some more again.

Today Tah dah - we have 7 stars.

Tiana took the camera and proudly took the photos of the finished result. She is documenting her own work and is very clear about how she wants her photo to look. She brought the camera in to show me (Carol) the photos she had taken and said “look Laleeta showed me how to look at my photos”. Now there is no stopping Tiana she is taking photos and going back and looking them over to decide which she likes.

Tiana has developed in confidence every day through this small project. She demonstrates strong leadership skills, an interest in colour and creating using the resources and a confidence in her own ability.

Kindergarten at the Farm on Mondays: Planting for Matariki

2011-06-13T19:55:00.002+12:00

Carol and two children chose these photos of our planting for Matariki at the farm on Monday.

Janine had the trees ready in the fenced off area and after a bit of morning tea to sustain us (up by the frame) we climbed into the area and planted the trees. We planted akeake, harekeke, kanuka, ti kouka, wharangi and whau trees and then after kindergarten one of our children and his great Grandad went off to check them out. They thought we had done a very good job.

Of course no trip to the farm would be complete without a paddle in a puddle ( isn't that what gumboots are for?), a roll in the grass and just time for exploring and a chat before we walked back to kindergarten. Another fun filled day at Kindergarten at the Farm on Mondays.

Amazing artworks

2011-06-03T22:55:00.002+12:00

We have some children very interested in lizards. they are documenting their interest using a variety of media - here black felt pen and clay.

Others are creating birds, insects and spiders.

And this painting of a tractor, sun and rainbow was a joint effort - two children working together, we love teamwork!!

New frogs

2011-05-26T22:02:00.003+12:00

Our lovely Stephanie, one of our mums, brought in two new frogs to keep our lonely only frog company. Stephanie had too many frogs hatch from tadpoles so we now have three frogs in the tank. Our frog should be very happy now to have some friends.

The Lost Gardens discussion with the children

2011-05-24T17:11:00.000+12:00

This morning we asked about the best things from the Lost gardens trip.

Lachlan said " We could got to the Lost Gardens again because it was so cool - especially going in the puddle"

Aaron said "I liked that too"

Olivia said " I liked the horses" we could see the people from the RDA walking 4 horses. Someone thought they were Bella Donna's friends.

Zebby said "I climbed up the mountain"

Luken found ladybugs and a slug.

Cameron was looking for tracks with his magnifying glass.

Blake said "Cowpoo is big and sheep poo is little" just like in the book Baa baa smart sheep.

Later children drew their experiences at the Lost gardens. The drawings were fabulous and showed very clearly the childrens' perspectives.

KIndergarten at the Farm - The Lost Gardens

2011-05-23T20:20:00.003+12:00

We had a vote on Friday and it was decided that today would be the Lost Gardens. What will be there we wondered? Crickets? Strawberries? A parrot? Carrots? A parachute? A bean? A rabbit? Birdies? A playground? were suggested.
So this morning off we went after signing in at the farm and a mat-time to go over the rules - No climbing on fences and gates, No chasing animals and No running away. Everyone remembered really well.

First we had to go to feed the new calf and Bella Donna. By then some were hungry so we had to have a quick stop to have a snack for energy. The sandpit caught the attention of some of the children and so we diverted to playing in the sand. We thought it amazing that even tho we have a huge sandpit at kindergarten this sandpile still attracted lots of children - in different groups to those who play together at kindergarten.

Next we thought we had better move on to find the Lost gardens. Where are they some wondered and then we came to the gate and what did it say but LOST GARDENS.

So we were on the right track. But just there there was a huge huge puddle so there was just time for a bit of a paddle. What are gumboots for after all. It was great fun and everyone enjoyed the stop.

Finally we made it.
But "where are the gardens" said one "they are not here that must be why they are lost".
The Lost Gardens are a fabulous place to explore rocks and little hollows, and spend time getting up high "I can see the whole farm" they cried out from the top.

And where else could our children roam so far unconfined having a wonderful time enjoying the great outdoors.
This whole experience at the farm is so valuable for city kids - wide open spaces, views of green fields ( and our mountain in the distance) and adults who join in if the children want but also let children explore without having to be right alongside.

Its a fun place to use binoculars too - theres a lot to see

Highlights from a busy week

2011-05-22T21:25:00.001+12:00

Yeehah we are off to the farm again. We had a vote to see where everyone wanted to go and we are off to an area we haven't been to before. It should be fun. To vote we put out the photos of each area at mattime with a jar beside it and everyone gets to put a token in the jar of their choice. The weather looks great and it should be a fine day for a wander at the farm again.

We have held off organising our Mondays at the farm as we are trying to find a sponsor to help purchase wet weather gear for the children so we can go each Monday rain or fine. We believe in the philosophy that there is "No bad weather only bad clothing".

We were very disappointed at the beginning of the term when we had to return the potters wheel we have had on extended loan from Mangere Bridge School. Now we have bought one from Trademe and it is just like our last one!! We have had such fabulous work being made on the wheel this week and the children were so happy to have "that turning one" back again.

Baking again - the herb scones

2011-05-09T21:58:00.000+12:00

Today we decided to bake again - scones this time and Tegan asked well what else can we have ( in the scones). "We could put other stuff" she suggested so Jemma and Tegan went off to see what was in the garden for the scones. They found parsley and thyme and chives so Tegan picked the herbs and they brought them in to add to the flavourings for the scones.

The smell of baking permeates the air and one of our dads said last week "what a lovely place to come into - classical music and the smell of baking". We love it too.

Baking for Mother's Day ( Oops don't tell mum, it's a surprise).

2011-05-04T20:01:00.001+12:00

Often we bake scones or pizza at kindergarten and the children really enjoy the baking experience. This week, in the week before Mother’s Day, we decided to give the children the opportunity to bake a present for their mum. We wanted to highlight that making something yourself to give is a great idea for Mother’s Day and also to provide a valuable learning experience. WE baked more on Thursday and then on Friday iced them. They look fabulous.

These children all did a great job of baking and writing their names for labels and cards. Not only was this a valuable social experience but also a purposeful literacy one as well.

"What's gonna work? - Team work"

2011-05-02T20:59:00.005+12:00

It’s the first day back at kindergarten and we decided to have a bit of a clean up, especially in the storm water drain as there is a 'Heavy rain' warning out for today. We got out the buckets and spades Jemma and I (Carol) and as soon as we started work we had a whole heap of volunteers to help.

They all went right to it, digging the mud out of the drain, putting it in the buckets and then transporting the bucket in the new gardening trolley to the compost.

As they worked they sang together:

What’s gonna work TEAM WORK,

When we asked how they know this song it seems it comes from the Wonderpets programme on TV. We thought it was a great song and have to agree that it is indeed what is gonna work - we got the whole job done in the session in the morning and now when the rain comes, thanks to all working so hard , it will drain away very quickly. An added bonus is that we will have great compost too for our vege garden which we will have to build up again and plant this term.

Baking Pizza

2011-03-25T20:32:00.000+13:00

Each week we bake scones - the children do the whole process themselves and take their scone home in a paper bag. Today we used the scone dough as a base for the pizza.

While the pizza cooked in the oven the children decorated their individual pizza boxes and then took it home at the end of session. It was very very yummy!!!

Learning the All Black's haka

2011-03-23T17:00:00.002+13:00

One of our children is a BIG BIG fan of Dan Carter and knows the haka from watching rugby games.

He has been a wonderful leader and instrumental in children wanting to learn this version of a haka.

Kindergarten at the farm in the 'Dump paddock'

2011-03-21T20:10:00.002+13:00

With the possibility of heavy rain today, we changed our plan slightly and instead of the dirt pile, we headed for the dump paddock. On our way there, we made a detour to feed the chickens and say hello to Bella Donna.

That done, we eagerly entered the dump paddock and set about exploring all that was on offer. Janine had deposited some plastic crates and old wood for our use, and the paddock already contained scraps of wood, pallets and old gates, logs, trees, rocks and a large pile of bark.

Armed with hammers, saws, pliers and clamps that we had brought from kindergarten, the children spread out to explore and build interesting constructions from the found materials. There was awesome teamwork as the children worked together, lifting, carrying, using rope, sharing tools and sharing their imaginative thoughts. It was great fun messing about in the dump paddock - and we didn’t even mind the rain - it was only light after all.

Before e knew it it was time to pack up again and head back to Kindergarten. Our Kindergarten at the farm days ere planned so that we would have more time to explore but we still find it very short. There is so much to see and do.

We wandered back up through the paddocks and as we waited at the gate for everyone to catch up two cows wandered over to say hello. They are very tame as they have been hand reared as calves ( sometimes by the local children ) and they were very interested in us. Once these two came over the rest followed suit and we were surrounded by curious cows licking children and looking them in the eye. A very special moment. We thought they wanted to come back to kindergarten with us - they might have trouble climbing the ladder in the reserve at the back of the kindergarten.
Some children even carried their wood back to kindergarten to do some further work on it.

St Patrick's Day at MBK

2011-03-17T16:23:00.001+13:00

A parcel arrived for us at the kindergarten from far away. It had a customs declaration on it that said it was biscuits. We looked at it and thought "no, no-one would send us biscuits from overseas" but when we opened it, it was indeed biscuits and when we read the card we saw they were real Irish biscuits for St Patrick's day.
The card said
"Hello to all there at Mangere Bridge Kindergarten. My name is Niamh A.K.A Aunty NEE NEE. I am Flynn's aunty from Ireland. I have heard great things about your kindergarten and I loved the calendar that we received at Christmas.
I just wanted to wish ye all a Happy St Patrick's Day and send some Irish biscuits that may be shared out as a treat among the kids.
I've no doubt Flynn is being a good boy and is full of fun. God's blessings and all the best for now, NEE NEE".
We thought it was such a lovely card and gesture and celebrated when Flynn came.

So here we are NEE NEE with Flynn. A big thankyou.

Kindergarten at the farm

2011-03-14T21:05:00.002+13:00

Kindergarten at the farm this week was to be a trip to the foreshore but NO! that was not what happened. Because we had the teachers from Singapore we thought we should tour the animals first, which we did. We visited with the goats, Basil and Skippy, Timmy the turkey and the chickens.

As we went past the stockyards we found Gary and his dogs moving sheep so we stopped to watch. The dogs were more interested in the children and their back packs than work sometimes - we are a bit of a distraction. However we really enjoyed watching them work, leaping over the fences and back with ease.

Then it was off across the paddocks but we had to take a detour to avoid the bull paddock and we ended up in loop road where we stopped for food, drink, soccer and a play amongst the 'bush'. Our Singaporean visitors enjoyed the stop and exploring, looking for bugs.

Whenever we find space it is definitely time for soccer and it turned into quite a long game.

When there is space it is also time to pitch the tents and pile in and so that happened too.

Before we knew it it was time to pack up and wander back up through the paddocks. On the way there was time for a roll in the grass - of course- and also for exploring the contents of a cowpat!!!!!! Another very successful day.

A visit to our mountain

2011-03-11T16:44:00.000+13:00

There was much excitement as the bus arrived outside Kindergarten today. We quickly boarded and headed up to one of our favourite places - our mountain! We stopped for a quick snack under the trees where we talked about how our mountain used was a volcano along time ago. Then Carol told us the story of Hape and how he came all the way from Hawaiiki on the back of a stingray to live on our mountain. We set off on an adventure, keeping an eye out for signs of where Hape and his family used to live and plant their food. It was a lovely day for a long walk on our mountain. It was a challenge, but we made it all the way up, over, along and back down again. Well done - we know it was a long walk but it was great to see you persevering and having a lot of fun together. We finished up with another snack and some soccer fun on the field and then headed back to Kindergarten on the bus.

Today were lucky enough to benefit from "Closed for good"

2011-03-09T17:30:00.000+13:00

What luck we were able to have "Closed for good" workers here from the BNZ.
A huge pile of bark greeted them when they arrived this morning and Natalie, Jessie and Marie set to and dug, wheelbarrowed and spread the bark on the playground for our refurbished safe fall area.
It was hard work and took most of the morning and we really appreciated their hard work. The children pitched in too ( and so did the school buddies when they arrived too).

Sharon and Andrea took on the huge task of painting along the front of the building and then painting the lockers too. When the bark was finished they were joined by the bark movers and before we knew it the job was done.
It looks fantastic and we now have a beautiful bark area, clean painted frontage and lockers.

THANK YOU SO MUCH "BNZ CLOSED FOR GOOD". We think you did a really really great job.

The fire truck visits - Brown Watch Mangere

2011-03-08T16:11:00.001+13:00

Out of the blue the crew from Brown Watch Mangere Station called and asked if we would like a visit. “Yes” we said and they came that morning, showed us how they put on their uniform, took us all out to the truck so we could climb in and then everone got to hold the hose and spray it at a bin in the cul-de-sac. It was great fun.

Bird watching from the bird hide

2011-03-07T21:17:00.001+13:00

Today for Kindergarten at the farm day we were off to the Bird Hide down overlooking Puketutu Island where the bird roosts are. We had mattime as usual and set off through the kissing gate. When we first used the kissing gate two children were heard musing
"This ones the kissing gate"
"I wonder if there is a hugging gate somewhere?"
We thought that a very cool thought.

The kissing gate always provokes much laughter and conversation.
Once through we were off down the back road to the bird hide BUT unfortunately we took the wrong turn so we had to send Jemma off for a reccy. The children thought she was lost but NO there was her bag on the side of the road.

THe wrong turn turned out to be such fun - we had to ford the creek ( a tiny trickle but it seemed a big adventure). Then we were there!

We got out the binoculars - we had heaps - and had a look out at the birds on the bird roosts. While some looked others had morning tea.
Then we wandered back up the road, through the kissing gate again and into the paddock where we set up the mats and went off to use the binoculars again and also look for bugs.

The time went so fast that we had to pack up very quickly and hot foot it back to the stile, over and back to kindergarten. It was such fun we couldn't believe it was home time.

Red and Black Day for Christchurch, Wednesday Thursday Friday

2011-03-04T20:03:00.001+13:00

We had a coin trail so that the children would be the ones putting the money onto the red paper and realise that this would go to the children of Christchurch. In September we did this and dressed in red and black for several days to allow everyone to take part - even if they forgot on the first day. We decided to repeat this way of showing support for the children who have been through the earthquake and to raise some funds for them to use in the kindergartens.

Marise was very creative and wore a shoe of each colour. There was red and black all over the playground. Well done everyone!

We had to hang the coin trail - it was too windy to spread it along the ground.

We will send the money to the AKA to go to Kidsfirst Kindergartens in Christchurch. Thanks to everyone for taking part.

Kindergarten at the farm in the Lava cave

2011-02-28T22:05:00.001+13:00

Everyone was very excited and spent the weekend asking "is it Lava cave day yet" and finally this morning it arrived.

For this Kindergarten at the farm day it was cloudy but hot and when the children arrived at the farm they had their torches at the ready for this exciting adventure. We had our usual meeting to talk about where we would be and what we needed to remember and off we went to the paddock - without the big bull thank goodness, Gary had moved him. We set up our tents and got the hard hats on and we were ready to enter the cave.
"It's cool in the hot lava cave"
"It's like snow coming down"
"It's like a tunnel"
"Look how far the light goes"
"It's just like we are in a volcano"
"It's not scarey when you have a torch"
"It's cool exploring eh?"
"There are no bears in there"
"I like all the big rocks"
How old is this cave?"
Most children wanted to go back in more than once but some stayed out using the magnifying glasses when they turned rocks over. Others spent time in the tents, camping has become quite a favourite activity. The children are a great help pitching and lowering the tents.
Our fantastic parents make this all possible - as do the lovely farm staff. Thanks everyone this is an amazing opportunity.

Drawing and re-telling our Lava Cave day

2011-02-28T17:16:00.000+13:00

After each group experience we like to ask the children to draw, so that they can talk about what had the most impact for them.

These are the drawings from the Lava cave day.

Kindergarten at the farm Animal Day

2011-02-21T22:05:00.000+13:00

The weather was uncertain for our third Kindergarten at the farm day so we decided to have an animal day. Unexpectedly we watched Gary the farm manager load the sheep onto a truck and also shear some sheep.

We were just so lucky to be there when this was happening. It was great to watch these every day events at the farm.

What are we learning being at the farm every week? Farm etiquette like NO chasing the animals, No climbing on gates or fences, Shut the gate when you go through, stay away from the water troughs - its where the animals get their drink, and to be quiet and calm around the farm animals so we dont scare them. This is their home.

Then there was just time for some food nd drink and then it was time to walk home across the paddocks. Just like Mr Gumpy.

Another fabulous day.

Kindergarten at the farm in the Playground Paddock

2011-02-14T21:55:00.001+13:00

It was Monday again and time for our second Kindergarten at the farm trip. We met at the Felt Room again and after playing a little soccer, we headed off. We took a detour past the cows who were waiting for the vet. After this we set off through the paddocks. It was amazingly hot and sunny, so we needed lots of drinks, and our hats too. We set up in the top playground paddock where we had morning tea and then with magnifying glasses and binoculars we started to explore turning over rocks, looking for bugs and inventing games.
What learning is happening here?
There were wonderful learning opportunities using the magnifying glasses, turning over rocks and investigating what was living underneath. We found slaters, spiders, ants, and other creepy crawlies. It was exciting to be in a BIG BIG space and to be able to explore at our own pace. Working together to shift the rocks, and put them back again, sharing knowledge about what they might be under there and just hanging out together made for a very successful second day.

The next day we drew our favourite part of the Kindergarten at the farm day. As teacher’s we found that children are able to describe and discuss in much more detail favourite parts of the experience as they revisit through drawing.

Kindergarten at the farm

2011-02-07T21:09:00.006+13:00

We have always enjoyed a close association with Ambury Farm and over the course of the last year have been considering ways in which we can strengthen our ties with the farm and deepen the experience of visiting the farm.

At the end of 2010, we initiated discussion with Ambury Farm about the possibility of visiting the farm one day a week, giving us more time to explore the natural features the farm has to offer us.

We wish to explore features of the farm in more depth in keeping with our focus on sustainability and the environment. Some of the educational outcomes we envisage resulting from these visits, linked to all learning areas across both the early childhood and school curriculum, are:

· building connections to the land and areas of local significance individually and to Maori

· experiencing aspects of being part of a group and a community

· strengthening concepts of self and increasing confidence and capabilities

· caring for the environment

· awareness of wide natural spaces

· the ability to relate to others outside the kindergarten environment and take responsibility

· awareness that rules are different in different settings

· enjoying the challenge that comes from viewing and exploring unfamiliar surroundings

· participate and enjoy walking as a healthy and normal exercise

We believe Kindergarten at the farm on Mondays is an exciting opportunity and will provide fantastic learning experiences for children and adults alike.

Today was the first 'Kindergarten at the Farm' morning and we arranged to meet the children at the farm and spend the morning in different areas each time. For the first Kindergarten at the Farm (Ambury Farm) we took tents and went to the camping ground.

The children explored the 'bush' finding slaters, snail shells, interesting shaped sticks, a birds nest and leaves and flax. It was all a fabulous learning experience. Children worked together exploring and playing with children they might not normally play with within the kindergarten playground. It was a fantastic relationship building event. Our parent helpers got a chance to get to know each other too. And then it was up through the paddocks for the long walk home. Just a great day!!!!

Week 2 begins with Butterflies and inchworms

2011-02-01T21:29:00.000+13:00

Phoenix arrived this morning with a small swan plant to add to our butterfly garden. Off lots of children went round to the garden to plant it and check out the caterpillars and butterflies. There was lots of them and it was lovely around there just watching.

Monarchs are not the only kind of caterpillars that we are investigating. Last wek Lucy-Rose found an inchworm. Carol thought it was a caterpillar to start with but Lucy-Rose was very insistent it wasn't and she was right. Today she found another, even smaller. She is very observant, just the quality required in a scientist. It was incredibly tiny but she held it gently and let it go later.

Ballet is an interest of several children and they danced again today to the First Ballet lesson DVD. Such beautiful moves.

And just look at the beautiful earring created for Jemma. Fantastic work.

First Day

2011-01-24T17:13:00.000+13:00

What a day for our first day back at kindergarten. It has been wild and windy all day and we needed to do a bit of cleaning up. We have wonderful big trees but in the windy weather lots of leaves and branches were down (and 3 baby birds too).

Some children were so pleased to be back doing the favourite kindergarten things, sawing and using the hot melt glue guns!! Once we had swept up we could get out the MOST favourite thing of all - the easy rollers. Children signed the sheet to have a turn and then off they went.

Welcome to Term 1 2011

2011-01-21T21:17:00.000+13:00

We are looking forward to seeing everyone in the new term. We have spent time at the kindergarten this week setting up and planning for the term ( as much as we can plan in a programme where the interests of the children direct the majority of the activities and events).
We have been down to the farm and had a meeting with Janine to investigate spending more time there this term. Aren't we lucky to have a farm to explore virtually in the kindergarten backyard!!

See you all Monday.

Another great transition visit to school (and our mountain too).

2010-12-03T20:01:00.002+13:00

We had another great visit to school, spending time in the classrooms. We joined the children in the classrooms writing, cutting and drawing, and listening to stories. We had a visit from England with us too. Ann is interested in the transition research we are currently writing up for publication so it was fantastic that she actually got to experience the school visit.

Once we had finished in the classrooms we went up to our mountain, Mangere. The children have a great time whatever we plan there and this time it was soccer on the fields. Trey wanted to play soccer, he is a great fan of the game but he also wanted to finish the work he had started at school. Great to see such perseverance - a learning disposition, we really value.

Mangere Bridge Village Santa parade

2010-12-02T19:44:00.001+13:00

This is the first year that we have joined the parade and walked with everyone down the road to the village. It was fabulous and we were very lucky as Jo (Jenna’s mum) drove a friend's wonderful red shiny little red truck for the children to sit in during the Xmas parade and it turned out to be just perfect. First we assembled at the Fale at the Taylor Rd entrance on Taylor Rd then walked up to the hall and joined Jo in our parade spot. Then off we went walking down the road and there was lots and lots and lots of people watching and waving to the people in the parade. We had a sausage sizzle afterwards right next to the jumping castles. Great Fun for everyone.

Making books

2010-11-30T12:25:00.002+13:00

We have been making books. The children dictate the story, find the appropriate puppets, and friends to play the parts, act out the story and we take the photos. Then they are printed, the words added, the children laminate and bind the book. Lastly they read the story at mat time. There is much competition to be the one to help, as actors and then to use the laminator and the binder.

He has grass on his roof eh?

2010-11-25T09:14:00.000+13:00

We have a range of pictures of New Zealand artists work on display in the art room for children to look at and to provoke discussion. Recently we decided to add some of the work by Hundertwasser, an artist who spent half the year in New Zealand and half in Germany. He is famous in New Zealand also for his design of the Kawakawa toilet block. His work links to sustainability and provokes us and the children to look at composition using circles and lines - both universal forms in art.

While Carol was at a research conference a couple of years ago she had the opportunity to visit the Hundertwasser kindergarten in Frankfurt. It was fascinating, not a flat surface anywhere and full of mosaic work and colour. Most memorable was the experience of playing in the grass on the roof. The children are also fascinated by his choice of growing grass on the roof of his house and we have that photo displayed as well.

The children have worked alongside the images and used the techniques in their art, with very spectacular results.
Learning to write requires control over circles and lines and this art focus has had the added spin off of children beginning circles and going round and finishing where they began - just like making letters.

When asked how she made such intricate artwork Naomi answered "Because I knowed how to do it and I know how to learn" Fabulous !

Easy Rollers

2010-11-17T21:55:00.001+13:00

Using some money raised from a raffle we purchased 3 Easy rollers. They are great for co-ordination and can be used in our confined space. They are much in demand.

Off to the farm in the drizzle

2010-11-15T16:29:00.001+13:00

We were talking about going to the farm again and I wondered out loud when we might go. The answer came from Tegan "Next Monday I think" so we contacted Janine and Next Monday it was!!!
When we woke up it was grey and drizzley but we love it at the farm whatever the weather so on with the raincoats and off we went.
Just like Mr Gumpy we walked back home over the fields and by then the sun was out.

Another great day with a visit to Suey and Pigtoria and their new house, watching Gary dag the sheep and feeding those 4 milking cows thanks to Blakes nana ( and a big thankyou to the wonderful team at the farm too).

Rockclimbing again- teachers this time

2010-11-12T20:53:00.001+13:00

We have been rockclimbing twice now and the teachers haven't had a chance because we are busy supervising. So this was a cluster meeting for the South group and we got to have a go!! It was funny because when we got up the walls we could see that us encouraging the children by saying "you can do it"was a bit rich when we hadn't tried it. It was amazingly strenuous getting up some walls - and it bit scary going over the wood and chain bridge.
We now know what we are talking about - and realise how challenging it can be for children- and adults!!!

However we really enjoyed it and will be keen to go again, as well as take the children again. Learning is about challenging yourself and giving it a go. We did that!!! It was a fantastic buzz.

Hi ho hi ho its off on an excursion we go again: to the Skytower

2010-11-01T16:55:00.001+13:00

This morning we were off out of the kindergarten again, this time to the Skytower by train. We have a new train service from Onehunga - which is just fantastic and already very well utilised by some of our families. In fact Carol Pat and Jemma met some of our families on the train on Saturday on their way to celebrate World Teachers Day.
Today we had a big group and we all waited at the station, took the train to Britomart, walked up Queen St ( look out for William in the pink backpack too) and then up we went to the top of the Skytower. We all spent time looking over the city and the harbour then down we came again and jumped on our waiting bus back to kindergarten.

What a fun day!!!!!

A repeat learning experience: Rockclimbing

2010-10-20T16:26:00.001+13:00

At a group meeting Luke said he had two questions. We asked what the questions were and he said "One is when can we go rockclimbing again?" and we asked and "what is the other" and he said " When can we make pizza again". We really like it when children contribute to the planning in such a positive and confident way so we arranged to go rockclimbing as soon as possible. It was Monday 18th and off we went to Panmure Extreme Edge again. This is a very cool place to test and challenge not only confidence about height but upper body strength as well.

Wiiliam's holiday travels

2010-10-10T20:41:00.000+13:00

It's been an eventful holidays for William. He has travelled to Rotorua (see last post) then to Wellington to WOW, to Waikato University to help us work on our Transition book draft and to Ambury Farm for Farm day. He was nearly guinea pig napped by one of the farm visitors who really wanted to take him home!! He also watched the new Onehunga train go by. He is looking forward to taking this train himself in a couple of weeks.

It's a new term tomorrow and our children will be looking to see William and catch up on what he has been up to in the holidays

Ambury farm day 2010

2010-10-10T17:36:00.000+13:00

We really enjoy getting out in the community and Ambury Farm day is such a lovely family day.

Thanks to all our helpers we sold all our sausages and lollies. Yeah This is a good fundraiser for us. Thanks to the farm too for providing such a great family atmosphere.

William at Conference in Rotorua

2010-09-30T18:46:00.000+13:00

William continues his travels. He travelled with us to Rotorua to present at the NZEI EC Hui. We talked to two groups of teachers about our Transition research and joined the group for dinner. It is always great to catch up with teachers from around the country and talk about how best we can support our children and families in the transition to school.

Stretchy Lycra

2010-09-21T20:49:00.000+12:00

Stretchy lycra is a fun music experience.

Down on the farm

2010-09-20T17:13:00.000+12:00

Today we went to our Ambury farm with Botany Downs Kindergarten.
It was wild and windy and sometimes wet but we walked there and back and towed our trolley all the way!!

We saw and feed lambs, goats, chickens and calves. We watched the cows being milked and we played in the mud and puddles. The puddles were one of the highlights!
And we explored the forest.
It's great being down on the farm - Thanks Gary, Melanie and Janine.

Where in the world is William?

2010-09-16T16:02:00.003+12:00

Yes William is off again. He has gone on a holiday to Fiji for a week and we will report on his adventures when he gets back.
When we told the children he had gone they said "oh no we will miss him".

He has become a much loved member of our community. He enjoys the sessions so much playing in the science area, reading portfolios and even having painting made for him.
More about his adventures when he returns.

A tree swing

2010-09-07T17:24:00.004+12:00

When Carol was in Germany visiting kindergartens she saw children in a beautiful flowery material swing.

We had a search through our fabric stash and found this red upholstery fabric and hung it in our tree. We love our big trees for just this reason, they add another dimension to play and are lovely to look at as well as great shade. Is there anything more relaxing than this, swinging in a tree!!! However as you can see the children do not use it to relax in rather to challenge themselves about how fast they can go!!

Our new arrival..on route to Kindergarten...

2010-08-18T16:29:00.005+12:00

Meet William...

soon to be a new member of our Kindergarten and currently making his way leisurely back from England to New Zealand with Carol...she met him in London and he has been seeing the sights with her ever since.

Here he is reading the map...

and posing with Stonehenge in the background

We can't wait to see what else William and Carol get up to...

A walk to our farm -leisurely fun in the outdoors

2010-06-28T17:16:00.001+12:00

A child in the wild - A trip to our mountain

2010-06-21T16:41:00.005+12:00

Over the weekend there was an article about Richard Louv in the Sunday Star Times. He wrote the book "Last child in the woods". This book discusses 'nature deficit disorder' and its effect on children. If children are not ever in the wild places of their community he feels that they will not have an infinity with the outdoors - and consequently not work to protect our natural heritage.At Mangere Bridge Kindergarten we try to visit our wild places - the mountain and the farm as often as we can get enough parents to accompany us.

On Friday after a trip to Mangere Bridge School where we danced with Footnote Dance Company who were in the school for most of the week - we went to our mountain and climbed and sat on top of our world contemplating just what fun it is to be up high and to have got there by a hard and steep climb. We want to promote being outdoors as a fun and challenging experience - one that we can have regardless of the weather. We wholeheartedly agree with the quotation "there is no bad weather - only bad clothing". The day was a bit blustery and grey but it was still a fabulous event. the joy on the children's faces when they reached the top and could climb up on the trig and say "we did it" is an indication of how much feel this is 'our place'. It is a special place in their lives.

Fun in the rain

2010-05-21T20:32:00.001+12:00

Well, finally the weather has changed. We have had such an amazing summer but the rain is here and so a chance to put on boots and raincoats and go stomp in the puddles. What fun, everyone who went off to play in the rain was absolutely ecstatic. They had such fun.

A trip into the community

2010-05-19T21:52:00.004+12:00

We have been taking the bus to our local village with a small group of children to visit some friendly shopkeepers, the bank and the library. While we were there we popped in to the child care centre to see a teacher who had been with us last year.

Then it was into the chip shop for some hot chips which we ate in the park ( we checked out the new playground and took some photos of it ) and then we walked ALL THE WAY BACK to kindergarten. It was a long slow walk but there was lots to see.

This kind of small local excursion is such fun as the children pick out places that they know and learn about other places in the community that are new to them. We still have some children to go as the weather was not suitable for walking long distances over the last few days. So as soon as it is clear again we will be off again.

Going to the Extreme Edge Rock Climbing

2010-05-14T16:25:00.000+12:00

Hi well who would have thought it.

We had arranged to take the children to the Extreme Edge Rock climbing as we have some children who are very adventurous at kindergarten and we wanted to create challenge, being out of their personal comfort zone and giving something different a try.

It was amazing. We had some children up to the top of the walls grinning from ear to ear. We were surprised in some cases too. This experience gave unexpected children a chance to showcase their confidence and abilities in different circumstances to those we see them in every day.

It is a great place to take children and we thank Dean, Sarah and the team there for a fabulous visit. It was leisurely but a real buzz.

Meet Christopher Nibble

2010-05-13T16:33:00.003+12:00

Our friend Wendy from ELP was in England and saw this book. She thought of us and sent us a copy - it is such a cool story and has a strong education for sustainability theme. We loved it immediately as did the children. Just ask if he should eat the last dandelion and we get a very strong answer "NO cos there wont be any more for anyone".

We sent a copy to our Biscuit's darling at Botany Downs Kindergarten when their Moustache went missing.

Who could resist this face??

Where have we been????

2010-04-30T16:21:00.000+12:00

HI We have been SOOOO busy with lots of trips and a focus on sustainability. We are working on our new bush garden, are caring for a new butterfly garden, have a waste free lunchbox push and are working to install tanks so that we use less water. We had a disco to fundraise and also a group joined the haka being filmed at our shops for an advertisement.

Busy busy busy and we will report on this sight once we get our tech skills sorted.

We hope our Biscuit is pregnant too and will post as sooon as we know what is happening for her.

Coke is back

2010-03-15T20:43:00.000+13:00

Great excitement.

Biscuit's darling Coke is back. Thanks to Botany Downs Kindergarten who have let Coke come back to us for a couple of weeks to keep Biscuit company. She seems very happy to hve him back and is spending a lot more time out in the cage.

Coke came to Mat time and sat quietly watching everyone.

A New year

2010-02-22T13:30:00.004+13:00

Hi all

It has been extremely busy for us at the beginning of this new year and we are only just beginning to feel like we have surfaced. We were ERO-ed on February 15th and the lead up to that is fairly full on especially at the beginning of the year with 20 new children. Setting up all the necessary systems for new children; portfolios, name tags and beginning stories has kept us fully occupied.

Each summer holiday we each have a treasure box to collect souvenirs and keepsakes to remind us of the people and places that were important to us over the break. When we come back to kindergarten we share these in a group and document each box for that child's portfolio. We have had some wonderful stories and this contributes to oral literacy learning.

A child who had a big holiday to London made a double decker bus just like the one on his holiday in the first days back at kindergarten. Repeating experiences and being able to talk about and show others what happened reinforces that learning experience.

Here are some examples of the rich experiences that were shared.

Clay wheel

2010-02-10T15:05:00.000+13:00

Our clay wheel is back in action. We have had some very well formed bowls and also some interesting sculptures made at the table beside the wheel.

Next big effort is to get our new shelves and get the kiln into action. Yeah we are looking forward to being able to fire some of this great work.

Our guinea pigs

2010-02-08T14:35:00.000+13:00

We started the year with our guinea pig Mum, Biscuit and three of her babies. One baby Muffin went to keep some bunnies company and then there were two. Biscuit often kept her babies out of the wonderful apartment accommodation that Dave built so one of the teachers husbands very kindly took pity on the tossed out children and built another apartment!!!

It has been in use for a while but in fact it has been so hot that the guinea pigs all seem to be living al fresco anyway at the moment.

literacy in action

2010-01-28T13:57:00.000+13:00

OH dear we had a problem - especially for this child who could not get to her bag to get her lunchbox or find a space at the table. SO she decided to do something about it -- "Make a sign".

And so she got organised and spent the morning writing, organising, laminating and putting up the sign.

A focus of the ERO reviews currently is literacy and we felt this was a great example of literacy for a purpose. Well done to our organised sign writer.

Making pikelets

2009-11-27T20:26:00.001+13:00

We bake most Mondays with help from a dedicated group of parents but today it was pikelets instead.

Lots of children tell us they make pikelets at their house too.

It was fun to make them and then eat them straight away with jam!!

A special dough cake

2009-11-26T20:21:00.002+13:00

We have some fantastic pictures from an amazing wedding cake magazine and the children have a very creative time using some of the pictures as a model.

Look at this

This child has looked very carefully at the model and reproduced it beautifully. Her mum tells us she has taught her mother how to make these intricate rolled decorations after practicing often at kindergarten. She has even worked in more than one medium creating these clay decorations using the same technique. this is fantastic learning, practicing and honing her craft skills.

Off to the school and mountain

2009-11-20T16:28:00.001+13:00

We visit school each term all together as part of our transition to school process.

The school is just wonderful, making us very welcome and teaming our children up with a school child for the duration of the visit. We go into the classrooms, join the children in their activities and then we go up the mountain for morning tea.

Our mountain, Mangere is a favourite place. We tell the legend, visit the landmarks and can see all over mangere Bridge and further across to the city.

For our children being up high is a real treat and we just love the open space to run and roll and climb.

A new guinea pig house

2009-11-18T16:23:00.000+13:00

Well great excitement, not only do the guinea pigs have a new enclosure for outside play, they have a new house to go inside the enclosure.

It arrived this morning Dave had built it and it looks just so cosy.

The guinea pigs popped in and out having a fun time.

thanks again Dave it is so nice of you to use your expertise for us.

A new outdoor space

2009-11-11T20:21:00.008+13:00

What a treat!!!

Dave arrived to build us a new outdoor guinea pig enclosure. We had gone to get timber and netting last week and now the building was to begin.

He laid it out on the flat concrete out the front and away he went cutting, hammering and putting it all together.

He had some help from some experts with a hammer and in two days we had the most fantastic walk in enclosure. this will be the day space for our guinea pigs and when they were put in there they went crazy. They ran around in circles and leapt in the air. Ecstatic is the best description.

We watched with delight as they settled in and enjoyed the new big space.

Now each day they can go out and enjoy being outdoors. This has created an environment to really foster the wellbeing of our much loved guinea pigs: Biscuit and her 3 babies that we have kept Snowy, Bars and Muffin.

thank you SO much Dave. We are truly very grateful for your effort.

The Samoa Tsunami appeal at MBK

2009-11-10T17:19:00.002+13:00

A trip to the skytower

2009-11-06T16:48:00.001+13:00

A trip to the skytower is one of the highlights of our excursion events.

We take the bus to the station, the train to Britomart and walk up Queen St.

It is always interesting on the train and this time we saw a man with a Segway, a lady with her supermarket shopping and the station itself.

On the walk up Queen st we saw huge buildings and even a rack of bikes.

Once we arrived we were just in time to lie down and wait till a person jumped from the top.

then we went up and walked on the glass and looked at all the points of interest around the city. We could even see our mountain from there. The bus is always waiting for us when we come down and Dawn drove some very sleepy people back to kindergarten.

Our new bridge

2009-10-23T17:18:00.004+13:00

We have had lots of children talking about the building going on for the new Mangere Bridge motorway so thought it would be good to go and look at it. We talked to Queenie at the construction site and we arranged to meet her at the Onehunga side to look at the bridge and she would tell us about the construction.

we went to Mt Roskill first to check out that end of the motorway ( the completed part) and then we came back and walked along the walkway from Waikaraka and sat where we could look at the bridge.

Queenie did a great job - thanks Queenie - and showed us her Bob the builder gear, hard hat etc and then we got on the bus again and went up our mountain to have morning tea.

It was a fun way of ending the trip- rolling on slopes of the soccer fields.

Ambury Farm Day 2009

2009-10-12T14:44:00.026+13:00

It's spring again and with spring comes Ambury Farm day at our farm. Yesterday we were at the farm - where there was pony rides, tractor rides, wood chopping, sheep shearing, cow milking, live bands and much more...

...Including our Kindergarten sausage sizzle - one of our big fundraisers for the year. We barbecued all day long and sold lots of sausages, lollies and drinks. Thank-you to everyone who helped and supported this Kindergarten fundraiser - it was a very successful fundraiser and way of showcasing the Kindergarten in the community.

On Vacation... more pics

2009-10-04T21:44:00.006+13:00

On vacation... at Jemma's house

Hi everyone, we are all safe and sound on holiday : ) we are having a great time, getting lots of cuddles and we have grown so much... you will be amazed! See you soon. We miss you.

On Vacation...

2009-10-03T22:15:00.001+13:00

Hi everyone, we're on holiday too...

and we're going for runs everyday, learning to jump and trying lots of new things.

From Biscuit and the babies
P.S. We love grass!

They've arrived!!! 4 new babies

2009-09-15T08:13:00.014+12:00

Well what a surprise, our Biscuit has had 4 beautiful new babies.

She was looking fatter but when Carol came on Sunday at 5p.m. there was no sign that she was about to give birth. When we arrived in the morning on Monday there they were!!

They are just perfect - covered in fur, one white, two biscuit coloured and one white and stone coloured. They are perfectly formed, running about and very capable, just like our children.

Stoney coloured baby...

We spent the day yesterday popping back to the cage just to watch, they are very very cute and the children are waiting to be able to have a cuddle. No names yet...

The twins...

The white one...

Check back here for more... as they grow!

Mentor buddies

2009-08-14T16:36:00.003+12:00

Buddies visit Kindergarten

Since September last year we have had a project involving Mangere Bridge School and some of their year 5 children. These children become buddies for our children transitioning to that school and visit once a week to spend time with an individual child and build a relationship that will carry over into the school. Once the kindergarten child goes to school this person becomes their "read - to" buddy at school each day. We have had 22 over the time since September and currently have 7 buddies visiting on Wednesday.

The buddies have portfolios too and spend time with their kindergarten child revisiting learning and events in their lives.
This has been just such a great support to children transitioning to school. One little girl added her school buddy to her birthday party list before anyone else, another changed her mind completely about going to school when she had initially decided she really didn't need to go to school and it has also created unexpected links between the junior and senior schools.

We have now begun a similar buddy programme with Waterlea School and have 7 buddies visiting on Friday. It makes for a busy week but it has been an extremely positive addition to our transition project and to supporting learning for both kindergarten and school children.

Working bee

2009-08-01T16:15:00.003+12:00

Hi...
It rained and drizzled and rained again on Saturday when we had the working bee planned. But as it's Auckland ( and it rains anyway) and we had a trailer load of topsoil to get off the donated trailer we went ahead and worked. We are building a native garden behind the kindergarten as inspiration to be viewed through our art room windows.
So we dug and leveled and prepared the site under Stephanie's expert guidance. We have a plan designed by MIT landscape gardening students and are working to that.

It is starting to look like good growing for ferns and pungas, cabbage trees and other natives and we are excited it is beginning to take shape.
Thanks to our dedicated workers who came in the rain. It was a muddy job but they just got on and did it!

Farewell Cameron

2009-07-31T15:55:00.002+12:00

Hi Again...

Our trip to Ambury Farm to remember and farewell Cameron the Clydesdale took place at the end of July. We took Martin and Dawn's bus down the road and went straight to watch the cow being milked . When the cow was done we went out and made butter!!! It was fun shaking the jar and hard work.

Then we had morning tea and set off round the farm to look at the lambs and check out Cameron's grave.

We had flowers and a bowl of carrots and apples - Cameron's favourite food and we sat and talked about Cameron and crunched the carrots and apples." I liked Cameron cos he was kind" and "cos he liked carrots".

Then we walked back to the front to the covered area past the sheep and the chickens ( we feed both), had another morning tea to sustain us and caught the bus back up the long hill to Kindergarten. We usually walk and it felt very strange catching the bus but we were worried about wet days and a short day too. thanks to Janine for arranging our visit.

Term 3 begins

2009-07-27T21:12:00.004+12:00

We really enjoyed our trip to Wellington to present our research to the conference of the Wellington Kindergarten Association. We also took the opportunity to visit Anne Meade at her new centre. The trip to Johnsonville on the train was very pleasant. As Aucklanders we always appreciate the ease of travel by train in Wellington and this trip up high and through the tunnels was great. It must be a fun school holiday outing to take this train with children.
Once back in Auckland we had a few days holiday then returned to kindergarten to set up over two days and ended up doing some painting and making new curtains to tidy up some areas and make them beautiful for the new term.
Our guinea pigs have returned looking no different ( or fatter) than when they went on holiday so we are still not sure whether we will be having baby guinea pigs soon as we had planned!! Still a couple of weeks of the breeding time to go so here's hoping!

We have had lots of new children start and this has kept us busy. We have been happily hammering together our new planter boxes - part of Matariki celebrations to think about planting and we will grow spinach, silver beet etc to feed our guinea pigs.

All sorts of creative ideas have been worked on this week - cars, the potters wheel, hot melt glue, and puppets. We enjoy seeing children arrive at kindergarten with their ideas already organised about what they will do during the day.

We were looking forward to going to the farm this Friday to celebrate another birthday with Cameron but last Friday our beloved Cameron the Clydesdale passed away. We are off on Friday to celebrate his life and all the pleasure he gave our kindergarten children on our visits to Ambury farm.It will be our day to farewell Cameron.

New friends for Cookie and Biscuit

2009-06-15T16:58:00.006+12:00

Today the teachers went to lunch at Manukau to celebrate the imminent arrival of Raelene's baby. Raelene is the teacher at Botany Downs Kindergarten and we wanted to give her a baby present. As well, we have been working out a breeding calendar for our guinea pigs and so Cookie had to come to lunch too ( she didn't seem to mind sitting under the table in her basket) and in the carpark we swapped our female guinea pig, Cookie for Coke, a shiny black fur guinea pig from Botany Downs Kindergarten. Now we have a breeding pair and they have a breeding pair. What fun, we wonder what will happen.

A new life for our babies

2009-06-12T16:39:00.001+12:00

We have been investigating the breeding habits of guinea pigs and were rather concerned to find that our white baby ( as yet un-named) could be a daddy at about 4 weeks or so and so we have had to find him a new home. One of our children offered to have him as the household pet and mum went off and bought a new cage (and was told he could even be a pet you take out walking in the garden, so who knows what adventures he may have). So "Oscar", now so named by the family, has gone to live at their house and the other little female has gone live with a recently bereaved bunny as a new companion. She has been named 'Gumdrop'.

We are sad to see both babies go but know they will have great new homes - and we do not need to worry about close breeding relationships.

It has been wonderful to have the babies, they are so charming and the children have been very pro-active in keeping them fed and carefully giving them a cuddle.

Biscuit and Cookie Clowning Around

2009-05-12T20:37:00.003+12:00

Biscuit and Cookie checking out their cuddle sack...

Just right for winter so snuggly and warm!

More adventures of our babies

2009-05-12T20:11:00.006+12:00

Our babies are getting more adventurous now...

look at them hopping around...

Look at our adventurous new baby...

2009-05-07T16:09:00.004+12:00

Look at our adventurous new baby... the other one is still a little camera shy!

Our surprise new additions

2009-05-04T16:02:00.002+12:00

Imagine our surprise when we popped into kindergarten at the weekend and found we had TWO new additions to our guinea pig family! When we got the guinea pigs six weeks ago we were assured they were both females - and we think they are. One of them must have been pregnant when we got them. Now Cookie and Biscuit have two babies to look after - and we have to think of two new names.

They are very cute, and their arrival caused great excitement with the children today. We look forward to being able to cuddle the new babies when they get a bit older.

Celebrating Red Socks Day - Afternoon Children

2009-04-07T10:27:00.003+12:00

Today we all turned up at Afternoon Kindergarten wearing red to celebrate red socks day. There were lots of really great outfits.

We had red water, red paintings, red streamers and red clothes as well as all of fun things we usually do at Kindergarten.

We stuck coins to a big cardboard red sock - thanks to Sophie’s mum Anna for making it for us. When we finish red socks week we are going to collect up the money and send it to the Sir Peter Blake Trust so they can use it to care for our coast because that’s what red sock day is all about.

We decided it was so fun we could make the whole week a special red socks week. Thank you to everyone who joined in and took part.

It was such fun!

What a fun way to end Term 1.