Auckland Kindergarten Association Celebration Book 2017 by Auckland Kindergarten Association

CELEBRATION BOOK 2017 ENSURING CHILDREN HAVE STRONG FOUNDATIONS FOR ONGOING LEARNING

“ When our tamariki are working and playing with blocks or other construction resources, they are planners, designers, architects, researchers, communicators, problem solvers, and builders…” – Avondale Kindergarten

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ENSURING CHILDREN HAVE STRONG FOUNDATIONS FOR ONGOING LEARNING In the 2017 edition of the Auckland Kindergarten Association’s annual Celebration Book we showcase our commitment to sending children out into the world with a thirst for learning: about new things, new skills, new people, new places and about themselves and the limitless possibilities the world offers. Ensuring children have a strong foundation for ongoing learning underpins all that we do at AKA and is the foremost pillar of our Strategy 2025. Our children are encouraged to make their own learning choices, problem solve, observe and explore at their own pace, with support from teachers, parents, wider whānau and their peers. We place a high value on the importance of child-initiated, play-based experiences – play is children’s work! Throughout the pages that follow, you will find stories about discovery and new experiences, as we bring our kindergartens, childcare centres and playgroups together to celebrate whāngaia ka tupu, ka puāwai.

Tanya Harvey Kaiwhakahaere Matua AKA CEO from 1999-2017

“ When you ask our tamariki, ‘Who are the best children in Glen Innes?’ They will reply ‘The Glen Innes Kindergarten Children’ Ka Mau te Wehi.” – Glen Innes Kindergarten

NORTH Bayview Beach Haven Belmont Bayswater Birkenhead Chelsea Devonport Glenfield Greenhithe Kauri Park KiNZ Orewa Mangawhai Marlborough Milford Northcote Northcote Central Snells Beach Sunnynook Takapuna Wellsford Westlake Forrest Hill

SOUTH 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70

WEST

CENTRAL Epsom North Epsom South Ferndale Freemans Bay Grey Lynn Hay Park Playgroup KiNZ Myers Park KiNZ Sandringham Morningside Mt Albert Mt Eden Mt Roskill Owairaka Parnell Ponsonby Point Chevalier Remuera Sandringham Waiheke Waterview Wesley Westmere

Aorere Bairds Favona Flat Bush Kingsdene KiNZ East Tamaki KiNZ Mission Heights Mangere Bridge Mangere West Mayfield McNaughton Murdoch Park Omana Otahuhu Otahuhu Central Panama Road Playgroup Papatoetoe Papatoetoe North Yendarra

28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49

Avondale Birdwood Blockhouse Bay Colwill Don Buck Glendene School Playgroup Glen Eden Glen Eden West Green Bay Henderson Hillsborough Hobsonville Kelston Girls College Playgroup Laingholm Lincoln Heights Playgroup Lincoln North Lynfield Massey New Lynn Oratia Ranui Roskill South Sturges Road

72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94

WEST CONT. Summerland Sunnyvale Taupaki Te Atatu Peninsula Te Atatu South Te Atatu Village Titirangi Waitakere Whenuapai

95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103

EAST Anchorage Park Botany Downs Bucklands Beach Cascades Dannemora Ellerslie Farm Cove Glendowie Glen Innes Highland Park Howick Maraetai Beachlands Meadowbank Mission Bay Onehunga Orakei Oranga Pakuranga Pigeon Mountain Pt England Somerville St Heliers St Johns Sylvia Park

106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129

“All the kids are supposed to come here and play. This the best kindy in the world.” Noah, 4 – DEVONPORT KINDERGARTEN

MĀUI AND THE SECRET OF FIRE The movie Moana has been a huge hit at Bayview Kindergarten. Children enjoy listening to the soundtrack from the movie, dressing up, and some have started to include their favourite character in their artwork and play. At mat time, we read some of the Māori legends about Māui, who is one of the main characters in the movie. One child showed a special interest in the legends, especially the legend ‘Māui and the Secret of Fire’. He asked for this legend to be read again and again, then took on the role of story teller and retold the story himself. To extend his interest in legends and storytelling, he made his own puppets and told the story at mat time for everyone to enjoy!

This is Mathias’ version of Māui and the Secret of Fire: “Māui puts water on all the fires. The people said “naughty Māui”, and he goes to a volcano. His friends the birds, went with him. He finds fire down the volcano. He finds his Aunty, the guardian of fire. He asks for a fire finger, and she said yes. He drops it in the water. He asks for another one. He drops it in the water again. He gets another, and another, and another one, and another one, another, and another one. Then Māui tries to get the last one, and his Aunty throws the flame in the tree. The flame burns the tree, and he takes some branches from the tree. He sees his mummy and daddy and tells them to build fire with the sticks.”

Photos 1. Mathias with his new favourite story. 2. Mathias with his Māui puppet. 3. Tamariki listen to Māui and the Secret of Fire.

OUR KAITIAKI – GUARDIANS OF OUR PLANET We recently become an Enviroschools kindergarten, with the aim of fostering a generation of people who instinctively think and act sustainably. We celebrated World Environment Month by going for a walk to the local park to pick up rubbish. This has led to lots of discussion about how to look after our planet. We have also been talking to children about reducing, reusing and recycling, and what happens to the materials that we recycle. We have introduced a new rubbish system to the kindergarten, where children can take an active role in sorting their rubbish. The rubbish produced at kindergarten is now sorted into six categories - paper and cardboard, soft plastics, landfill, recycling, worm farm and compost.

We aim to reduce the waste that we produce, and therefore we encourage everyone to think about ways that they can reduce packaging in lunch boxes, and using reusable containers instead. Here is the learning that is taking place from Spencer’s perspective: “We picked up rubbish at Shepherd’s Park because we are looking after the planet. It was really fun. The other evening, we were picking up Dad from work and we saw some things and we took them home and put them in the bins. Because I remembered going to Shepherds Park. Our new bins are not toys. They are for putting rubbish in. It gets recycled. It gets made into new things like new paper and new bottles. I think everyone should try and save the planet.”

Photos 1. “We tidied up Shepherd’s Park because it’s close to kindergarten.” 2. “We were recycling. I found a giant firework.” 3. “I’m putting a chip packet into the right bin.”

WE LOVE OUR BIG OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT Play is at the heart of our kindergarten philosophy. Our outdoor environment invites children to play and learn through exploration - Mana Aotūroa. When outdoors, children build a relationship of respect for the natural environment and Papatūānuku; learning to care, share and nurture. Children can choose to swing and observe the play and learning around them or actively co-ordinate their bodies when challenging themselves. Teachers and children work together to get the best from the environment. There are choices for everyone, and we are only limited by our imaginations. ‘Safety First’ guides our fair and respectful play environment from which children learn to take risks and care for themselves and others.

Teachers support, encourage and plan opportunities for children to give new things a go - practice, persist, and succeed! These opportunities bring to light children’s dispositions for learning, including curiosity, persistence, determination and resilience. Our outdoors area is a fabulous place to sing, dance, enjoy stories and games, problem solve and invent. Every day we are creating opportunities to combine physical activity with play to build strong foundations for ongoing learning for all children. Children develop social concepts - fairness, kindness/ atawhai, turn taking and mahi tahi/working together building relationships from which we all learn.

Photos 1. “We are going to be butterflies.” 2. “I like to play outside because my friends play outside.” 3. “Look we have found a snail in the garden.”

“EVERY CHILD IS AN ARTIST”

– PICASSO

At Birkenhead Kindergarten we agree with Picasso. Children arrive with artistic and imaginative energies. They confidently articulate why they love being creative; from experimenting and mixing colours, to making gifts for whānau, telling stories and expressing feelings. Our aim is to encourage children’s artistic growth within a rich, diverse environment for experiencing art. We have renovated our art area to include more opportunities for painting, screen printing, glue gun collage, clay and threading. This variety of activities allows children to experiment, explore and experience art through using a wide range of senses, media, materials, and technologies. Children learn through ‘doing’. The freedom of being able to make choices as they plan, design and access resources is a vital component in supporting them to explore, to be creative and inventive. Children are encouraged to work with and alongside others in a collaborative way, acquiring strategies for active, creative thinking and reasoning. There is no ‘wrong way’ to express yourself.

Children make sense of and learn about their world, feelings and emotions, representing these through art. Our tamariki are confident, capable learners who know that their creativity is cherished. Children’s artworks are valued, respected and celebrated as a unique expression of who they are. They are seen as taonga by children, teachers, visitors and whānau.

Photos 1. Jackson is making a screen print of Rangitoto, our kindergarten maunga. 2. Martia painting his family. 3. Tahu is making people to put in his waka. 4. “Making necklaces for Mummies.” 5. “Drawing tells a story and when you draw lots you get good at it.”

SOME OF OUR FABULOUS SEWING PROJECTS Sewing has become a popular pastime at Chelsea Kindergarten! It started last year when Lyla built a couch at the carpentry table and then wanted to make some cushions. Since then there have been many AMAZING sewing projects happening on a daily basis. Children design and sew their creations, sometimes by hand, but mostly on a hand driven Singer sewing machine that was donated to us by the parents of one of our most prolific fabric designers!

We asked the children to reflect on their sewing projects to date, and this is what they said: Anna, “I had to do a lot of thinking to make that blanket! I had to think about all of the stuff that I wanted on it! I did a little bit on it for lots of days. My Mum loved it; she has framed it. It was a special present.” Alice made her first sewing project on her first day at kindergarten. She says, “I sewed cushions for my whole family, they love them!” Amadeias was very proud of his vampire cushion, “I made it! It’s a vampire! My Mum likes it; I like it too! I’m going to make another one!” Perrin made several presents for his baby sister. Perrin had this to say; “I made lots of presents for my sister. She liked the lion the best; she smiled when I gave it to her, she actually smiled! Then she dropped it; I picked it up for her!”

Photos 1. Anna’s blanket, “A special birthday present for my Mum.” 2. Alice’s heart cushion, “I made a present for all my family.” 3. Amadeias’ vampire cushion, “My Mum likes this, so do I!” 4. Evander’s skeleton cushion, “It’s good and cool and I like it!” 5. “A baby lion for baby Leia,” by Perrin.

THE CHILD’S VOICE IS VALUED A common aspiration our parents document for their child’s time with us, is for them ‘to be happy’. One of our intended outcomes for children’s learning is for them ‘to have fun and develop a lifelong love of learning’. Fun encompasses enjoyment, expectation, pleasure, excitement, playfulness and humour. These are actions and qualities that we notice and respond to and contribute to our children’s happy dispositions. One way we affirm children’s love of fun is by recording their voice. As they embrace their interests and involve themselves in the programme, we hear them articulate their thinking. So many words are spoken each day as children engage in play that facilitates a lifelong love of learning and in turn, lays strong foundations for ongoing learning.

As Zara exclaims, “I look at the sky, and if it’s light it’s a sprinkler play day at kindy.” We hear her excitement for an activity that brings her pleasure. With Finn’s words, we are reminded of the enjoyment of physical challenge along with affirmation that providing a changing environment is valued by the child. “I bounce a lot and I can run fast. I go to the little playground near my home but your playground is way better. I like that you change it up and mix it up.” With Noah’s words, we hear a real sense of community belonging and inclusiveness. “All the kids are supposed to come here and play. This is the best kindy in the world.”

Photos 1. Finn: “I like your playground, you change it up and mix it up.” 2. Noah: “All the kids are supposed to come here and play.” 3. Zara: “I look at the sky and it’s light, it’s a sprinkler play day at kindy.”

COMPETENT AND CONFIDENT LEARNERS AND COMMUNICATORS It all started when one of our children decided that her aspiration was to be a great horse rider. “When I grow up I would like to be good at riding horses.” – Sophie, Age 4. Animals have always been a real interest here at Glenfield Kindergarten and their care is embedded within our Enviroschools teaching. Horse riding seemed a natural extension of this learning and the other children were soon inspired by Sophie’s goal. We researched using books, the Internet and other forms of creative expression such as ephemeral art. We practiced our skills through dramatic play and outdoor explorations. Being good at horse riding requires a strong sense of balance and core strength, as well as a calm and gentle nature. When we thought we were ready, a kindergarten trip to Kiwi Valley Farm was planned, to test out our skills on the real thing. It was so much fun!

At Glenfield Kindergarten we had been working hard to support the children in setting their own goals and developing their aspirations. This has involved helping the children to recognise their own areas of strength and articulating things they would, with practice, really like to be good at. This links to the school curriculum’s key competency of managing self and sets strong foundations for life-long learning. “Children have a can do-attitude and see themselves as capable learners. They are enterprising, reliable, resilient, set personal goals and have strategies for meeting challenges.” (Te Whāriki, 2017. P53)

Photos 1. B rendan demonstrated that he had all the skills to be a wonderful horse rider. 2. A nika’s ephemeral art paid close attention to the horse’s bright green eyes. 3. K hloe and Anika practiced their horse riding (and cow girl) skills on our very own kindy made horse.

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD! EXPLORING AT KINDERGARTEN We love it when children explore. By developing their skills in choosing activities, setting goals and working together, the children will set strong foundations for their learning journey. Being confident about their choices, supported in their self-set learning goals and celebrating their achievements makes learning a fun thing to do. Who doesn’t want to have some fun?

Marco loved matching games, so he made one himself to take home to his family for the holidays. He wanted to try it out with all of the teachers. Ella loves playing at mat times; she reads stories to the other children, plays games and sings songs. She loves playing the role of teacher! Daisy worked so hard matching and searching for different coloured pegs. She ordered them in rows of the same colour; it took ages but what an amazing pattern she made. Deacon was exploring the world of snails. He helped create a snail house and learned how to care for them, what they ate and how they lived. Alistair watched the children playing with the gloop before giving it a go. What fun he had mixing the colours and playing with the textures! We provide a rich environment with opportunities for children to develop a love of exploration and therefore a love of learning. This encourages children to plan their own learning pathways, set goals and gain a sense of achievement. Success at kindergarten facilitates an easy transition into the more formal school environment for our tamariki. Photos 1. Marco, “I’m playing a game I made myself.” 2. Ella, “I’m playing at being teacher.” 3. Daisy wants a picture to take home - taking pride in her work. 4. Deacon, “I learned to hold them by the shell.” 5. Alistair explores the gloop for the first time – trying something new.

MAKING SENSE OF MĀUI The legend of Māui has become part of the children’s thinking, questioning, experimenting, and understanding of the world around them. They enjoy retelling and revisiting the stories of Māui and we performed the story of How Māui Slowed the Sun at the local kapa haka festival, as well as The Fish of Māui at our local rest home. At Kauri Park Kindergarten, we value and encourage children to take ownership of their own learning. We do this by valuing Māui’s disposition of pātaitai – testing, challenging, questioning, being curious, exploring and risk taking. Māui has captured the children’s interest, and we have enjoyed many conversations as the children make sense of some fascinating concepts within the legends.

“If my magic jawbone was fixed, I’d give it to Māui.” “Māui has the power to hold the mighty sun.” “Māui has magic inside him that goes into the flax and makes magic.” “We don’t know where Māui lives; I don’t know how deep they were in the pit.” “Māui took Island Bay and put it back!” (This was when fog was covering the sea near a child’s house). “The sun is bigger, actually bigger than Australia.” “Māui lives in another place at the top of New Zealand.” “Was Māui a giant?” “You can’t actually touch the sun it’s too hot.”

“Are Māui and Tāne the same person?” “I don’t know how he slowed the sun down; maybe he is strong.” “This is my house, Māui is allowed to stay.” “Māui could just drive his brothers so they don’t have to walk.” Photos 1. Through dramatic play we see our children’s perspective on their learning. 2. At a community kapa haka festival the children shared their learnings. 3. T he Māui stories have inspired the children’s creativity. This has included face painting.

LEARNING TO LOVE AND RESPECT OUR ENVIRONMENT From the Norfolk Pines along Orewa Beach to the kowhai seedling trees in our garden, trees are treasured landmarks in our Orewa community. At KiNZ Orewa, children explore the trees by gathering under their canopy, climbing the trees and discovering the insects and creatures that live within or under the trees.

Kieran enjoys watching the birds in our trees and loves the smell of the bark beneath them. Kieran’s mum Tamara told us they have fruit trees at home and Kieran gathers fruit to bring to the centre, which helps him connect with his friends when he arrives. Saya joins her friends in the trees. Keeping up with the older children encourages Saya to be brave, challenge herself and negotiate with her friends about where to put her feet and which branch to climb next. While Jaxon mostly prefers to be upside down in the trees, Ollie is more interested in getting to the top one day. “You need a hard worker belt, a green belt that goes on our foots – then we can climb up the tree.” Ollie remembers seeing arborists at his home recently. As part of our Matariki programme, some of our families joined the Auckland Council’s Volunteer Tree Planting Day at Shakespear Regional Park, planting protected trees that will grow as the children will. Mai i te kākano iti e puawai ana he kauri. From a small seed, a tall tree will blossom.

Photos 1. Jaxon, using all of his strength to balance upside down. 2. Saya, carefully negotiating the next branch. 3. Kieran getting ready to read under the tree canopy. 4. Michelle planting a tree with Willow at Shakespear Regional Park. 5. KiNZ Orewa staff.

DEVELOPING PERSEVERANCE THROUGH A ROPE CHALLENGE Providing opportunities for children to experience risk and challenge is an important part of our curriculum. One day in late summer, the teachers were reflecting on how to provide further challenge within our outdoor area and decided to create a high ropes course.

This was a new experience for many children, which required courage, problem-solving, persistence and concentration to master. Teachers supported children’s learning by praising their efforts, encouraging them to keep trying and celebrating with them when they achieved the goals they had set for themselves. Serafina, reflecting on her experience taking on this challenge, shared, “I hurted my hands when I was doing that. It took ages, almost the whole day!” When asked how it felt to achieve the goal of getting up onto the ropes, Serafina replied, “I didn’t give up, I tried and tried and tried, and I could do it! I felt so proud of myself.” Another child shared, “I was trying to get the high one, not the low one. I felt happy when I did it, when I was at the Bikeathon!” We believe that children who develop the disposition to persevere in the face of difficulty or uncertainty will meet challenges in their future with determination and optimism - essential foundations for future learning!

Photos 1. The lower of the two rope challenges. 2. Getting onto the ropes was a challenge in itself! 3. “I didn’t give up, I tried and tried and tried.” 4. Clearly Zaiah wanted to challenge himself a little more, no hands! 5. Bailee used both rope courses at the same time!

CHILDREN EMPOWERED DURING SEAWEEK At the beginning of the year, we celebrated ‘Seaweek’ for several weeks. Before we started, most children were unaware of the impact of pollution, especially plastic, on sea creatures and the marine environment. Now the children know about strategies to help prevent pollution and how they can take action. They are talking about the effects of the pollution and how to get involved in prevention; they are empowered!

The children’s learning was often evident in their play. Vonal role-played as a vet and operated to take 30 plastic bags out of a turtle’s stomach. The wall display and learning stories made the children’s learning visible. As part of our Enviroschools learning and also bringing in a Māori perspective, Tangaroa was included in the project.

Khushi said she went to the beach and saw some people drop rubbish so she asked them if they would pick it up.

Many parents have told us their children have talked about their learning at home and how they have learnt from their child.

Olivia went with her family and picked up rubbish at the beach.

Seaweek has been a wonderful opportunity for inquiry based learning for our whole kindergarten community.

Children are now aware of only catching a limited amount of fish or shellfish from the sea and keeping only ones of the regulation size.

Seaweek wall display.

“WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?” As a child, you can be anything; the world is full of possibilities. Children’s creativity goes beyond limits, allowing for infinite inventiveness and spontaneous fun! At Milford Kindergarten, a child who is creative learns to consider their own thinking and transfer this to learning through their play. Our children lead us on many adventures, where resources become anything the mind allows and their world view invites endless possibilities and opportunities. As teachers, we ensure that we are present and attentive to the children’s interests, allowing them to take ownership and responsibility for their learning as we promote inquiry and facilitate resources. A wonderful aspect of teaching this way is that we uncover children’s own thoughts, questions, and wonderings. The team recognise and celebrate that it is the child’s perspective on learning that enables the development of intrinsic dispositions that lead and inspire them to be lifelong learners. Some examples of this are; The animals at our kindergarten enable our children to learn empathy, respect, responsibility and care. Our gardens assist our children to learn about patience, curiosity, perseverance and a sense of self in relation to the natural world. The forest kindergarten programme allows our children to foster a sense of belonging, exploration, risk taking, confidence and curiosity. The community gently teaches our children the importance of others, connectedness, empowerment and support. Every day at kindergarten, our children are learning that they are important and valued. They are learning that they can be whoever they want to be.

Photos 1. “We can only learn to love, by loving,” Iris Mardoch. 2. “If nature is your teacher, your soul will awaken.” 3. “ There are no seven wonders in a child’s eyes. There are seven million,” Walt Steightiff.

COLLABORATIVE CARPENTRY CONSTRUCTIONS The workshop is an amazing area for our children to work in. Our whānau collect wood from a local business and bring resources from home. Children come to the workshop with a wide range of abilities, and they show a sense of achievement in producing a piece of work, regardless of their background or heritage.

In the carpentry area, we see tuakana-teina, where children learn from more knowledgeable others, or older children teach our younger children. At Northcote Kindergarten, we value and promote these relationships. The children are learning with and alongside others. They are learning strategies for turn taking, problem-solving, negotiating and building relationships. They develop an appreciation of how they and their whānau can contribute to group projects. Phoenix said, “I make tools for building. We don’t have these things at home. When I grow up I’m going to be a builder.” Parent voice: “What a busy week you have had with your hammer, learning all about building and working with the other children on your rocket project.” February 2017. Parent voice: “It’s amazing that the children get the opportunity to use real tools. I’m sure our ladder will come in handy at home!” March 2017. Through carpentry, children have the opportunity to attain a number of the learning outcomes from Te Whāriki, as well as numeracy, technology, literacy, science and creativity skills.

Photos 1. Children learning about health and safety in the workshop. 2. Making usable equipment. 3. Children working with and alongside others. 4. Children are proud of their achievements. 5. Enjoying the fruits of their labour. Imagination at its best!

KAITIAKI – GUARIANS OF THE GARDEN Kaitiakitanga is a Te Ao Māori concept of guardianship. At Northcote Central Kindergarten, we have a fantastic team of kaitiaki - our tamariki. They care for and protect our garden, and they know what we need to do to keep it healthy. Being involved with the day to day care of a garden teaches children that if we look after and respect Papatūānuku, (the Earth), she will provide us with delicious fruit, vegetables, flowers, and plants. This helps to foster a strong connection with the planet and creates an awareness that our actions can make a difference to the environment around us.

The next term break we came back to find our garden was in need of a spruce up, so we purchased some new vegetable and flower seedlings. We have been talking to the children about becoming kaitiaki or guardians of our garden. We get out the gardening gloves, and Ruby, Faye, Annabelle, Zoey, Ellie, and Leeroy come racing to help.

Leeroy had planted a pumpkin seed over the holidays, and we came back to see how big it had grown. We cut up the pumpkin and shared it with our whānau.

We have an avid interest in gardening at Northcote Central where the children are given the responsibility to look after Papatūānuku.

Leeroy became the tuakana who helped the others to put their gloves on and shows them how to plant the seedlings by ‘tickling’ the underside to loosen the dirt. The children then take turns to plant the herbs and seedlings into the garden.

Our kaitiaki, ‘Guardians of the Garden’, prepare the soil for planting.

WHITEBAIT CONNECTION PROGRAMME FOSTERS LEARNING During an eight-week investigation into fresh water environments, children have discovered the differences between salt and fresh water, found out where fresh water comes from and some of the creatures that live in it. Through close observation, children saw tiny inanga eggs (an endangered whitebait species), eels, kōura (fresh water crayfish), and banded kōkopu, another whitebait species.

To fully explore this programme, children have been involved in singing, dance, science experiments, art work, digital microscope use, stories, video and handson investigations. Tamariki have learnt about tides and the life cycle of whitebait, their predators and needs. Here are some of the observations from our children: Scarlett said, “The moon made the tide low and high. It came a king tide. The fish laid its eggs, the fish died.” Angela said, “The rain flooded onto a whole island through the rivers.” Kai said, “Playing with the digger, watering the land, down the river, out to sea.” Riley said, “Inanga eggs will hatch one day. They pack a lunch and they smell the ocean and then they swim out to sea. We were putting rain on the ocean and the land.” Lexi said, “We been looking at the bugs in the water. The eel, I touched it, soft. I liked it.” Photos 1. T amariki made rain and observed it flowing down mountains through rivers to the sea. 2. Magnifiers helped children to discover the tiny, live inanga eggs. 3. C hildren poured water to make a king tide, which wet the grass ready for inanga to lay their eggs there. 4. Tamariki observed koura up close. 5. D arcy is proud of the signs his big brother’s school friends have designed to educate people about a local stream. 5.

TIKANGA WHAKAARO – WAYS OF DOING It all began with the interest in Moana, the movie. Rocio brought her hook from home to share, sparking an interest in legends from Aotearoa and Māui’s hook from the movie. A project began with the children creating their own Māui hooks. Peyton was one of the first to come to the carpentry area. “I had to smooth it on the edges; then I drew Te Fiti’s heart, Moana and I wrote Moana’s name. I remembered how to write it ‘cause I saw it in the movie. After that, I used the tool to draw it and then tied the string on.”

Mat time saw Peyton standing confident and proud. Afterward, she recalled with a huge smile, “I standed up in front of everyone and told them about my hook.” Peyton asked us to post it immediately on Storypark so her dad could see it. “Oh wow that’s awesome,” he responded. He surprised her by turning up to collect her so that he could see her hook on display. “Peyton was absolutely absorbed by this project, and she told me in great lengths the stages that she had to go through to create her fish hook which she wants to gift to her brother. It was important to her that her dad was proud of her as he is a carpenter. To see her SO proud of something she had created is magical.” (Clare Nash, Peyton’s Mum). Learning holistically helps children develop strong foundations for ongoing learning.

Photos 1. Sharing Māori legends with whānau. 2. Making connections between kindergarten and home. 3. A sense of achievement and self-worth. 4. Having confidence, experimenting, taking risks and challenging herself. 5. Reciprocal relationships, making connections with family / whānau.

PROMOTING WHAKAMANA THROUGH CHALLENGES For children to have strong foundations for ongoing learning, we have developed a culture of children setting and achieving their own challenges. Through challenges, children develop a sense of whakamana; confidence in their abilities and ownership of their learning. I am included, I am strong, I am able, I believe in myself, I am supported, I am competent, I can do it, I can make decisions. Children also develop strategies and skills that support lifelong learning, fuelled by the development of dispositions such as curiosity, perseverance and critical thinking.

Ralph: “For my first challenge I want to do a difficult puzzle. I can figure it out. Stephen can help me.” After setting his goal, teachers asked the children whether we should continue with the challenges. Ralph said, “Stop doing them.” We asked, “why?” Ralph said, “Because the puzzles are too hard.” On completing his challenge, Ralph said, “I feel good, I’ve learned how to do tricky puzzles, I can turn the pieces around, and I looked at colours and put them together. I did bigger and bigger puzzles. I like challenges.”

Ralph sets and achieves his challenge.

THE WORLD OF THE CATERPILLAR Arya - “You don’t grab them, you just look at them on the leaf.” Zahria - “What do they like to eat?” Zaria - “What do they eat?” Elizabeth - “There’s a big one and a baby.” Payton - “I wonder what butterflies eat?” Payton - “Caterpillars eat leaves, I think.” Payton - “We saw a butterfly do an egg.” Payton - “I think caterpillar changes to get comfortable.” Tiare - “Some caterpillars turn into moths.” Zara - “That’s the big sister and that’s the mum.”

Izabelle - “They are eating the leaves.” After planting some swan plants recently, we began closely observing ngā ngārara (caterpillars) on them and watching them grow. We noticed how there were hēki (eggs) on many of the leaves and some of the children were lucky enough to observe he pūrerehua (a butterfly) lay a hēki on a leaf. Each day, the children returned to the swan plants to see how ngā ngārara were changing. We added books and watched the life cycle of he pūrerehua on the iPad to enrich our understandings. They have also been drawing their interpretations and observations. Children are developing their knowledge and understanding of the natural living world and how to take care of living things. They are learning to be researchers and developing strategies for thinking, theorising and reasoning to make sense of the world.

The swan plants have provoked lots of discussion and conversations as children share what they know, ask questions and ponder on this magical metamorphosis process of the butterfly life cycle. Photos 1. Alisha and Alexa observe he ngārara on a swan plant. 2. Izabelle watches as he ngārara turns into a chrysalis. 3. Arya watches closely as ngā pūrerehua emerges from its chrysalis. 3.

LEARNING THROUGH CARING FOR ANIMALS Our pets, Marmite, Peanut, Marigold, Buttons and Kākāriki, have a significant role at Westlake Forrest Hill Kindergarten and are referred to as our third teachers. They help us daily with our manaakitanga by teaching empathy and how to take responsibility for others. Mia tells us, “I like Peanut.” Our guinea pigs and mice are held by the children every day, and the children enjoy giving cuddles, sitting quietly with them, and even talking to them. Aina tells us, “She is so fluffy.” Lily enjoys their “soft fur.” Tamariki also design new homes for the pets. “Look! She is doing her exercises,” Everleigh tells us, as Marigold runs on the mouse wheel.

Teachers have an important role in encouraging children to participate and contribute, supporting to expand and enrich children’s experiences, and building on confidence. Over time, this will encourage them to transfer this learning to their own lives. Brooklyn says, “She is talking to me. I think she is happy.” Families are encouraged to take our mice and budgie home to care for over the weekend and during the school holidays. There is always such a great deal of excitement when they know whose turn it is to take them home and lots of fun stories when they are returned. 2.

Photos 1. Our kindergarten guinea pigs. 2. Tamariki’s artwork of Marmite and Peanut. 3. Artwork of the kindergarten budgie. 3.

“I like the dancing because of the music and it makes me feel good.” Lucinda, 5 – GREY LYNN KINDERGARTEN

OUR FAIRY WOODLAND ADVENTURE At our 9am kĹ?rero mat time we discuss our responsibilities and also invite children to share news and interests from home. One of our children shared her favourite Fairy Time Storybook. This led to a group of girls and boys converging on the collage area to make fairy houses out of the twigs, bark, leaves, and pebbles we had in our art baskets. Soon the children found an area to make their fairy village, in an under-utilised, native garden area on our fence line! One morning the children discovered real fairies living in the houses (resources purchased by the teachers), further deepening the interest. As the village grew so did the inhabitants, in the form of insects and bugs. A Bug Discovery book encouraged the construction of

a Bug Hotel and a Caterpillar Cafe alongside the fairy village. The children involved themselves in the careful and arduous task of balancing and stacking bricks, logs, rocks, and boxes to provide shelter for the wildlife. With lots of turn-taking and negotiating the hotel and cafĂŠ were completed. Acorn shells and bits of twigs and cones were glued to make tea cups and furniture for the fairies. Signs were written and maps of the village drawn, friendships were made and peer scaffolding intensified as children took ownership of their learning. Our Fairy Woodland continues its life and learning opportunities with constant revisiting, sharing, gift giving, imaginary (and real) tales and adventures.

A display of our Fairy Woodland Adventure by children at Epsom North Kindergarten.

CELEBRATING OUR LOVE OF LITERACY This year we have been celebrating our love of literacy. Children are revisiting their learning, assessing their experiences and sharing their pride in their accomplishments. This invites learning conversations and assessments of self and peers, which in turn enriches relationships between children, teachers and whānau. Children revisiting their learning journey in their portfolios is a recognition of themselves being involved and engaged, “Look! This is where I …,” “This was a long time ago,” “Look, this is you and your brother when he was here.”

The children are also recalling past experiences through artistic expression, using fine motor skills and representing a complex story verbally and pictorially. “I am drawing a village. I went on a plane and my family were there too.” There is an eagerness to add names to rosters, which engenders a sense of pride and accomplishment. “I am writing my name so I can have a turn,” “Writing my name is good.” Storytelling supports imaginative play through purposeful mark making. “I drew a map and we can use it wherever we can go. We were building a raft and making lots of maps, so we can travel everywhere.” Using resources in play, children are forming letters for a purpose and having fun with literacy; “I have made a walking D,” “D is the first letter in my name.” Through exploring literacy in fun and open-ended ways, children are able to feel comfortable and confident in their ability to develop an understanding of mark making, storytelling and making literacy meaningful to them. Photos 1. “This is me, look what I can do, look where I’m going.” 2. Telling stories using pictures. 3. “I am writing my name so I can have a turn.” 4. Storytelling through map making. 5. Practicing writing in a different way.

OUR WINDOW TO UNKNOWN WORLDS There is something nice about settling down in a quiet space to share a story. At Ferndale Kindergarten our tamariki have been narrating, illustrating and binding their stories into books. This complex process takes time. They start with an idea, and a story slowly unfolds. The text of the story is narrated by the ākonga/learner and transcribed by a kaiako/teacher. There is discussion about the elements of a story, including beginning, exciting middle and ending, with associated illustrations. The technical aspect of forming a book involves laminating and binding. Then the book is ready to be shared at mat time or cosily with a friend on the couch.

We interviewed a handful of our resident authors to get their perspectives. Here is what they said: “It was actually Little Red Riding Hood but I wanted to change it.” - author of The Story of the Big Bad Wolf and the Little Girl (Phoebe). From the author of The Blow Away Egg; “I got the idea [for the story] because we’ve caterpillars and monarch butterflies in my garden.” (Sofia). From the author of Five Bunnies and a Tiger at the Theatre, “I got the idea from Kiwi Farm, there are lots of bunny rabbits. Reading to everyone felt good.” Mā te ahurei o te tamaiti e ārahi i ā tātou mahi.

Let the uniqueness of the child guide our work.

Photos 1. An author hard at work creating her story. 2. Sharing a story at mat time. 3. The Story of the Big Bad Wolf and the Little Girl.

MATARIKI – A TAMARIKI PERSPECTIVE Our tamariki were so inspired by Matariki (the Māori New Year), and the seven stars that represent this, that they were motivated to make stars. Talk about whānau, sharing kai and the stars at night led to a decision to have a pyjama day to mark the event, which was dubbed by Zara as, “The Matariki Snuggle Pyjama Sleepover Party.” We began a kindergarten community celebration with dinner at the Ponsonby Food Hall and two days later we held our pyjama party. Whānau came together with kaiako and tamariki - all clad in their night wear – to prepare kai and sing waiata in several different languages, including Te Reo Māori and Mandarin. “Good night,” was the greeting for the day and the children delighted in the cosy atmosphere.

“What do we know about Matariki?” asked kaiako. “Sleep over and stars – it was really relaxing,” said Olivia. “I learned cooking Matariki food,” stated Zara. “Pumpkin, potatoes, carrots and kumara,” added Jesse. “We singed Twinkle, Twinkle in our voice,” Maisy told us. At Freemans Bay Kindergarten, we feel that the essence of Matariki was wonderfully celebrated as a time of coming together in remembering the past and embracing traditions, of preparing and sharing kai and joining our voices together in song.

Photos 1. Everyone came in their pyjamas and dressing gowns, even our Mums. 2. Poppy and Mila have a bedtime story with Mila’s Mum. 3. Poppy, Maisy and Vilet are making Māori bread. It was delicious!

THE MARVELLOUS WORLD OF MUSIC Music at Grey Lynn underpins our curriculum and philosophy. It gives tamariki the fundamental building blocks to be strong, independent, life-long learners. Music teaches tamariki many skills in a fun and holistic way. Every morning we have a music mat time run by our tamariki. The kaiako facilitate this with songs that reflect the cultures of the Grey Lynn community. This is driven by passion and joy for what we are doing, why we are doing it, and who we are doing it for. The tamariki tell us, “It is good that we sing on stage and dance.” By choosing music from different genres and generations, the parents and whānau are drawn to sing along with their tamariki, at kindergarten and at home. The music has many effects on the tamariki and it gives the day a great vibe. It provides tamariki with tools and strategies to express themselves and explore their emotions in a creative and fun way; “I like the dancing because of the music and it makes me feel good.”

Music is an experience that teaches tamariki many different lifelong skills that prepare them for their learning journey. Some of these are: language development, movement, resilience, inclusion, mathematics, spatial awareness, and a full brain work out. Music encompasses every principal and strand of Te Whāriki as it touches all the key factors of our curriculum framework. It links everything together in an authentic manner, highlighting the weaving of the strands and how they all work so closely together. In a nutshell, the tamariki are experiencing performing music – the best way to explore music!

Photos 1. Kahu enjoys playing the guitar. 2. Carlotta's first time playing the ukelele, with help from Nicole. 3. F iona plays guitar at mat time, Tutari, Zoe, Rosa and Lola lead the singing on stage.

LEARNING THROUGH ACTIVE EXPLORATION The parents at Hay Park Playgroup took the tamariki on an adventure to Ambury Farm in Mangere. The bus journey was a new experience for many children and created lots of excitement before we even arrived at our destination! Ambury Farm offered grassy lanes between the animal enclosures which helped our tamariki to safely get up close to the animals. We were able to see, smell, hear and touch the many farm animals in their enclosures. For many of our children, and some of the parents, this was their first time seeing some of these animals in real life. Sheep, goats, cows, pigs, chickens, turkey, rabbits and the elusive peacock had centre stage as our tamariki soaked in the environment. We spent some time enjoying the freedom of being out in the open space and running through the paddocks before coming back together to have some morning tea and a kōrero about all the things we had just seen. The children revisited the sounds they had heard, what they had seen and the adults shared stories about different animals from their home countries.

It wasn’t long before the bus had returned and was ready to take us back to Hay Park Playgroup. The journey home was very quiet with lots of sleeping tamariki and worn out whānau – but what a great day!

Photos 1. Sinamalo and Chandni hold hands while visiting all the animals. 2. Ryan loved following the chickens in the wide open space. 3. Matias spied the chickens having a rest after our Playgroup visit.

NINJA LEARNING! Ninja play is a current interest. We brainstormed the good qualities ninjas should demonstrate and concluded that at KiNZ they must be helpful, stealthy and silent. We searched YouTube for a suitable theme tune to role-model ninja characteristics and chose Mission Impossible. The music notifies the children that it’s time to play ninjas. Jace mentioned that we need to camouflage. This took ninja play to a deeper level where we think about where we can safely hide with the colours we are wearing. Jace explained, “You can camouflage by matching the colour of what you are wearing with the colours in our playground.” One day, Ananya wore a flowery dress, and she decided to crouch down beside a green bush to be a flower plant, demonstrating her understanding of camouflaging herself within the centre environment.

The children are learning about spatial awareness by hiding in places and aligning their bodies so they are less visible, such as behind a tree and in the curve of the slide. “We need to play the ninja game so we can hide.” They are challenging their gross motor abilities to extend their ninja skills and teachers have been introducing further body movement activities to enhance development. Meena’s perception of a ninja is that they work in the dark so that they are well hidden, and this was a great activity to incorporate into our routines. She suggested, “We need to turn off the lights to tidy up like a ninja!” Bonus; the children now love tidying up by enacting ninja play!

Photos 1. Jace demonstrates his stealthy Ninja moves. 2. A nanya hopes her flower dress will help camouflage her amidst the greenery. 3. “If we squeeze our bodies against the tree, Logan won’t find us.”

OUR LEARNING JOURNEY ABOUT THE TITANIC This year, KiNZ Sandringham children expressed an interest in learning more about the history of the ship named Titanic. Our observations identified that the Titanic was an emerging interest that we could extend on together. Xavier said, “It was a big boat and it sunk!” The children were involved in an inquiry based learning process. Through using a variety of questions and provocations, we encouraged the children to express what they wanted to learn about the Titanic. Children asked if the people on board knew there was a big iceberg. “What happened to the captain?”, “Are the remains of the Titanic still under the sea?” We noticed that through questioning, the children were taking the lead and offered their own directions as to where they wanted the learning to go. We set out on a learning journey to find the answers.

The children contributed towards their learning by bringing in resources and information from home to support them in finding the answers they sought. Their interest and initiative was evidence that this learning experience resonated with children and their families. Xavier shared his research by teaching everyone the meaning of the word ‘submersibles.’ Through their leadership, they became stronger at problem-solving, researching and investigating. Because our children led this learning experience, it produced valuable learning outcomes that were rich and meaningful.

When our children see the large Titanic model that they made, they often remark on their exciting journey of selfdiscovery that took many unexpected twists and turns.

Photos 1. William: “This is my Titanic that I made at home with Dad.” 2. George: “My Titanic has lots of chimneys and windows, the Titanic crashed into an iceberg.” 3. Children working together on the Titanic model.

WHAT MAKES US UNIQUELY US? He aha te mea nui o te ao He tangata, he tangata, he tangata The kaiako at Morningside Kindergarten value the opportunities for whānau and family to come together and celebrate the wonderful traditions and culture of our local kindergarten community. Our tamariki and whānau love to get involved, share and contribute to the cultural celebrations and traditions at our kindergarten. This affirms to our tamariki and whānau that we value the contribution that they make to our community of learners. These traditions also foster closer connections to our whānau and the wider community. All of our cultural celebrations are closely linked to

Big smiles and a big bear at our Teddy Bear Picnic.

the everyday learning that takes place at Morningside Kindergarten. These events create a valuable sense of belonging, well-being and connection between home and kindergarten. Each of these events provides opportunities to celebrate the specialness that is Morningside, and that is why they are so valued. Some examples of recent cultural celebrations include the Eid Festival and our very popular Teddy Bear’s picnic tradition. One of our tamariki set up a stall to offer ‘Free Hugs for Teddy Bears Picnic Goers’ and the children had a wonderful day with their bears. We hope to continue honouring cultural traditions at Morningside with the help of our community!

DESIGNING AND CONSTRUCTING THE OBSTACLE COURSE Over the last two terms, children have been involved in designing and constructing an Outdoor Obstacle Course. This project started as a result of the obstacle course being dismantled fortnightly for lawn mowing. At the beginning of term two, Manon took a leadership role in assembling the obstacle course and asked the children, “Who wants to draw?” The children put their hands up, chose the first piece of equipment and Manon drew it straight away. Next, she asked the children the order of the other pieces of equipment. Some children volunteered, so Manon told them, “Okay you finish the design, and we will start building.”

Hugo showed Sean the piece of equipment he was drawing. “This is the next piece we are building,” Sean said as he started to draw. “It’s hard, you draw a line, and this looks like ‘t’s!” The team of children worked cooperatively to assemble the obstacle course. Luke inspected the obstacle course and said, “It’s all correct, the work is completed.” The children were very proud of their finished design and posed for a team photo.

Children were taking responsibility for their learning, developing an enhanced sense of self-worth, identity, confidence and enjoyment. They learned that they could contribute their special strengths and interests to a common goal and achieve that goal collectively.

Photos 1. Manon says, “Ok you’ve finished the design and we will start building.” 2. C hildren work together taking responsibility for designing and building the obstacle course. 3. The final quality control inspection takes place confirming all is complete.

CARPENTRY CREATORS The carpentry table is one of Daniel’s favourite places at kindergarten. Recently, he started making a cool-looking table at the workbench. Daniel explained that he had a big coffee table at home, made out of glass and that he was making a small one. We took some photos to show Daniel, and he told us all about his table: “That bit that was holding it is a short piece of wood. It is a table. I have a big coffee table at my house; it is for things to be put on. My table is still a table. I think it is at my home somewhere. My Mum really needed to use it for that hot saucepan. I just learned how to make it - I don’t remember how, I just did I think. I really like what I am making now. It is a gun. It can shoot anything.”

Daniel is a patient and careful creator. Choosing the right pieces of wood takes time, and hammering is not easy. He kept checking and adjusting the way he hit the nails so they would go in as straight as possible. He saw a need at home (a table for hot saucepans) and wanted to use his talents to connect with those he loves! He worked with a vision in mind! Other children were inspired by Daniel to have a go, and looked to him for guidance. The children enjoyed planning their creations and working together to make them!

Photos 1. Daniel is following his passion for creating things out of wood. 2. Drawing pictures of racing cars and planning how they can make them. 3. Friendships grow out of a shared interest.

PAPATŪĀNUKU'S DELIGHTS Mt Roskill Kindergarten has been supporting and extending the children’s interest in the wonderment of nature. The tamariki have taken charge and lead their learning by deciding what they wanted to grow in our garden. “Broccoli,” Rithwick offered; Omar suggested “carrots”, and Yongwei added to the list, “lettuce and spinach.” With help from whānau, we have developed our garden into a flourishing space; full of produce and beauty, as well as the new home of many happy insects. The tamariki have grown vegetables and flowers from seed and watched them develop over time; learning that the plants need lots of water, sun, care, and love. This, in turn, gave them the opportunity to develop a sense of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) for our environment.

Once the crops were ready to eat, the tamariki carefully picked what we needed and took it into the kitchen to use it in cooking. Through our gardening experience and by developing a strong relationship with papatūānuku, the tamariki are showing empathy and curiosity, exploring using all of their senses, working together, developing working theories and learning about respect and responsibility. It also gives them the opportunity to practice tuakanateina where our older tamariki take on the leadership role to guide our younger tamariki to look after our garden. “The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.”

- Alfred Austin

Photos 1. Yongwei and Kingston watering the garden. 2. Abigail picking silverbeet to use for cooking. 3. Ricthwick helping to make fritters using produce from the garden. 3.

WHY WE LOVE THE GLUE GUN As a teaching team, we believe in the importance of giving our tamariki ‘real world’ experiences, where they have the opportunity to try on the roles and activities they see in the world around them. By using real tools and celebrating the links between home and the wider community, we are teaching our tamariki responsibility and care for tools and each other. We are allowing them to express their developing working theories about the world around them. Use of the glue gun has become a major part of our kindergarten culture. Tamariki are using the glue guns for a range of purposes, from the creations that get used in the course of their imaginary play such as Māui hooks, to swords for pirates.

There are also glue gun creations that get made for the pure joy of expressing their creativity and imaginations! We have noticed tamariki have become confident and capable to drive their own learning through the use of the glue gun. Tamariki are excited to return to their projects from the previous day.

Photos 1. “ Emme taught me how to do it, I’m going to wait till my koala is dry to put the body on.” – Stella 2. “ First I make an A then I made a diamond and then I glued that on there and that on there.” – Asher 3. “I gave it to Ina, but I’m making another one. She’s a princess.” - Lila

AMERICA’S CUP FEVER AT PARNELL KINDERGARTEN! At Parnell Kindergarten, we enjoy sharing the knowledge, skills, and interests of our community with the children. Current events and interests often become the focus of the children’s play. Recently, one of our children headed off to Bermuda as his father is part of the Team New Zealand crew. Before leaving for Bermuda, this child shared his knowledge of sailing and was proud to show clips of his father on television. This has brought about a huge interest in the America’s cup.

Suddenly, our learning environment was bustling with discussions and play around sailing. Team New Zealand seems to have linked with another favourite interest Moana. “Team New Zealand is a bit like the Moana boat. One is a canoe, and one’s a boat, but they are similar,” said Ashley. Children spend their day building boats with various materials, discussing race results, painting boats, roleplaying sailors and watching past races on the smart board. 2.

A hundred worlds to discover A hundred worlds to invent A hundred worlds to dream - Loris Malaguzzi

Photos 1. “ My digital control helps the sailors sense where the New Zealand boat is.” 2. “The Team New Zealand boat gets power from the wind.” 3. “I hope our boat comes first.”

TE AO MĀORI THROUGH THE ARTS We have recently introduced the children to their own kindergarten pepeha. It is important we teach this, not only to develop a sense of belonging but also as a way to share with others and keep our history alive. As a way of embedding their learning, the children created a mural. They have been working hard on the project and through all their mahi tahi, have taken real ownership, with the final touch being self-portraits of themselves. At wā whānau, we used a makeshift maunga and awa made of cushions and cloth that helped explain how and why Māori people came to feel so closely connected to the natural world. The children enjoyed playing here for days, happy to share their aroha and knowledge of fishing with their hoa. Through shared kōrero, they learnt

The children's artistic representation of our kindergarten's pepeha.

how important it was to take only enough ika for whānau, but no more. Through their play, many of the children ran through the family members they were fishing for, while others brought their baby dolls for a fun walk up Mount Eden, or Mangawhau, as we are all now familiar with. We have noticed that the children continue to explore the pepeha concepts together in different areas of the kindergarten, making some rather impressive grappling hooks to pretend to climb their maunga in the garden, and building boats in the block corner, where they have started to regularly set sail. Now we are confident that each time our tamariki hear and recite our pepeha, that their shared voice has meaning to them, and that their spiritual connections are being strengthened, just as past generations have.

INTERGENERATIONAL LEARNING AT PT CHEVALIER With a growing retired population, and many young children who do not have contact with grandparents or those from an older generation, the community at Pt Chevalier discussed ways to bridge the age gap and develop relationships between young and old. By chance, Selwyn Retirement Village is close by, and so it was with much excitement that the teachers and parents met with the community organiser, Orquidea, to discuss ways the kindergarten children could be part of the Selwyn Village community. Fast forward six months and after several visits to Selwyn Village for movement, dancing and stories, we invited our new village friends to a dress-up afternoon community tea.

The teachers and children brain-stormed ideas for the visit and started developing a plan. These included helicopter rides, a show of biking skills, painting and drawing, hop scotch, singing and monkey bar demonstration. The children baked scones in readiness and made place mats for everyone. Soon we were ready to sing a welcoming waiata and usher our guests into the kindergarten. Ana, Jasper and Catalina took the lead and showed some of our guests around. It was lovely to see them hand in hand, chatting about their favourite things at kindergarten. By the smiles on our guestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s faces and the twinkle in their eyes, it was a very special and moving experience for all. Finally, after a karakia, it was time for kai, with our parents serving a delicious silver service high tea.

Developing intergenerational relationships: sharing a special moment.

CONNECTIONS BETWEEN PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS Teddy Bear Hospital (TBH) is a global project run by the International Federation of Medical Students Association. We enrolled our kindergarten to participate in this so that children could make links to everyday experiences. To begin, our children were patients who met with medical students (the doctors), in a fun and relaxing role-playing environment. The roles were then reversed and the children became the doctors, performing check ups and fixing conditions they had diagnosed.

Next, our tamariki took on the role of the doctor working with each other and their teddy bears. They worked with a variety of medical equipment including stethoscopes, x-rays, blood pressure cuffs, and otoscopes. The children thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to care for their much-loved patients and used bandages, plasters, nebulisers, syringes, and more to make them well. This wonderful experience meant that children could share their fears, anxieties and experiences around medical procedures. Children do not get many opportunities to swap roles with adults in this way, and they keenly participated in the event. The children can revisit this experience to develop trust that their emotional needs will be responded to when they or their loved ones are faced with medical procedures in real life.

This learning experience strengthened our links with the wider community and provided medical students with an opportunity to develop their paediatric skills. ‘Children learn through responsive and reciprocal relationships with people, places and things,’ Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 2017).

Photos 1. Doctors came to Remuera Kindergarten to look after the sick teddies. 2. “I am watching all those bones inside.” 3. “I am putting the stethoscope on Robby Robot because he is sick.”

ENGAGING LEARNING THROUGH FOLLOWING CHILDREN’S INTERESTS Through the passion shared and the desire to build and explore the children’s visions, we can see many new relationships being formed and nurtured through like-minded children coming together. We can see our more experienced friends teaching and supporting our less experienced friends. A love of learning is being uncovered, and we all know when you love what you are doing it’s all just so much more FUN!

As the interest evolves and deepens, we notice that children are utilising the Lego area as a place to share interests, reflect and engage in conversations that are rich and creative. Friendships have begun as the children take responsibility for the Lego. The conversations are incredible as friends share their thoughts and ideas. The excitement is evident as experts emerge and favourite characters are discussed - especially why they were the favourite, which could simply be due to the colour of their weapons! The children had been saying that they like making creations that they can come back to day after day. We know that this re-visiting plays a vital role in children’s learning as it encourages children to think critically, reflect and build on their learning each time that they return to their exploration. This ‘cements’ in place their understanding and deepens their knowledge with each passing day.

“Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen, and thinking what no one else has thought.” – Einstein. Photos 1. “ I like to make with Lego. We have a box of Lego and make stuff; we don’t need instructions, we make it up in our heads.” 2. “She is actually a princess and has lots of friends.” 3. “ I love building ships, and I also love building new guys that I haven’t seen before.”

HOW ARE WE GROWING OUR LEADERS? We asked our tamariki the question, “Why is it good to be a leader?” Here are some of their ideas: “When you get to be a kaitiaki leader, you get to learn about helping friends.” “My mind says I like being a kaitiaki leader.” “A leader of hui time goes up the front.” “When you know how kindergarten works you get to have a turn.” “Cutting up the fruit is really fun because it’s a helping job.” “Because then you are learning about helping other people.” “It’s like being a teacher because when someone needs help, you can just help them.” Every day we invite four tamariki to be the kaitiaki

Ruby, Sienna, Arianwen and Minna prepare the morning kai for everyone.

leaders of the day. They have extra responsibilities including - preparing kai, leading at hui time, taking care of composting, welcoming our manuhiri, and supporting new tamariki. To be a kaitiaki leader here empowers a sense of pride and every child aspires to have this opportunity. The feeling of belonging the tamariki experience from being a kaitiaki leader fosters their sense of tūrangawaewae here at Waiheke Kindergarten. This is one of the concepts of our teaching philosophy. This supports our Enviroschools kaupapa through the Guiding Principle/Ngā Mātāpono of Empowered Students as well as the Te Whāriki principle of Whakamana that empowers the child to learn and grow. Mahia i runga i te rangimārie me te ngākau māhaki. With a peaceful mind and respectful heart, we will always get the best results.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? Talk of starting school and school readiness is on the minds of many of our tamariki here at Waterview Kindergarten. This future focus has seen many of our whānau communicate their aspirations for their tamariki to be able to read and write their names. These aspirations have formed one of our most loved daily rituals – signing in! Upon arrival at kindergarten, the tamariki find their name tag, then choose to place it on our magnetic board or take it to the sign in table to assist with this task.

Following conversations with the new entrant teacher at our local school and noting the dwindling number of children choosing to sign in, we ‘ditched’ the usual sign in sheets and began to think of new ways that the children could engage with their names. In addition to incorporating a variety of materials and writing implements, sensory experiences were also included using play dough, shaving foam and salt. We value this ritual as whānau and tamariki gather to start their kindergarten day together, focusing on a familiar activity. Working hand in hand with whānau allows our kaiako to nurture each child and offer learning that is meaningful to them and their whānau.

Photos 1. Nicholas and Mum Dilshani sign in with play dough. 2. Sylvie and her mum Zöe sign in with sand. 3. Connor with his name in the sand. 4. Tayeb’s name written in English and Arabic. 5. Tayeb and his Dad Zabihullah signing in on the whiteboards.

CHILDREN EXPLORING TRANSFORMATION AT KINDERGARTEN At Wesley Kindergarten we celebrate outcomes for children from the child’s perspective daily. We encourage our children to think, by asking them questions and challenging their thoughts and ideas. “I want to make lots of masks.” We believe providing children with a choice is paramount to their learning and the power of saying ‘yes’ prepares a responsive learning environment. This creates experiences that enable children to think, make decisions, plan and determine their direction of learning.

“I want to use those cool stuff.” Providing children with choices empowers their creative thinking. “It took a long time!” This shows children are involved in assessing their learning, developing understanding about the concept of process, setting goals and persevering to follow goals through to the end. Our tamariki have been exploring ‘transformation’ through a range of mediums. The children have been using dress ups and masks, which has led to children wanting to make their own outfits and masks. We have provided resources, space, and books to inspire their thinking. Supporting this interest and listening to children’s ideas have evolved into providing face painting. This has progressed from teachers face painting to children taking over, providing opportunities for tuakana-teina! Throughout these journeys, we have created stages for the children to use their props for a purpose in our outside and inside areas. At Wesley, we value the child’s voice! Photos 1. “ I want to make lots of masks!” – the use of books to inspire children’s thinking. 2. Creating confidence. 3. Trusting our friends. 4. Tuakana-teina. 5. Performing once transformed.

CHILDREN TALK ABOUT LEARNING AT KINDERGARTEN Westmere Kindergarten children articulate how they see themselves in the learning areas of the Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whāriki. “I’m learning to be nice, and I’m learning to be a chief fireman,” says Jacob. “I’m helping friends out,” says Maggie. The teachers have developed a culture of manaakitanga (caring) at our kindergarten, and the children have learnt to look out for the well-being of others. To encourage belonging, children take responsibility, voice their opinions and are listened to. Charlotte tells us, “Do you know I’m a famous artist? Do you know everyone liked my pictures? Especially everyone. I like painting rainbows.” “I’m learning to be a firefighter and also to be nice to my family,” says Fred. “Well, I think I’m just learning about what everyone else is learning,” says Sofia.

Each child’s contribution to our learning environment is appreciated. Says Ethan, “I’m learning about the Matariki stars.” Ethan’s interest in the Matariki stars linked to his extensive knowledge of the solar system, a passion he has shared. Teachers support children with the many facets of communication. “I like working on puzzles, and I like doing pictures and painting; it’s cool learning when teachers read to you, I like the noise,” says Phoebe. The teachers encourage exploration to develop cognitive skills and promote a passion for learning. The children bring ideas from home and extend their knowledge to make sense of the world around them. Photos 1. Helping friends at kindergarten. 2. “Do you know I’m a famous artist?” 3. Sharing knowledge about the solar system. 4. Reading with a friend. 5. Learning together is fun!

“I can be a leader at the glue guns because I can help my friends and show them how to use them.” Eliza, 4 – FAVONA KINDERGARTEN

WHAT SHALL WE TELL OUR WHĀNAU?

Things I like Write them words

At Aorere Kindergarten, we recently evaluated our Learning Stories and what we write about. As part of this, we asked our children the question:

I’m Good

I’m learning My Friends

“What would you like us to tell your family, about what you do at kindergarten?” Here are some of the suggestions from the tamariki of Aorere. It was interesting to see some common themes coming through!

Playing is good

GRAPH TO DEMONSTRATE THE PERCENTAGES OF CHILDREN’S REPLIES

“The teacher needs to give them information about their son and their daughters too… writing information.” “Write about the creatures we can find, and the kids play and do learning about them.” “That we learn it - by we try it and we try it and we try it, and then we learn it. That’s called good learning. Tell them about friends and be nice and don’t be mean.” “I be super good! Kids have to learn - listen to the teacher and learn about the book. Tell that all the kids have to play. That’s really, really good. We have to do playing.” “Give them words, not photos. Tell them words to say: kids learn about the learning. And I am a good girl at kindy. Tell them about if we do something really special. We can tell them about questions - what are we going to do about it to fix a problem?” “Tell about playing. How we train and learn and play soccer. We come to school and we play with friends and we share. Mums and Dads need kids to play, because playing is exercise and we need exercise for growing.”

Photos 1. T he pie chart shows children's responses to what should be in our Learning Stories. 2. Awhi for Terina - we care for each other. 3. Silia is a super-thinker! 4. Malachi and Fred make a plan so they can both use the swing. 5. Learning through play - Izekial investigates how water works.

LEARNING THAT STRENGTHENS MUSCLES One day Carson shared that he likes to stretch. It was a bit of an odd conversation as it’s not a common topic children talk about, but he did show the children around him what he knew about it. “I can do this stretch and this one and this one,” he said. He explained to the other children where he had learned his stretching skills, “I train with my Dad.” Pulusea knew mat time was coming up so he asked Carson if he could demonstrate to the children some of his training routines. Carson happily shared some of his regular exercises. The children became interested in what Carson was sharing and they showed some of the different movements they knew too! At the planning meeting, staff were able to extend on the interest by organising daily and weekly physical activities. Current resources were used as well as purchasing new equipment to enhance the experience. From this interest, Bairds Kindergarten developed some healthy living choices. This included a focus on healthy eating and drinking, adding exercise to the daily programme and learning about healthy minds and bodies. Through conversations and Storypark, parents shared that children have been continuing at home with their exercise and stretching regimes. From a child’s learning perspective, children are applying their concepts while developing more knowledge and muscles. Staff and parents are able to continue and share the learning at home and in the kindergarten.

Photos 1. The children showing each other their moves! 2. Autim demonstrates her balance skills. 3. Konelio boxing.

LEARNING TO BE LEADERS Leadership has become a strong component of our kaupapa at Favona Kindergarten, with the tamariki leadership journey beginning from their first day with us. Our older tamariki are encouraged to care for our new children, and it’s not long before they are taking on leadership roles with enthusiasm and confidence. Leadership takes many forms, from leading karakia, whakatauākī and waiata at mat-time, inspiring and helping each other in the art and glue gunning areas, baking, caring for our environment and joining the whānau at Papatūānuku Kokiri Marae to powhiri manuhiri.

Here are some thoughts from our tamariki on leadership and what it means to them: “I like being a leader because I feel good. I can lead the karakia at mat-time.” “I can be a leader at the glue guns because I can help my friends and show them how to use them.” “I’m a leader on the bikes, I can ride the big bike and I show the kids to ride that way up the hill and I show them the helmets.” “I was a leader today, because I can sing Waiti, Waita by myself and I lead everyone, it was good.” “I like being a leader because it makes me happy. I’m a leader when I’m drawing my family, because I can help my friends draw their family too.” “I like to lead the singing at mat-time, because I like to be like my papa, he leads the singing at the marae.” “I can lead the kids jumping the sticks, because I do it at the marae too with Carlos, my big brother.” Photos 1. Caring for the environment together. 2. Being a leader at glue guns. 3. Tamariki, whānau and kaiako join the whānau at Papatūānuku Kokiri Marae. 4. Baking together. 5. Leading at Matariki.

FEARLESS AND STRONG At Flat Bush Kindergarten, kaiako are encouraging tamariki to be confident, competent and capable learners, teaching them to push boundaries and not be afraid to make mistakes. Some of these experiences have included jumping off small, medium and finally large boxes onto crash mats, walking and balancing across a cabbage tree log, swinging from one crash mat to another, assessing and setting up safe obstacle courses as well as jumping through horizontal and vertical hula hoops! Many of our tamariki have interests in the outdoor environment and are pushing through perceived physical boundaries. Working through challenging experiences has furthered their knowledge around risk and safety, spatial awareness and communicating with peers.

Recently, one of our tamaiti, Siosaia, has been learning about assessing risk. Siosaia’s comment, “Are you going to move it?” I’m going to jump, keep it there,” is just one example of how children learn through peer interaction. Through this process, tamariki are supported to communicate fears with their peers, encouraging children to build confidence in discussing risk and safety to move beyond barriers and achieve their goals. We want tamariki to start school confident and assured that while they may not be able to do something yet, they can learn from friends and through practice. Our children will have started to develop the ability to assess risks and their safety.

We know that these skills will be useful for our tamariki, providing a strong foundation for ongoing learning as capable learners within society. Photos 1. C hildren believe they ‘can do’ challenging things: “I holding that and I not going to fall down.” 2. “ I swing by, and I didn’t fall down. I didn’t hit the children - I teach them how to do it. They just look at us how we do it - they wanted to know how we do it.” 3. C hildren learn about risk taking by experiencing ‘risk’ and learning to keep themselves and others safe within a safe environment. 3.

SHARING STRONG VALUES We have an ethos of respect amongst our tamariki and whānau. This ethos is at the heart of what we do. It encourages us to be responsible kaitiaki when caring for others and to build on whakawhanaungatanga when starting a new relationship as tamariki grow and more whānau are introduced and enrol at our kindergarten. He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata! What is the most important thing in the world?

It is people, it is people, it is people. Our tamariki have strong connections with and respect for the living environment. Teachers encourage this interest in nature and caring for the world around them. When asked what the boys are working on in the garden, Harlem responds, “we got to turn the dirt over and help it grow.” E kore au e ngaro, he kākano, i ruia mai i Rangitātea! I will never be lost, for I am a seed sown in Rangitātea! The freedom to explore encourages open dialogue, giving our tamariki a platform to express their feelings. We value open communication and respect for others as we work and learn alongside each other. “Sharing is caring,” says Miley, with confidence.

Mosese and Papapuna demonstrate teamwork as they create a house together. Mosese says, “Me and Papapuna are building our ‘big as’ house, with heaps of rooms.” Ēhara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini. Success is not the work of one, but the work of many.

Photos 1. “Sharing is caring,” says Miley. 2. His smile says a thousand words. Lebron writes and draws with mummy Lina. 3. Tamariki enjoy working together in the garden. 3.

IF I COULD TALK TO THE ANIMALS! A focus at KINZ Otara is to improve the oral literacy of our tamariki. We provide many experiences and opportunities to encourage them to use their language to express their thoughts, feelings, ideas, and interests.

We continue to use the story sequencing cards as this has become an effective and popular strategy with tamariki. The stories in portfolios and on Storypark prompt them to relay their knowledge to their parents and whānau.

One such experience is our annual outing to Ambury Farm. A goal was to introduce children to the names of the baby animals we would see at the farm. Many of our children had never seen actual farmyard animals before. We used pictures, games, photos and of course, the Old MacDonald Had a Farm song to help tamariki learn animal names, such as calf and kid. We encouraged the parents and whānau to support language extension by actively talking and responding to tamariki on the excursion.

Through the experience of visiting the farm and the other learning opportunities, tamariki now use more animal names and are developing a richer vocabulary associated with the farm. We captured some thoughts from tamariki during and after the trip:

Back at the centre, we printed off several photos of the trip and encouraged tamariki to retell their own stories using story sequence photos as prompts. This motivated tamariki to recall experiences and share their memories with others.

“All the family go to the farm. The cow was milking. My Dad went on the bus.” “I saw the sheep. She was trying to scratch her back. I touched her and I said, ‘cute’. They were friends and they were doing flips and I like them.” “Oh, I like this baby cow. I can feed him, he’s hungry.”

The delight of being up close and personal to an Ambury Farm resident.

OUR FUTURE ENTOMOLOGISTS Our children have a strong interest in Māori myths and legends, in particular, Tāne Mahuta, the God of the Forest. They have become increasingly curious about insects which are claimed by the tamariki to be “Tāne’s children.” Connor is very knowledgeable about insects and the atua of the forest. He tells us that “Tāne is a tree. He is special; he is the ‘God of the Forest’ and the bugs are his children.” When Connor came up with the idea to have a Bug Party, the teachers saw it as an opportunity to support his leadership skills and encouraged him to share his ideas. Teachers documented Connor’s vision; what food and drink to serve, who to invite, what could we wear and what games we could play. The teachers closely collaborated with Sally, Connor’s mum, so we could all support Connor make his dream of a Bug Party come true. She told us that he was an ‘ideas man’ and shared that he had the skills and the knowledge to plan a party as he had previously organised his dog Coco’s birthday celebration. At home, Connor researched bug themed food ideas on Google every morning. Sally said she could ‘see the wheels turning’ in his head as he planned ideas for the menu.

Parent participation was high on the day of the party. The children came dressed in home-made bug costumes. It was wonderful to see how tamariki and whānau worked together to create and organise the Bug Party!

Photos 1. Passionate insect researchers. 2. Mia’s praying mantis inspired dress up. 3. Lydia, illustrating her version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar story. 4. Mia, drawing and telling the story of his insect park. 5. Connor’s family ready for the Bug Party.

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UNIQUE LEARNING EXPERIENCES - “I CAN DO IT” Our potter’s wheel is a great social activity and while working, the children have been talking about our mountain Māngere, Te Maunga o Māngere. The conversation inspired the children to manipulate the clay on the potter’s wheel and form mountain shapes. Using the wheel is a collaborative process where children are teaching each other and say, “I can do it,” and go on to set up the wheel and show the next child who is waiting to have a turn. The walkway garden highlights the principles of Enviroschools and particularly ‘Empowered students’. Josiah arrived at kindergarten eager to tell us that there was beetroot ready. He took us to harvest the beetroot, and we made beetroot hummus. The consensus was that it was “yum” and something we should definitely do again.

The lava cave at Ambury Farm is an exciting and very different learning space. “I thought it was going to be scary down there, but it wasn’t,” Sam said as he lined up face beaming, ready to go again. At Māngere Bridge Kindergarten, we build on children’s previous experience and endeavour to offer unique learning experiences. The potter’s wheel, the community garden and the Ambury Farm lava cave are all special and unique learning encounters that create opportunities for discovery, conversation, leadership, ako and collaboration. Children know that their ideas will be acted on and that they are able to drive learning. They know that their contributions are valued as worthwhile learning.

Photos 1. Working independently at the potter's wheel. 2. Beetroot from our walkway community garden. 3. Exploring the lava cave at Ambury Farm on a Monday.

SHARING LANGUAGE AND CULTURE The New Zealand Red Cross runs a programme which aims to support families who are new to the country to settle into their community, including at kindergarten. They provide a translator to help the family to enrol and become familiar with the kindergarten. The staff welcome the family warmly and invite them to spend as much time as they like at the centre. The parents spend most of their time with their children. Other children at kindergarten often become curious about their language, which encourages social interactions. These families often have little or no experience of ECE. The teachers’ initial focus is getting to know the families and settling the children into the kindergarten. They use visual resources to connect with the families and to learn about their cultural backgrounds. Parents are invited to be part of the programme and work alongside their child and all the children at our kindergarten. Teachers learn basic words in the child’s first language and develop books of common phrases to use. The teachers and services work together to help the children transition to the kindergarten, and later to the nearby primary school. Families learn alongside their children and are confident to share their cultural heritage, through stories and conversations, and we involve them in our language weeks. Every term, we host a shared lunch where families are invited to bring traditional food from their cultures. The shared lunch is also a wonderful time to welcome new families and share information with them. The children are comfortable, they have made friends and are eager to be there every day.

Photos 1. “We love to play Māori games and sing waiata.” 2. Brother and sister reacting to a favourite book. 3. Favourite Māui legends told over and over again by children.

MAYFIELD KINDERGARTEN BUILDING FOUNDATIONS FOR LIFE Our tamariki transition to Mayfield Kindergarten with a wealth of knowledge from home. Their mana, such as a sense of self-worth, is intact and resonates who they are and where they come from with pride. Imaginative and dramatic play is strong here at Mayfield Kindergarten. This is complemented with strong connections from home life and experiences. It allows our tamariki to pilot who they choose to be with acceptance and adoption of others around them, building a sense of belonging and trust. This empowers our tamariki to take on leadership roles relating to their interests, knowing it is valued by all those around them. Tamariki develop the social skills to guide their peers through self-initiated learning. They also build the confidence to approach kaiako, manuhiri and whānau with enquiries, followed by dedicated time to investigate, explore and discover the methodology of learning.

Tamariki leave here with the self-management skills and confidence to lead their own learning. They can persevere independently and with adults supporting their queries. They are inquisitive and able to reflect on and articulate the complexity of their play. This highlights the process of interest developing into strength. 2.

Photos 1. “That’s a big squid, it’s a Colossal.” 2. Children researching together. 3. Guided peers learning; “A octopus not a squid.” 3.

TAMARIKI GROWING AND LEARNING THROUGH EXPLORING Te WhÄ riki states that to learn and develop to their potential, children must be respected and valued. This means recognising their rights and giving children the opportunity for participation and learning within their environment. Children at McNaughton Kindergarten have the freedom to explore their interests through a range of resources and equipment. We noticed that children take an interest in understanding their world. They enjoy discovering science and working with some early concepts of maths as they continue to experiment and explore their world. Children learn to explore mathematics by embracing reasoning and verbal exploration, as well as finding out about their physical world.

They are able to share their learning experiences with other children as they share stories throughout the day. They have a great working memory that contributes to telling stories, developing more complex working theories and problem-solving strategies as they continue to explore by themselves and with others. We noticed and recognised whakamana and empowerment in children who are active learners that choose, plan, and challenge their own and othersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; learning experiences.

Photos 1. Children explore learning opportunities by role-playing as medics. 2. Pretending to listen to heart beats and breathing. 3. T amariki discover more about the natural world, through play with farm animals.

THE 'LIVING EGGS' PROGRAMME Watching the eggs hatching under the lights in the incubator was an exciting and overwhelming experience for the children of Murdoch Park. The highlight of the ‘Living Eggs’ programme was that the children had rich and quality experiences. They learnt about the hatching of eggs and how the tiny, baby chicks turned into fluffy, little chickens.

The children learnt through observation, scaffolding, working alongside peers and learning to take a risk to hold a chick. Later on, they became so confident with the chicks that they let the chicks walk all over them. They even took them for walks and sat patting them for hours. Our whānau took part in this programme by taking turns to take the chicks home for the weekend to take care of them. They acknowledged that this had created ‘family time’ for them at home. These experiences promoted and empowered the development of problem-solving skills, investigating, classifying and being responsible. Children asked questions that helped to build their self-confidence in laying a foundation for becoming life-long learners. We will continue to nurture these chicks until they are old enough to move to their new homes. The Living Eggs programme aligns with the Te Whāriki strand Contribution/Mana Tangata, ‘Opportunities for learning are equitable, and each child’s contribution is valued. Recognising and appreciating their own ability to learn and using a range of strategies and skills to play and learn with others.’

Photos 1. “Look, the other one is cracking, too.” 2. Measuring our chick’s progress. 3. Making friends with a chick. 4. One way children learn empathy is through the care of animals. 5. “Awww…. Sooo cute!”

CELEBRATING OUR MAHI At Omana Kindergarten we provide a quality, purposeful learning environment where the children are viewed as competent and confident learners. The children’s creations are seen as a communication tool for children to express their ideas and understandings. At group time, the children participate in ‘Taku Mahi’/My Work where they are encouraged to stand up and share their creations. Children’s creations are often made using various art mediums or manipulative resources, such as blocks. Their work is meaningful to them as they are linking it to their interests and the wider world.

During Taku Mahi time, children have the opportunity to ask and answer questions and to give and receive compliments. Through this, the children are building on their ability to listen attentively and respond appropriately to their peers as well as being affirmed as individuals. Teachers empower children’s thinking and problem-solving by assisting them to articulate and extend on their ideas. We celebrate the children's works by singing the Ka pai taku mahi waiata; this promotes Te Reo Māori as well as the children’s sense of ‘Mana’/self-respect. We value children’s contributions and their efforts to ‘give it a go’ and fostering a ‘you can do it’ attitude towards learning. Through this practice, Taku Mahi also promotes the Māori concepts of ‘tuakana-teina’ where older and younger children learn from each other, ‘wānanga’ to gather together and discuss their creations, and the children are respecting ‘kaupapa’, rules and rights of others.

In addition to Taku Mahi, here at Omana we foster leadership qualities by providing learning opportunities that allow for children to make choices and decisions as directors of their learning. Photos 1. Child making a Matariki star. 2. She is sharing her star, “I made it with clay… I put glitter on it.” 3. Child’s observational artwork of a butterfly.

POSITIVE SELFWORTH AT OTAHUHU KINDERGARTEN He oranga ngākau, he pikinga waiora. Positive feelings in your heart will enhance your sense of self-worth. This whakataukī sums up wonderfully what we are trying to instil in our tamariki as learners. In the early years, tamariki are developing competence and dispositions as learners. We work in partnership with tamariki and whānau to lay strong foundations and to support them on this journey.

One of the key areas that we focus on at Otahuhu Kindergarten is supporting tamariki in their social competence. We believe this leads to tamariki being confident and competent communicators and helps tamariki to build their self-esteem and self-worth. Celebrating children’s achievements with them gives tamariki the incentive to stay motivated to challenge themselves. We share achievements through reciprocal relationships, documenting the learning and working through challenges. There are various ways that one can communicate apart from languages; through sign, mathematics, visuals, art, imagery, dance, drama, rhythm, music and movement. At Otahuhu Kindergarten, we encourage and empower tamariki to express their feelings through kōrero, drawings, painting, telling stories using resources around them and role play. We aspire to create an environment with meaningful context, where tamariki can feel free to express their thoughts and emotions.

Photos 1. Expressing feelings through movement. 2. “I am making Samoan fale.” 3. Story about the big bad dinosaur.

OUR AMAZING CREATORS AND BUILDERS Last year, our kindergarten playground was renovated. Since then our tamariki have become very interested in building and creating. The team ordered giant polydron blocks selected by the children to extend their learning interest. The children used their imagination to create lots of things, and we were amazed by the results!

The pictures show how the children display exceptional team work, great communication skills, direction and problem-solving. In the first pictures, children work together to build a bed for Ashvine so she can have a good night’s sleep! They were drawing links between their world and their imaginary play; they were saying, “Nighty night Ashvine, and one of them was singing, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to put her to sleep. The other pictures show the boys building a monstrous Dump Truck! Palavi, the driver of the truck, gave directions to the boys. This interest began by children watching our local dump truck. It was great to see the children linking what they see and observe in their environment and enacting this through their play. What incredible role models we have! The boys then filled up their dump truck with rubbish and drove it around their imaginary town collecting rubbish. These pictures are an example of Palavi extending his learning. He initiated the building of the dump truck and the next day he made a long bus with wheels and drove it around the kindergarten. The children’s imagination has no end, and it’s wonderful to be a part of their world. Photos 1. A shvine is testing the bed by laying down while Je'Elle builds the bed around her. 2. Teamwork is shown in the children's play. 3. G reat leadership skills are shown by Palavi as he leads his peers to create a monstrous dump truck. 4. “ All aboard,” said Palavi. Soane and Joshua are ready to collect rubbish on their imaginary tour. 5. Palavi creates a monstrous vehicle with many wheels. 5.

A PLACE TO STAND Children at Panama Road Playgroup celebrated Tongan language week with a shared lunch and an impromptu sing-along and dance. Whānau shared Tongan kai, ‘Sapa Sui, Lu Sipi and Faikakai’, that was prepared and made by a grandparent of one of the children at playgroup and then shared by their daughter and grandson – showing the way knowledge, skills and identity are passed on from generation to generation and between cultures.

our Tongan children were able to stand proud, share their knowledge and expertise of how the food was made as well as how to wear the Ta’o vala.

Our celebration was an opportunity for our Tongan whānau to celebrate and share some of the love and respect they have for the Tongan culture with our other playgroup whānau. Children from different cultures were able to experience Tongan food, textures and dress while

At Panama Road Playgroup, there is a celebration of cultures and ethnicity that enhances and nurtures the learning and sharing that takes place with the tamariki.

During lunch, the children chatted as they enjoyed the food and after lunch, there was music and the opportunity to dance and sing together. The tamariki confidently stood and performed their own dance – each bringing their own flair to the spirit of the performance.

Mum and son stand proud. Identity is enhanced when language and culture is acknowledged, valued and embraced.

CHILDREN CREATING THEIR OWN LEARNING PATHWAYS At Papatoetoe Kindergarten, the movie Moana has been a wonderful catalyst for children to develop their learning dispositions, leadership, and role modelling skills. It has enhanced their confidence as they showcase their unique singing, dancing, and theatrical talents. The movie has also promoted cultural identity and pride in connecting with the music. The power of children’s leadership is evident in how they inspire one another with their enthusiasm and excitement for Moana. Learning about the music of Moana enhanced children’s awareness of the messages and emotions that are conveyed within songs. Our children have developed a deeper and meaningful connection with songs and the messages conveyed within them.

The children tell us about Moana: “I like singing, I love to sing. It’s great for me. It feels good singing Moana songs,” says Lewis. “I didn’t have a Moana costume so I just made one. I was learning about Māui stuff. It is easy to make for me because I watched the DVD and then I knew.” “My mum is helping me at home. The movie comes on and gets in my brain and I think a lot about making Māui fish hooks. I copy the movie’s actions about Māui. I was helping Jeremiah making fish hooks and Māui skirts. I was teaching him. He needs some help so I helped him.” “The Moana songs are the best songs! I practiced the words and then I started knowing it. I am just happy to sing and dance. When I watch Moana I am learning about every people.”

Photos 1. “I was learning about Māui stuff.” 2. “I didn’t have a Moana costume so I made one.” 3. “ The movie comes on and gets in my brain and I think a lot about making Māui hooks.” 4. “It feels good singing Moana songs.” 5. Valina leads the way.

THE 'EYE ON NATURE' PROJECT At Papatoetoe North Kindergarten our children love gardening. As a result, the children, teachers and parents decided to enter the Eye on Nature unusual edible garden project. At one of our mat times, we brainstormed ideas with the children about how we could create an unusual edible garden. We showed the children the poster advertising the project, which featured a gumboot with a plant growing out of it. One of our children suggested growing plants out of “school bags and lunch boxes,” while another said, “how about socks and shoes.” One of our parents suggested we take all the children’s ideas

and set up a ‘kindergarten lost property’ scenario with shoes, bags, socks, lunch boxes, umbrellas and coats. We created our unusual edible garden based on our children’s ideas. Most of our plant containers came from our lost property, while some came from children’s homes. The children were encouraged to plant, nurture and look after their plants. At the Eye on Nature event held in April 2017, our kindergarten proudly won second place. The children took great pride in this project from the planning phase right through to the very end, contributing at every stage.

Our tamariki planting our unusual edible garden

YENDARRA EMERGENCY SERVICES – WE LOVE HELPING The children witnessed a local fire being put out by firefighters. They waved to the ambulance drivers, the fire trucks and police cars in attendance. All this buzz and activity caused the children’s interest in emergency services to explode into life! The children immediately began exploring different ways to experience the roles and duties of fire fighters, ambulance officers, hospital medical staff, and helicopter rescue services.

In response, we set up emergency services play areas and had visits from the St John’s Ambulance service and the Fire Service. To this day, the children continue to build on their emergency knowledge, by creating their own plans for learning and taking on leadership roles during our Fire Drills. Here are some of the voices from our Yendarra ‘surgery team’: “I like to be like the doctor because they make you better, they give my brother the medicine to drink.” “We look like the doctor, to help the people.” Tuakana-teina, lending a helping hand when needed. “Kou faito’o ‘a Aunty Mary ku puke.” “I’m checking Aunty Mary if she is sick.” Even the fireman learns to problem solve when things need to get done. “I can make the ‘cool as’ fire truck, using all the pieces.” “The fire engine can go really fast, like me.” These are examples of how the children share manaakitanga at Yendarra Kindergarten. Photos 1. The local surgery team at Yendarra hospital. 2. Accident and Emergency ward. 3. “I’m checking Aunty Mary if she is sick.” 4. Helping out with a leg ‘injury’. 5. The local fire chief adding the finishing touches to his fire truck. 5.

“If we don’t change what we’re doing, lots of sea creatures are going to get sick. It’s my job to care for the ocean and I will take the rubbish off the creatures.” Riley, 4 – COLWILL KINDERGARTEN

ENCOURAGING AND SUPPORTING CREATIVE THINKING Block play and construction are always popular choices with the tamariki at Avondale. Whether construction ideas come from their current interests, their imagination or the knowledge they bring with them, no two constructions are ever the same. We are fortunate to have many great resources that support building, so kaiako (teachers) ensure that these are readily accessible for our tamariki at all times.

Blocks/poro rākau are valuable manipulative and creative resources for tamariki. They help to develop maths, science, art, language, and social skills. They also provide plenty of opportunities for developing persistence, problem solving, and creating three dimensional structures. The unit blocks are displayed in a purpose built block shelf where tamariki can see at a glance the various sizes and lengths of each group of blocks. Tamariki need a lot of space to explore blocks and construction which is why the block shelf is strategically located in a spacious area of the kindergarten. The area has been further enhanced with props to stimulate play including people, animals, small vehicles, fabric, clipboards, and pencils. When our tamariki are working and playing with blocks or other construction resources, they are planners, designers, architects, researchers, communicators, problem solvers, and builders! They are also developing strong foundations for ongoing learning through making their own choices around their work and play.

Photos 1. “It’s the Sky Tower.” 2. Towers galore following our Sky Tower excursion. 3. Imaginary play is enhanced by a range of props available in the area. 4. Taking block play outside. 5. “Look at all the animals in our zoo.”

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE LEAVES STOP FALLING? “The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don’t tell you what to see.” – Alexandra K Trenfor The everyday wonder and curiosity seen through the eyes of a child bring us a different insight into their learning. No two days are the same at Birdwood Kindergarten. Our environment invites children to explore at their level, and see the riches through the colour of their world. Reflection continues to offer us another perspective; we have used mirrors for the children to notice, respond and share their thoughts and theories in their voice. Our grand old pin oak tree has been shedding her leaves. We have all noticed these trickling down, but what happens when it stops raining leaves?

On this beautiful winter day, the children shared their voices, they shared their gestures and celebrated what they saw. This was their exchange of dialogue: “Whāea, the tree is broken.” – Moses (4). “The rain has stopped, the leaves are moving.” – Xaleah (4). “Wow, I can see the world.” – Vinnie (4). The following days we continued to explore their ideas by revisiting this experience, and with drawings of their own, the questioning begins.

Photos 1. Vinnie captivated by what the reflection is showing him. 2. Elizabeth, Kimpi, Daniel and Moses explore different perspectives. 3. Xaleah amazed by what she can see.

OUR BICULTURAL FOCUS – LEARNING THROUGH ART At Blockhouse Bay Kindergarten, we have been exploring Māori myths and legends through artwork. When stories are read to our tamariki, we extend their interest and recall of these legends by doing related art. Recently, we focused on How Māui found the Secret of Fire. Our tamariki are fascinated with Mahuika, the Goddess of Fire, with the flames on her fingertips and also the volcano that she lives in. One of our tamariki, who has a strong interest in the myths and legends, brought in a packing carton shaped like a volcano which generated interest in making a papier mâché volcano. There was participation from many tamariki in the different stages of making the volcano – cutting strips of newspaper, gluing it to the cardboard base and when

Mahuika from Māori legend How Māui found the Secret of Fire.

it was dry, painting it. The interest in Mahuika’s flames, especially in the illustration in Peter Gossage’s book, was furthered by making flames to attach to the fingers to look like Mahuika’s hands. Tamariki once again were very focused and involved in this activity. One of them said, “Bring the volcano and I can be near it, I can be Mahuika and you can take the picture!” Through such activities, tamariki’s interest and involvement in our bicultural curriculum is extended. Their strong foundations for ongoing learning is evident in their participation, engagement, understanding and enjoyment of the myths and legends; they are developing confidence in their skills and abilities.

TAKING CARE OF OUR TAONGA, TE MOANA As an Enviroschools kindergarten, we are always celebrating what is special and unique about our environment. We have a strong sense of responsibility towards caring for our community and showing respect for everything in it. While this is now part of our wairua, sometimes a special event happens that takes it to another level and Sea Week did that for us this year. Children have learnt how rubbish is affecting our oceans and marine life. They discovered how much rubbish is getting into our oceans and how plastic bags are harming turtles, dolphins and other sea creatures. Many discussions evolved as they shared their thoughts on this problem and suggested ways to fix it.

They created a large wall mural to represent their new knowledge and this became a very powerful catalyst for them to engage whānau and visitors in the discussions. Consequently, the children became the vehicles for change as parents and whānau took on the same responsibility and altered the way they do things. Patrick said, “My family now pick up the rubbish we find and put it in the bin. Sometimes I can recycle it.” Riley said, “If we don’t change what we’re doing, lots of sea creatures are going to get sick. It’s my job to care for the ocean and I will take the rubbish off the creatures. Plastic bags can get stuck around them.”

Through their growing awareness of the threat to sea life, our tamariki are developing social consciences.

Photos 1. Madison representing her understanding through art. 2. Saraiah making her contribution to the wall mural. 3. T he wall mural - children contribute their work to create a wall mural that encourages community discussion.

THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD Our tamariki have had an ongoing interest in bugs, insects, and the natural world around them for quite some time and the teachers have encouraged and strengthened this interest. The children have been on many bug hunts in the garden, we have researched different bugs online and learnt new things. We have brought in special visitors to show us bugs and animals we have never seen before. The children have spent their days looking closely at the bugs around them. We have discovered cicadas, butterflies, worms, spiders, pūriri moths and more. We have learnt about life cycles, where different bugs live, what they eat and what their eggs look like. The children’s natural curiosity has led them to ask questions, and together we have investigated to learn and know more.

The tamariki have driven this interest, this wonder in the world around them. They have strengthened their abilities to care for living things, to know how to treat bugs and insects and how important these taonga/treasures are. They know that it is ok to hold a praying mantis as long as we have gentle hands; that it is ok to look closely at a bee busy gathering pollen and that the bee doesn’t want to hurt us as long as we don’t hurt them. The children have had the opportunity to hold spiders, touch lizards, and pat hedgehogs through the ‘Bug Man’ who visited us. This interest has been ongoing since the start of the year and we look forward to discovering more about the world around us together.

Photos 1. T amariki are provided with opportunities to extend their curiosity and interests. 2. T ime to investigate, explore, and discover new things is valued and encouraged. 3. The natural world around our tamariki has amazing things to show them.

PLAYGROUP FUN! The tamariki at Glendene Playgroup are offered new experiences to explore and engage. Violet has been attending playgroup since she was born. Her whānau was invited by another parent with a newborn child. Violet’s big brother now attends an Auckland kindergarten, and mum brings Violet to playgroup. Violet loves coming to Playgroup and makes it her job to greet everyone as they walk in the door. There is space for Violet and other babies to explore, where they can experience the range of resources through their senses while hanging out with their parents as well as the other whānau who attend Playgroup. This creates lots of social interactions from a diverse range of people who spend time together promoting and supporting the development of trusting, reciprocal relationships with the tamariki.

As Violet has grown and become more independent, the playgroup whānau create learning experiences that reflect her growing capabilities, interest and strengths. There is space to crawl, stumble and have another go while being cheered on by a group of adults who have spent time getting to know her. “I discovered the magic of Playgroup. Not only did it give us something to get out and do each day. It was a place where the kids can interact with other kids and start learning all those important social skills, learning to share and communicate with others… Not only have the kids developed friendships, but so have I. I have learnt a lot about raising children and become a better parent because of the time we have spent at Playgroup.” (Violet’s Mum, Zoe).

Photos 1. Violet practicing her paint work. 2. Taking a break at Playgroup. 3. Learning through exploration.

MAURI TŪ MAURI ORA! An active soul is a healthy soul. We asked tamariki, “What do you like about kindergarten?” All of their answers included the word ‘play’. We believe active play is essential for children’s holistic wellbeing and learning. The NZ Ministry of Health Guidelines (May 2017) identify active play as vital for physical, mental, emotional health and optimum brain growth in early years. Through play, children develop communication, higher emotional and social functioning abilities, decision making, problem solving and physical movement skills. These are foundations for their ongoing learning.

Our kindergarten environment provides opportunities, challenges and time for sustained active play. Teachers support the development of curiosity, confidence, adaptability, resilience, perseverance, innovation, independence and self motivation - the stepping stones to being a successful learner. Responding to parent feedback and children’s interests, our learning focus is Mana Reo: Communication. Expressing yourself and being understood by others is a significant aspect of human development. Our tamariki enjoy reading Peter Gossage’s Māui and Nga Atua stories and interpreting them in their play, dance and artwork. They speak te reo and create their own resources. They read and write the names of their favourite characters. Māui was the name they chose for our bearded dragon pet. These stories support awareness of the natural environment. Children understand kaitiakitanga, showing empathy to all living things, including each other. Each child’s unique mana is recognised and nurtured in valuing their right to play and leisure at Glen Eden Kindergarten.

Photos 1. “I’m making Māui’s fish hook to play with!” 2. “I’m making a maze and buried treasure.” 3. “My kindy school is the greatest!” 4. “I love writing.” 5. “We made it together.”

DEVELOPING OUR PHYSICAL SKILLS THROUGH PLAYBALL At Glen Eden West Kindergarten, our tamariki have been developing their physical skills through Playball. Playball supports two of our initiatives: supporting priority learners and increasing parent participation. Playball is offered through equity funding ensuring that each child has access to this learning opportunity. Parents are invited to come along and watch their child take part in Playball, strengthening parent involvement at our kindergarten. There was already much interest in ball sports and signing up to regular Playball sessions meant this interest could be extended to further develop knowledge, skills and dispositions. We purchased extra resources such as hockey sticks, small balls, and funnels enabling the children to independently revisit and develop their Playball skills.

During Playball, children are divided into groups and given their own coach. Not only is Playball a lot of fun, it also gives children the opportunity to develop ball skills, agility, co-ordination, teamwork, leadership and selfconfidence. It has been great observing the children’s progress, and seeing their confidence develop over time. Here’s what some of our tamariki have to say about Playball: “I’m hitting the ball and trying to sit on the bouncy balls and then I played with the kicking ball. I’m good at doing all the games.” “I listen to the coach. It’s so, so fun. I like the hockey.” “I always try really, really hard and I play all the games.” “We play all the games. I got a medal. We kick the ball. I can kick it really high and jump over the snake and jump over the elephant and the dinosaur eggs.”

Having fun with new challenges and the opportunity to use different equipment.

CELEBRATING MATARIKI WITH OUR COMMUNITY The kaiako and tamariki have been learning about Matariki (the Māori New Year). To deepen our understanding and support this special celebration we have been involved in a wide range of experiences. These included cooking, planting, learning new waiata, reading pakiwaitara, engaging in different art experiences and a trip to Tāmaki Paenga Hira (the Auckland Museum), for their Matariki Celebration. We also hosted a shared kai where we invited all of our whānau to join us. Some of the learning outcomes we have observed for our tamariki are a growing understanding of our whānaungatanga, and an increase in confidence to use te reo Māori in their daily work and play. A child commented, “I told my Mum about the ancestors and they were far away from us in New Zealand.”

Kaiako noticed a strong sense of tuakana-teina amongst the tamariki as they explored and supported one another through these different experiences. Matariki has been an awesome learning experience for both adults and tamariki and we have all noticed our ongoing growth. We aim to foster a community of learners who are on a bicultural journey together. Our learning community continues to gain new knowledge about this special celebration which is unique to Aotearoa. We are committed to our kindergarten reflecting the unique place of Māori as tangata whenua and the partnership principles that underpin the Treaty of Waitangi. Matariki hunga, Matariki ahunga nui.

Matariki has many admirers, Matariki brings us together.

Photos 1. Our tamariki preparing the vegetable soup for our shared kai. 2. A tamaiti creating a Matariki constellation using dripping candle wax. 3. We value whānau support and the knowledge they bring to our community.

A COMPETENT, CONFIDENT APPROACH TO LEARNING As our children revisit, persist and engage in regular, ongoing learning, they are becoming competent and confident learners in a range of experiences. One particular area where children demonstrate a persistent and determined attitude towards learning has been the ongoing use of the glue guns. According to Te Whāriki, new challenges and familiar settings encourage children to develop competence.

Here are some snippets from our children: Promise, on your stick there were some big purple shapes and some small purple sticks. You pointed to the big square and the big star and said that was the mummy duck. “One, two, three, four babies,” you counted pointing to the other shapes. “I want to make a wheelbarrow,” Dylan said. “What do you need to start with?” “A yoghurt pot,” you said. “I want a yoghurt pot. I need a glue gun. It’s not working. Can you help me Ling?” You sought my help. I checked the glue gun and told you it was working; you only needed to squeeze the trigger harder to push the glue out of the glue gun.

Aqeel, was keen to create his very own duck. The first day he said, “I want to make that. I was with the glue gun! There, over there.” On another day he made a duck again. The duck had two eyes, a beak, legs and ears. “It’s a duck,” he said.

Photos 1. “One, two, three, four babies.” 2. “ I want a yoghurt pot. I need a glue gun. It’s not working. Can you help me Ling?” 3. “It’s a duck.”

TE WHAKAARO ME TE TŪHURAHURA I TE PŪTAIAO Playing, imagining, inventing and experimenting. Luca has been captivated by diver and photographer Jonathan Bird’s Blue World video clips on YouTube, containing detailed information of sea creatures and technical equipment. His working theories on sharks have influenced play throughout the kindergarten, inspiring both dramatic and collaborative play as well as art, literacy, a trip to Kelly Tarltons and an under the sea disco held at kindergarten. In Luca’s own words his favourite thing about sharks, “is that they have good smells… they can smell their prey… and with pilot whales and lemon sharks, they like to chill out with each other. Jonathan Bird goes diving with sea animals… he dives in caves and cages with friends.” Luca has told a teacher that he wants to go diving in cages and caves when he’s a teenager, just like Jonathan Bird!

His mum commented on one of his stories; “Luca, you are a walking shark and ocean creature encyclopedia lately! You regularly share interesting facts with us and seem to be a sponge for anything new. I love that you are taking what you’ve learnt and applying it to areas such as creating your own shark.” Not only has Luca led the way for his learning, but also has been a strong voice for all of the children at kindergarten who enjoy exploring creatures under the sea.

Photos 1. Luca’s shark costume. 2. Shark art! 3. Trip to Kelly Tarltons. 4. Shark inspired face paint 5. Under the Sea Disco!

THE POWER OF ‘NOT YET’ At Hobsonville Kindergarten, we plan with the tamariki. It is a reciprocal process where the tamariki and kaiako are symbiotically learning together. Teachers nurture and support children’s interests and investigations, making learning visible to everyone involved: the whānau, the kaiako and especially the tamariki. Children learn how to recognise their own learning and plan for it. It is wonderful to see the confidence of tamariki grow as they gain skills to unpack the process of learning. They can articulate what they would like to achieve, think about and discuss how they can achieve it. Tamariki have to think about what support or resources they might need to work towards their self-directed goal, evaluate their learning journey and celebrate their successes.

Mostly the tamariki learn the power of ‘NOT YET’, saying “I don’t know it yet.” This is the learning disposition of perseverance. Children voices from planning meetings: “This time I actually made a computer but it got lost. I want to do two things, I want to do making a police man out of the box, like a police car out of the box. The other thing is I wanna learn how to go on monkey bars. You can catch me if I fall off,” said Tyler. “Look, my hands are a bit red ‘cos I’ve been working on the monkey bars. I wanted to go all the way on the monkey bars, and I did it! You have to go so fast ‘cos then your hands don’t drop,” said Icella.

Photos 1. Tyler, 4.5 years old. 2. Icella working on the monkey bars. 3. Icella proudly showing her certificate for conquering the monkey bars!

HOME AWAY FROM HOME When the tamariki and whānau arrive at Kelston Playgroup, they walk in with a strong sense of belonging. Many of the children who come to Kelston Playgroup, have been coming for a long time and have invited other friends and family with under-fives to join them. This has created a wonderful ‘whānau feel’ for the tamariki, playing with family and friends on a regular basis – a home away from home. The tamariki have a wide range of experiences to discover that are created and set up by the playgroup whānau. These experiences have included making vegetable soup, pizza and sushi as well as story times, treasure hunts and teddy bear picnics. The children at Kelston are encouraged to get messy and enjoy the sand and water play that are regularly available. These are activities that some tamariki don’t have access to at home, so it’s a great opportunity for the children to explore the environment, and parents see their children engaged in different forms of play.

After lots of learning through play, the children enjoy having a shared morning tea, singing songs and doing actions at mat time, enjoying the social aspect of being all together. These moments are truly special, as whānau see the delight and fun their children are having at Playgroup. 2.

Photos 1. Let the sushi making being. 2. Jack in the box fun. 3. Getting messy with paint! 3.

WHY I LOVE MY KINDERGARTEN! We are an Enviroschools kindergarten at Silver Award level, and we pride ourselves on our sustainable practices. Putting our philosophy into action, we empower children to lead their own learning during their time at kindergarten. They know they have a voice in matters which impact on them. We support children with setting goals and taking ownership of their learning.

Our intended outcomes for children are for them to become competent and confident life-long learners who make a valued contribution to society. We want our children to feel validated for their knowledge, who they are, what they do and to build on their respective strengths. Our tamariki share the kindergarten philosophy. When asked what they believe they learn at kindergarten, they said: “While at kindergarten I have learnt how to look after the gardens, pick up rubbish, protect the earth and climb trees.” Ollie “At kindergarten, I know the teachers will help me.” Dylan “I have learnt how to be a tuakana.” Ellie “I know how to make friends while at kindergarten.” Eden Children who come to Laingholm Kindergarten are able to take on new ideas, different to their own, and have an open mind. They are able to learn with and alongside others confidently and competently. These skills enable them to feel a sense of well-being and a feeling of empowerment.

Photos 1. Teachers will help me. 2. Learning to climb trees. 3. Protecting the earth by making a bag. 4. Being a tuakana and making friends. 5. Taking care of the garden. 5.

EXPLORING THE WORLD OF PLAYGROUP The tamariki at Lincoln Heights Playgroup spend their time exploring the environment and engaging with the other children and whānau that attend. For some of our tamariki, Playgroup is their very first experience of being around lots of other children and a wide range of resources. They experience an environment where some children may be of similar age and culture, while others may be very different to them and their families. In this space, they discover different ways of being social and engaging with each other. There are often many languages being spoken and lots of gestures to support tamariki as they create meaning from the environment around them. The tamariki have the opportunity to be the expert tuakana, as they help and support a younger or less expert teina, as well as sometimes being that teina themselves. The interactions, resources and experiences that are provided promote curiosity and creativity among tamariki, and whānau get to engage with their own children as well as other whānau in a different context to their home environment.

Photos 1. Bubble fun. 2. Exploring the local park. 3. Rocking horse fun. 4. Building tuakana and teina relationships. 5. Playing in the local park together.

WONDERS OF TACTILE AND SCIENCE This shaving foam activity was one of our tactile/science activities that had been set up following on from ngā tamariki creating their own tactile activity using sand and water. Throughout the experiment kaiako added powder dye to encourage colour mixing with tamariki reactions to these added ingredients being: ‘It’s squishy aye.” “That looks like blue.” “Turning into white.” The tamariki had lots of fun engaging with the activity, exploring by themselves and with others, sharing their knowledge by being very expressive with their language: “Wow!” “It smells like deodorant.” “I know why we have aprons on, so we can’t dirty ourselves.” Although kaiako set up this as a planned activity, tamariki took it in different directions, illustrating their knowledge of numeracy and literacy through exploring and saying, “Robert watch this. I can write a 3 in it.” The tamariki moved on to adding baking soda and vinegar to the shaving cream. This aerated it, triggering bubbles and expanding the mixture. Tamariki expressed these tactile sensations with, “Bubble, bubble, bubble!” “I can’t believe this!” “It feels so mushy and cold.” During this activity, tamariki were observing each other and trying out for themselves the different ways others had used the mixture (peer tutoring). “Look at that, should we do that?” Peer tutoring is a very powerful tool for learning. Within this play, ngā tamariki were able to be creative and expressive. They included their own perspectives throughout, providing tamariki with opportunities to pursue their interests.

Photos 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Working together to mix colours. “Ewww. Green!” Large group explorations. Mixing in the baking soda and vinegar, “Whoa. It’s on my finger.” Realising we can write in it, “Robert watch this. I can write a 3 in it.” Wonder and awe with exploring the different ways of using the mixture, “I can’t believe this!”

CREATING A BICULTURAL FOUNDATION FOR ALL LEARNING At Lynfield Kindergarten, our journey with bicultural practice is a key component of our philosophy. This supports our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and to our Māori ākonga and whānau. In our diverse community, it also provides many whānau with their first experience of tikanga and te reo Māori. In recent times, we have endeavoured to move our bicultural practice to a more meaningful place, using te reo Māori throughout our interactions with tamariki, sharing more tikanga at kindergarten, and incorporating the principles of Te Ao Māori throughout our assessment and planning.

We have come to recognise that our tamariki are enthusiastic about learning te reo Māori and that this builds their individual and collective whakamana. We have also noticed that many of our multilingual tamariki have a particular skill at learning te reo Māori. To ensure our tamariki are exposed to all three official languages of Aotearoa we have recently started using te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language together. Our bicultural journey is an ongoing one, and we will continue to extend ourselves as teachers as we support our tamariki and community in learning about the unique status of Māori.

Ko tōku reo tōku ohooho, ko tōku reo tōku mapihi maurea. My language is my awakening; my language is the window to my soul. Photos 1. “ Toia mai!” When tamariki or kaiako come to kindergarten, they are welcomed with a haka. 2. “ Haere mai, haere mai.” Our tamariki take turns as karanga, calling everyone in for wa whānau (mat time) or kai. 3. T he mauri tau is a place for quiet reflection, and calm activities like reading books. It is often a refuge for tamariki separating from whānau for the first time.

GETTING READY FOR SCHOOL Successful transitions depend on the nature of the relationships between everyone involved. At Massey Kindergarten, we take our oldest children to school once a week and spend time in the new entrants classroom. Our purpose is to deepen their understanding of school and to create a positive outlook and attitude towards school. Here is what the tamariki have to say: What is the best part of our school transition programme? “I get to see my old kindy friends and I love the big monkey bars they have there; they are bigger than our kindy ones.” Leah

“I like to walk to school, it makes me feel like the biggest, biggest school boy ever!” Luka “I like drawing there, I feel excited about going there because I love where it is. I love the classroom and the stuff in it. I also love the teacher, she will be happy because I am going to go there.” Vera “I get to see my brother when I go to school, that’s why it’s cool for me.” Edward What is the difference between school and kindy? “Kindy you can just play and school you sit on the mat mostly and do learning games and things.” Leah “Kindy has littler kids and very different work, teachers at school are the same old as the teachers at kindy.” Vincent

Lastly, Vincent summed up what school is all about, “School is about listening, playing, making friends and learning stuff!”

Photos 1. Number recognition and ordering. 2. Joining in on sports day. 3. Learning to find the matching word.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF KINDERGARTEN FIREFIGHTERS This year at New Lynn Kindergarten imagination, role playing, and an interest in the emergency services has captured the attention of the ākonga, and in particular Jose Nino. He has proven to be very knowledgeable in his various roles and along with his emerging sense of leadership, his strong sense of self-advocacy, and skills in communication, he has led mat time discussions through his stories, pictures and questions.

He and other ākonga have helped the teachers plan activities and visits, and either found resources or made the equipment he and his group of merry firefighters, police, ambulance officers and the requisite ‘bad guys’ needed to extend their play and understanding. Following on from ākonga interest in everyday heroes, we have been able to organise a visit from Constable Carl, Ambi the Ambulance, the Firefighters from Glen Eden Fire Station, Bark and Dyson the Dog, and Teddy Bear Hospital. After Constable Carl’s visit Jose said, “The policeman said you have to look out for cars. The traffic lights-red means stop. Seatbelts help keep you safe. You have to wear your seat belt.” The visits gave the ākonga a greater understanding of the people who are there to help in the community, their safety and led to more dramatic play, more communication and lots of children’s voice being evident through art, stories and conversations.

Photos 1. Jose uses his voice and shares his story and picture later at Wa Whāriki. 2. J ose tests out his working theories on being a Firefighter and uses the hose. 3. Constable Carl encourages the ākonga to be community heroes too. 4. T eddy Bear Hospital resident doctors make a critical diagnosis of Honeyritis. 5. T he New Lynn Kindergarten Firefighters to the rescue - Our Community Heroes.

OUR INTEREST IN SAVING THE MĀUI DOLPHINS We celebrate deepening our children’s learning through their own interests. When a child is passionate about something, we become passionate about it too. This interest is supported by all the curriculum areas such as dance, drama, art, literacy and language, science and sustainable practices. These photos are an example of how we supported one child’s interest in saving the Māui dolphin, and how it sparked more interest amongst others. We invited experts to our kindergarten, fundraised, and used the arts as learning tools. One parent commented on her child’s involvement: “Amanda has raised over $700. She has strangers sending us messages that she’s affected and taught them and we’re starting to see the spirited little girl she was before she started getting really sick. Thank you for supporting and encouraging her also.”

This way of learning creates a ripple effect where every child benefits in some way, shape or form. The children are becoming advocates for the community, which also leads into the wider world. Here’s what the children think about the Māui dolphins: “Make the fishermen stop catching the Māui dolphins!” “They’re going to die when they get caught.” “We have to save our Māui dolphins; there’s only 63.” 2.

Photos 1. Showing knowledge of sea creatures. 2. Making a Māui dolphin together. 3. Learning more about Māui dolphins.

INVESTIGATING THE LIVING WORLD AROUND US The outdoor environment at Ranui attracts our children to search for and discover what living insects they might find. Discoveries are shared with excitement and brought to everyone’s attention. Children develop research skills in their efforts to learn more about the insects they are finding. At Ranui Kindergarten, books are often used as research tools. As interest grows and knowledge increases, children explore through arts and crafts. Models and images help our children discover even more details of living creatures. Children have opportunities to express their ideas through pictures. They use lines and curves to describe their picture, which is the beginning of their journey towards early literacy.

As children experience the living world around them, they learn how to be caring, gentle and respectful. Interest was further extended with a visit from ‘Hands on Creatures’, who brought a wide of variety of live insects and creatures for our children to observe, touch and hold.

Photos 1. “Radha, caterpillar.” Taytem. 2. Navika learns to use gentle hands when holding a butterfly. 3. Courageous Ruby happily feels the spider crawling across her cheek.

CHILDREN LEADING LEARNING ‘Good learners do not grow by being protected from difficulty but by engaging with it, and thereby developing their stamina and skill.’ (Claxton, 2002). At Roskill South Kindergarten, we provide opportunities for children to engage in purposeful and worthwhile work. We empower children to develop and strengthen valuable learning dispositions and a can-do attitude. Within both the kindergarten learning environment and in our Bush Kindergarten environment, we often hear children having conversations that include the following phrases and words: practicing, learning, thinking, working hard, I can do it. Children are using the language of learning that they hear us using both in conversation and in their Learning Stories. Over time children’s thinking becomes more reflective of their learning:

“You need to practice to climb up the trees. When I was small I can’t climb the trees high, and when I practiced and when I am big I can climb in the tree, it was hard, but I practiced and knew how to do it. Everyone needs to practice.” – Aryan. “You know, I woke up in the middle of the night and thought about what I could do at Bush Kindergarten. I can climb the trees; I will just have to try again. That’s what you have to do; you have to keep practicing.” – Savannah. “Never give up, and that means keep trying.” – Tyleah. At Roskill South Kindergarten, children are deepening their view of themselves as leaders of their learning.

Mo working in the tree.

THE WONDER OF WORMS Sturges Road Kindergarten have been on a learning journey about worms! Looking in the worm farm and aerating our compost has become a daily ritual thanks to kaiako Monique’s passion for gardening. We harvest and eat veggies from our garden regularly. The tamariki are learning about how worms help the veggies grow. The worms have become an enduring interest. To extend this, we have been researching worms in their habitat. A trip to the Waitakere Transfer Station enhanced this learning. Tamariki studied the worms there and learnt more about the worms’ eating habits. The tamariki have had a lot of comments to share with us:

Isaiah said, “They pooh tons a day! It makes dirt for the garden. They can’t run! They just wriggle! They are sooo cute! They don’t like the sun, so they hide in the dirt. They have a saddle where the babies come from.” Jayden said, “No touching because we just looking. Where do they go? (looking at the worms in the worm bin). They hiding! Monique feeds the worms. We don’t eat them. They are yucky to eat!” said Jayden. “They lay eggs, and they become a baby worm. I’ve got ears. Worms don’t got ears. No eyes – they have mouth only. Bye bye baby, enjoy your mummy!” said Mason. And this from Weston’s Mum, “I love this. I just asked Weston what he learnt about the no eyes, no nose, etc. and he even got down on the ground to show me how a worm moves.”

Photos 1. Worm inspired artwork. 2. Demonstrating how a worm moves! 3. Observing the worms together. 4. Learning about worms. 5. Taking a closer look at our worms.

DEVELOPING FRIENDSHIPS THROUGH A SHARED INTEREST At Summerland Kindergarten, we foster children’s belonging and well-being through exploration and creativity. We achieve this in an environment that supports communication through art, spontaneous play and the making of meaningful relationships with peers and teachers. The children in the picture are sharing their ideas and thoughts. They are enjoying each other’s company by experiencing this activity together. “A flower strawberry. Mum will like it with flowers.” As a friendship develops, so does communication; children learning together support each other as they explore and express their thoughts. “A chocolate sun and a strawberry blueberry cake.” The art work is an extension of their thoughts, and a way for

families to also experience what the child is learning. We follow children’s routines, interests and preferences, promoting an unhurried and peaceful flow to the day. Group times provide children with opportunities to come together and share experiences. At Summerland, children discover different ways to be creative and expressive. From all the experiences that we provide for the children, they are learning empathy and social competence. They are learning how to respect one another and their surroundings. We can see by the way the children interact with the teachers and their peers, that they are building a strong foundation for ongoing learning.

Learning together through art.

“WATCH ME, I CAN DO IT!” At Sunnyvale Kindergarten, our tamariki (children) have demonstrated a strong foundation for ongoing learning through being physically active and setting and achieving their own goals. We see this every day as children tackle the monkey bar challenge. “I wanted to go to the end.” The children have been observing, role modelling and peer tutoring each other. They are participating in safe risk taking, building confidence, and showing perseverance and persistence. Throughout the process of being able to swing from one end of the monkey bars to the other, our children are showing determination, concentration, and extending their capability. “I feeled happy and good. I practiced for that many weeks. I thinking brave and I never gave up.”

When starting on the monkey bars, most children will take the first step by sitting on the box and swinging onto the first bar before dropping to the ground. We have watched children as they grow in confidence and take ownership of this challenge and the pride and satisfaction they display when they get further and further along the bars. “Hands got sore, but I kept trying, practice. Keep practicing.” With the introduction of a monkey bar certificate to acknowledge and celebrate our children’s success, they are building their confidence and self-belief in their ongoing learning. 2.

Photos 1. “I feel good.” 2. “Sore hands, I did it.” 3. Happy!

CHILDREN ARE BOTH CREATORS AND TEACHERS Let the uniqueness of the child guide our work. Ko te ahurei ō te tamaiti hei arahi i ā tātou mahi. Our most well used and loved piece of equipment here at Taupaki Kindergarten is the Mobilo. The Mobilo blocks are positioned on the deck for maximum space and group participation. Daily, the Mobilo blocks transform to form spectacular spaceships, magnificent machines or Paw Patrol vehicles. When our tamariki use the blocks, they are learning to understand their environment by copying it. Mobilo stimulates their imagination and awakens their creativity. Throughout the tamariki’s portfolio, there are many learning stories about the tamariki’s achievement and growth, showing and documenting their confidence and accomplishments. Tamariki cooperatively play with each other when building, helping to foster team work, cooperation

and peer tutoring. They create their own fantasy world and stories. Using their imagination boosts cognitive, academic and language skills and social growth. Tamariki learn to cooperate with others as well as problem solve. Once their creation is completed, then the story telling and pretend play begins. Aidan, tells us about his invention: “A funny machine Making apple juice, just apple juice. Apples in a blue box. You can eat. Apples come out of this machine. No oranges in it. Only apples cause if we put in oranges in it, it will break. Cause they are too big.”

Aidan creating his apple crushing machine.

OUR WHARENUI BUILDING PROJECT Mā whero mā pango ka oti ai te mahi (With red and black the work will be complete) When everyone works together the work will be complete. This year, we have a very special project happening at kindergarten. We are creating a wharenui (Māori meeting house). Tamariki (children), whānau (family members), kaiako (teachers) and hāpori (community) have all been involved in this project. We have been talking a lot about what a whare is, the significance and meanings of the different parts of the whare and the tikanga (protocol/practices) of the whare. Although this was a project initiated by the teaching staff, it has been a collective process from the beginning. As we have talked about the whare and its significance with the tamariki, we have seen them use this knowledge, and add their theories and ideas in their play. Our tamariki spontaneously sing the song about the parts of the whare. They have created their own whare during their play, using the pipes against the tree and creating their own whare on the house frame. As children work, they talk about their whare, they think about the different parts, and they build on their knowledge through interaction with others. Revisiting learning through children’s play ensures that strong foundations for ongoing learning are made. Through child initiated play, children can consolidate their learning as they work alongside their peers, sharing thoughts and ideas with each other.

Ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. The child is the heart of the matter.

Photos 1. Building a whare. The maihi and the amo. Ko te wharenui e. 2. Kindy wharenui under construction 3. W e used cardboard tubes as the maihi for the whare. Many busy workers joined in with creating the whare.

CREATIVE PLAY AT TE ATATU SOUTH KINDERGARTEN At our kindergarten, we celebrate the children and their wonderful imaginations. The kaiako and tamariki alike enjoy losing themselves in all different kinds of creative play. Best of all, our tamariki enjoy dramatic role play. They are always busy with everything from fantasy stories to acting out real-life scenarios. What would children’s dramatic play be without dressups and props? Our tamariki are very innovative and always put a lot of thought and effort into all the creations for their play. Every day, the carpentry table, the hot glue gun table, and the art areas are buzzing. Some children have even designed and made their own costumes which we can all use for dress-ups.

Our experienced team of kaiako always delight in the conversations we have with the tamariki surrounding their work and play ideas. Here are their voices describing their pictures: “Me and my friends. We are the good police on our motorbikes.” (Elijah) “We were going to get the baddies, and if you have no hats on, you’re in the spy police team.” (Matthaus) “I was saying we might need to go to the police hovercraft. It was an EMERGENCY!” (Louis)

“I was controlling the robot dog. I am in my army pants too.” (Harvey) “I was the police dog.” (Caspian) “We were wearing pretty clothes, and we were going on a night walk.” (Sarah) “We were playing parent princesses.” (Katana) “This is a robot called James, and he’s a singing robot, and he sings Moana.” (Katherine) Photos 1. Katana and Sarah are playing with our new dress-ups. 2. Katherine used the hot glue gun table and carpentry table for her robot. 3. Te Atatu South Kindergarten’s exclusive Police Academy.

CRUNCHY MUNCHY FOR MY LUNCHY WOMBAT STEW From a child’s interest and fascination in Australian animals (in particular wombats) began a wonderful journey, story, and creation of our very own Wombat Stew. Children’s literature is always a beautiful way to begin to extend our tamariki. Wombat Stew was a perfect story that also included other Australian animals with a funny twist at the end. Our tamariki thought the story was hilarious when all of the animals tricked the dingo. Our tamariki practiced the rhyme in the story, and the words echoed around the kindergarten, “Crunchy Munchy for my Lunchy Wombat Stew.” The story was brought to life by the children as we acted the ending out many times, with the dingo dramatically collapsing to the ground exclaiming, “I’m poisoned!” After making our very own ‘Ooey Gooey’ globulous recipe of wombat stew outside, we thought about making some actual edible wombat stew! With discussions with the children, we brainstormed what we would do and sent a note home to our community. We made healthy, scrumptious bugs out of vegetables and fruit. Everyone became involved in creating and also eating their delicious and spectacular looking BUGS!

Photos 1. Frank displays his wombat. 2. Enjoying some delicious bugs! 3. D iscussing what bugs they will make and eat. “I’m gonna eat a banana slug!” 4. Our spectacular edible bugs. 5. Ooey gooey wombat stew! 5.

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PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS At the heart of our Te Whāriki curriculum, is the notion that early learning is embedded in relationships with people, places and things and that these relationships extend far beyond the context of our early childhood setting. Here at Titirangi Kindergarten, we encourage and foster our children to take the leading role in their learning and to share their experiences with people, places and things outside of kindergarten. For this to happen, the teaching team developed news kete for children to take home and fill with special treasures and experiences to share as part of their learning journey. And share they do! We have had experiences such as family trips around Europe, letters of thanks for donations, collections of interesting things found on walks, pictures of a dead whale on the beach and post cards sent from distant relatives abroad. This sharing has created huge learning opportunities for all children and is a way for the children within our kindergarten to develop curiosity, creativity and collaboration within their learning journey.

“This is my very most special treasures in the whole wide world.” “I give the SCPA $2 a week.” “It smelt like rotten eggs; the two tribes wanted different things for the whale, one tribe wanted the bones for carving, the other wants to just bury it.” “I got this postcard from my uncle; he lives in Spain.” These are some of the many ways in which our children’s relationships with people, places and things are shared within our kindergarten community. Photos 1. G isele is sharing her postcard, which sparked a whole journey on creating postcards to send to family members. 2. Caoilinn sharing stories of her family trip around Europe. 3. Liam is sharing his ‘most very special’ crystal treasures. 4. Fionn is sharing his story of the dead sperm whale at Ruakaka beach. 5. Our news kete. 5.

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“A REAL WAY-FINDER NEVER SLEEPS”

– MĀUI, FROM MOANA

Waitakere Township echoed with the voices of kindergarten children singing songs from their new favourite movie, Moana. It was this singing that began the voyage to explore the legends of Aotearoa and Māui’s many other adventures. The children became way-finders themselves, heading on their journey to explore Tangata Whenuatanga. The first stop on their voyage was the creation of Moana’s whare, which they worked so hard to build using natural resources foraged from our garden. The children soon began role-playing Māui’s adventures, which was the perfect opportunity to share the legends of our tangata whenua. With each story told, the children’s interest deepened. Soon, whānau were reminiscing and telling their stories from childhood – they had joined the voyage too, and shared their stories from home! Here’s a story we received from Nathan’s whānau: “You’ve obviously been reading Māui’s story at kindy. Nathan called us into the kitchen tonight to show us his ‘hook of Māui’. He told us that Māui lassoed the sun and brought up New Zealand out of the ocean by his hook. It is wonderful what he can recite.”

The children were incorporating what they were learning into their play in kindergarten too. Olive drew many pictures of Māui on the white board while telling stories. “Māui pulled the sun down, and he accidentally broke the sun!” she told us while she drew. Our way-finders are still on their voyage, eager to learn more about Tangata Whenuatanga and that cheeky Māui! Photos 1. S ydney enjoys dressing up in our new Māori dress ups and has been learning traditional Poi Dance. 2. A rlo points to the photo of himself holding Māui’s magic jaw bone taming Te Ra. 3. M ae is hard at work creating Tangaroa, God of the Sea, from the legend ‘In the Beginning’. 4. N athan’s mum sent us a photo of ‘Māui’s Hook’ he made at home. He did a great job of retelling the legends to his family. 5. W here it all began, with Coco singing Moana songs on her ukulele outside the Moana Whare she helped to make.

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INVESTIGATING OUR NATURAL WORLD After years living underground, the cicada nymph burrows its way out and climbs surrounding trees or fences. Our children were delighted to find this out during autumn, as they went on bug hunts, finding and collecting the empty cicada shells. They asked, “Why do cicadas come out of the ground?” and due to their innate curiosity to explore our world and what lives in it, we started on the journey of finding out the answer to their questions.

During our investigation we studied cicadas in nature, allowing them to land on us, and even holding them in our hands. We looked through books from the library and even watched segments of David Attenborough’s documentary about the life cycle of cicadas. The children were struck with absolute wonder, learning that the cicada nymph sheds its outer shell, and stretches its wings ready for flight. We shared our new learning and ideas during play, and during group times. We asked the children to put their learning into their own words: “I have learnt they hatch out,” says Millar. “Their wings fold out,” says Adam. “The cicadas are finding a partner,” says Sienna. Not only are our children confident in nature, exploring and questioning the world around them, but they are learning to love the learning process, and are becoming confident at inquiring and searching for the answers they seek. This makes our children young problem solvers who will be confident to lead their learning in years to come.

Photos 1. Lincoln is expressing his new knowledge of cicadas through painting. 2. Our children enjoyed hunting for cicada shells. 3. The children enjoyed hands-on experiences with real life cicadas. 4. The children found cicada shells on branches in the trees. 5. We learnt more about the cicada life cycle through investigation.

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“I am good at swinging on the monkey bars, being nice, reading and making things.” Alina, 4 – ORAKEI KINDERGARTEN

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LEARNING ALL ABOUT OURSELVES For seven weeks over April and May, we focussed on developing stronger understandings of ourselves as individuals and celebrating our place within our whānau/ family and our kindergarten community. Each tamariki had a special folder with information for discussing, sharing and working together with their whānau and kaiako. We recognise that these understandings will strengthen tamariki as individuals and build solid, robust foundations for learning at higher levels.

Through this aspect of our curriculum, we encouraged our tamariki to be more confident to share their voice, to gain and share new mātauranga about who they are, and to understand what they are capable of. We noticed that our whānau were spending special time together sharing, listening and responding to the thoughts and feelings of their tamariki which was empowering to all. Our tamariki shared: “I feel angry when Mummy does something that I want to do and I can do it.” “I know that I can learn about dancing and ballet.” “I feel happy when I can have what I want and that my Mum loves me, to the moon and back and forever, more than the whole world.” “People annoy me when people don’t listen to me.” “I know that maths have words too.” “I was so scared to do the new high balance beam, but I know it now and can do it as I worked out which way to go.” “I learnt that the pigs and mice eat the Archey’s frogs and there were only 22 frogs left one time.” Photos 1. Learning about length. 2. Learning to look for native frogs. 3. Sharing what I know. 4. Learning to be a photographer. 5. L earning to balance – “I was so scared to do the new high balance beam but I know it now!”

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GETTING READY FOR THE BIG JUMP At Botany Downs Kindergarten, we provide many opportunities for children to work with construction materials, encouraging risk taking and experimentation. Jordan expressed interest in building another Sky Tower. He was aware that the Rua portfolio contained pictures of a previous tower that he had made, and this was his starting point.

With some friends, he started to construct a tall wooden tower. After talking about safety, and with supervision, he used a step ladder to reach higher and higher. His friends became support crew. While fastening the tower together with bungee cords, Jordan made the connection with bungee jumping. He added complexity to his previous design by placing a large plastic reel on top which became the jumping platform. He and his friends attached laminated pictures of themselves and suspended them from the jumping platform. The tamariki loved climbing the tall ladder and connecting their images to the tower. The tower fell a few times. This was when they learned about even weight distribution as they found that if too many bungees were in one area, their weight could pull the tower down. This didn’t faze the tamariki as they viewed this as all part of the process. “Oh well, we will just build it again!” said Jordan. Jordan revisited the tower on several occasions over the next few weeks, creating a safety zone with cones around it, putting up a ‘Don’t Touch’ sign for others and experimenting with the tension of the cords to keep the tower upright. Photos 1. “I want to build another tower, I need Rua portfolio.” 2. “I go up the ladder to see how high I can build.” 3. M aking connections with previous learning – “Hey! Bungee cords… bungee jumps!” 4. “I like the way I am moving in the wind, like dancing.” 5. “Next I could go higher and make an elevator that actually works.”

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DOES THE SUN GO TO SLEEP? This simple question inspired many of our budding scientists to ponder the answer and also pose their own questions about space. “How do space rockets go up?” “Is the sun a planet?” “Why are there shapes in the sky?” “Why do we always come down when we jump up? Over the next few weeks, there was a hive of activity researching, exploring and experimenting as our tamariki tested their theories to answer these questions and discover new knowledge. Artwork, drawings and writing also featured heavily as children represented their new understandings through different mediums. Children learned new terms and words which they are still using in day to day conversations and in their dramatic play.

As time went on, we were amazed at how much our children were sharing with their whānau and how for some, their scientific research continued at home and involved the whole family. One child said, “Let’s go outside and have a look at the stars, Mum”. Another surprised his father by saying, “That is Saturn, it has rings around it.” Children also came into kindergarten excited to share knowledge from home with their peers. “The sun is just one gigantic star!” Mia proudly told us. “The earth moves around the sun,” Alex informed us.

At the end, our tamariki gained so much knowledge which they continue to share and revisit. As space is endless, so is our young explorers’ quest for knowledge.

Photos 1. “He explained every detail of his rocket to me,” said Dad. 2. “This is me coming down to earth in my rocket ship,” said Mia. 3. Leo’s picture of how gravity under the earth holds us on earth.

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TANGATA WHENUATANGA EMPOWERING MĀORI LEARNERS At Cascades Kindergarten, we value the practice of Empowerment. Sharing Dolce’s voice reflects the learning which children have participated in as we prepare to visit our local Marae for Matariki.

What is a Marae? “It’s where you do hakas. There’s a small museum. You can see photos and trophies and pictures.” What is a pōwhiri? “We have to stop at the bench and the Marae lady will welcome us in. You (Navaz) have to say ‘thank you’ to them with a loud voice. You have to walk with small steps and your hands shaking, so they know we are coming in. We take our shoes off when we go into the Marae and we have to put our shoes in a line. The children sit on the mat, the dads and grandads sit on the chairs in the front. The mums and nanas sit at the back on chairs. The lady will talk first and welcome everybody to the Marae, then Navaz you will say the words and the kids will sing a waiata. We give them money in an envelope, that’s the gift for the Marae lady.” What is a hongi? “You have to touch the other people’s nose, because that’s a hongi. It’s so you can introduce yourself.” What Is a mihimihi? “You say, ‘Ko Dolce taku ingoa’. This says, ‘my name is Dolce’. The other bit is, ‘No New Zealand ahau’. That means you are from that country and there is no clapping after a Mihi Mihi.” Photos 1. Mohio Atua (Ancestors). 2. Whakatātare (Listening Intently). 3. Hongi (Welcoming). 4. Tikanga Pōwhiri (Protocol). 5. Whakahi (Pride).

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WHAKAWHANAUNGATANGA KI DANNEMORA KINDERGARTEN “We have to protect nature and help look after the animals. It makes them happy.” Surman, 4 years. At Dannemora Kindergarten, we believe that being a kaitiaki/caregiver makes us happy and supports our toiora/wellbeing. We provide many opportunities for tamariki to share their knowledge and experiences of caring for our tinana/bodies, our māra/gardens and our mŌkai/pets. Our outdoor area provides physical challenges and is an ongoing source of interest for our tamariki. We use visuals to keep everyone safe and our tamariki take the initiative to create and update them. “The other one (photograph) was not new anymore and it was broken. We needed a new one, so I helped,” Kallias told us. Dannemora Kindergarten provides a rich, multi-cultural experience where tamariki share a common appreciation for the natural environment, papatūānuku. “I was digging to make a new plant because I was rescuing the garden. I like doing jobs at kindergarten. Things are very interesting here and I have lots of work to do!” Vivaan said.

Tamariki are capable and competent kaitiaki, caregivers to our kindergarten pets. They make visuals to model safe practices. “This is how I tidy up the birds’ poo with gloves. We have to clean the cage so it can be healthy for the budgies,” Surman said. We welcome opportunities for our tamariki to work with animals in order to become comfortable with them. Special visitors provide hands on experiences and stronger connections between home and kindergarten. Poipoia te kākano kia puawai. Nuture the seed and it will blossom. Photos 1. “No going under the slide.” Farhan. 2. Tamariki learn empathy through the care of papatūānuku, nature. 3. Tamariki share in the care of our kindergarten pets. 4. Re-homed chicks from Living Eggs. “Cookie laid one egg!” Lucas. 5. “At home, I’ve got a toy seahorse for a pet.” Chloe.

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OUR TAMARIKI ON THEIR LEARNING HIKOI Over the year, our children have had a strong interest in pirates, fishing, sea creatures and the ocean. Following their interests, we have continued to explore this by providing provocations to extend their working theories about the living world through New Zealand’s myths and legends.

By reading the book In the Beginning by Peter Gossage at our mat-times, tamariki were introduced to Papatūānuku and her children. Tamariki had a strong interest in Tangaroa (Guardian of the Sea) because it linked with their on-going interest in the ocean, through their imaginative play based on pirate adventures and fishing. We provided opportunities for tamariki to learn about current events and stories, such as the injured Hawksbill turtle in the local Courier newspaper. Their focus shifted to the plastic that the turtle had eaten and the devastating effect of rubbish in our ocean. Taking ownership of their learning, alongside their parents and whānau, the children have become interested in becoming ‘Eco Warriors’ of their community Mat says, “Keep the rubbish out of the ocean!” Ben suggested, “The most important thing is to put the plastic bags in the recycle bin so it doesn’t fly from the rubbish dump and into the ocean!” In taking responsibility as Eco Warriors, tamariki have continued to deepen their empathy, responsibility and desire to look after their world. They are now engaging in conversations with each other and their families to highlight the importance of recycling rubbish. We can’t wait to see where the children lead this journey as they become more deeply engaged in their own learning. Photos 1. Harry and Tomas, sharing news of their fishing experience with family. 2. Eva and Meyly drawing Tangaroa, the guardian of the sea. 3. “My ship carries rubbish in boxes across the sea to recycle it,” says Benjamin. 4. C hildren share their knowledge on protecting the ocean and saving the turtles. 5. Benjamin, taking ownership as a kaitiaki during his family vacation.

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CURIOSITY AND IDEA SHARING SUPPORTS LEARNING At Farm Cove Kindergarten, children are ready and eager to learn. They are encouraged to make their own learning choices, use enquiry learning, develop research skills, problem solve, observe and explore at their own pace. The teachers support children in becoming independent learners and thinkers. And the children learn best when they share their ideas and make contributions to their learning. Here is an example of a student engaged in a rich conversation with his teacher about an experience they both had. “My dad turned kiwi! He went onto the stage, he had to walk and get a certificate then he got a book. There was about one hundred people and also he went back to his seat. There were people from England, and also China and also New Zealand and also Ireland, and Africa. There was hundreds of people from Tonga. I saw your mum too. My dad was feeling happy, he wore a shirt and special tie… I think a black green tie. All of us went, grandma, mum, and daddy. We sat at the top I looked down from the top and they even sung the national anthem but just the small one, they did it half. We said hooray, hooray a big cheer when he went onto the stage.” Teachers and children support each other by displaying curiosity and creativity. This leads to a pathway of endless learning possibilities that enables children to achieve personal milestones while they are at Farm Cove Kindergarten.

Photos 1. “ Now I’m a big girl, I can do it, I’m almost there, I did it again, I almost did it.” 2. “Why the worm live in the ground? It’s dirty, the rock will squash them.” 3. “Slowly slowly, it’s nearly finish.”

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OUR TANIWHA PROJECT At Glendowie Kindergarten we have been engaged in creative exploration about taniwha. We have been singing a lot of waiata in Te Reo Māori in the lead up to Matariki. After singing One day a Taniwha, one of our children brought in a 10 cent coin and shared it with the kindergarten, saying, “this coin has a taniwha face on it!” This sparked a big interest in the other children!

We started by talking about what taniwha looked like and where they live. We read lots of books about taniwha and drew some pictures of our own. The children decided to create a large taniwha to watch over our kindergarten and protect us. They worked together to create a design and decided our taniwha would have “six legs”, “lots of spikes”, “five or six eyes” and “some monster horns.” The children enjoyed searching through our driftwood collection to find pieces to create the taniwha and were very definite about what each one would be used for. “This piece is a leg because it has a knee.” “This one is going to be a neck because it bends in a curve, see?” Some of our children even brought in more driftwood from home to contribute to the taniwha construction. After three weeks of hard work, we finished the taniwha and the children named it Tani. The children were still very interested in taniwha and so the building continued, making smaller taniwha they could take home to watch over their houses.

Photos 1. “My taniwha has lots of legs.” Aria 2. “This piece is a leg, because it has a knee.” Theo 3. “I’m making his belly with this curved bit.” Fletcher 4. “It’s hard work, but I can do it if I try.” Ruby 5. “This is where he lives, so he can watch us.” Seb

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WE ARE AMAZING HE MĪHARO MĀTOU Our tamariki proudly share their story of themselves and know that we will listen. During Matariki, our tamariki shared what made them a ‘star’ and why they shined bright. We noticed how our tamariki enjoyed hearing ‘amazing’ things about themselves. We valued our tamariki voice and this was documented through our ‘We Are Amazing!’ wall. The children shared all kinds of self-concepts about themselves. They told us what made them unique, what some of their favourite things are and what they are good at. “I like corn beef and onions,” Tini. “I like to eat chicken soup, it makes me feel better,” Emily Rose. “I am good at doing hula hoops,” ‘Ilm.

‘We Are Amazing!’ wall at Glen Innes Kindergarten

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“I am good at having walking feet and eating,” Layla. Encouraging our tamariki to celebrate not only themselves but others is a daily focus for our kindergarten. “Ho Ho said I am good at doing numbers,” Jaden. “Sonia said I am good at jumping,” Ho Ho. When tamariki build on what they are good at they become confident and secure, and their self-esteem grows. They learn that they are valued and that they have a place. Our tamariki feel empowered to take responsibility for themselves, others and their own learning. They are proud of who they are and what they are capable of. When you ask our tamariki, “Who are the best children in Glen Innes?” They will reply, “The Glen Innes Kindergarten Children.” Ka Mau te Wehi.

OUR YOUNG INVESTIGATORS Tūngia te ururua, kia tupu whakaritorito te tupu o te harakeke. Clear the undergrowth so that the new shoots of the flax will grow. When working alongside tamariki, we often gain insight through conversation or ‘listening in’ on their conversations, as to what a child finds interesting or intriguing in the world around them. We believe it is important to foster this disposition of curiosity and therefore encourage tamariki to be their own ‘researchers’, capable of discovering new knowledge and developing important skills and attitudes through the process of researching. Through research, tamariki can identify what they would like to find out more about, and make connections with what they already know or have experienced so far. Research helps children communicate with others what they have learnt and what is meaningful to them at this moment in time.

In our tamariki’s words, research is: “Everything I know, that it’s special like research, and all the children have thousands of research stories.” “Research means that you had to do lots of hard work.” “Do caterpillars eat pumpkin?” “Brontosaurus and Brachiosaurus, we have to find out more information.” “Why do birds last longer than the dinosaurs?” “It is this engaged learning that occurs in the project approach when children have the opportunity to initiate, investigate, and follow through on their interests. Because these activities are so similar to the investigative process of adults, we began to call young children doing these activities ‘young investigators’.” (Helm & Katz, 2001, p. 5).

“Chicken, I like it. Eggs into chickens and caterpillar and inside butterfly.”

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DEVELOPING A CHILDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PERSPECTIVE ON LEARNING At Howick Kindergarten, we believe the community that the child belongs to and the experiences they have, provide opportunities for new learning to be fostered and for children to reflect on alternative ways to do things. Engaging with different people, places, experiences and perspectives helps to enrich our childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s knowledge, dispositions and life skills.

One of our tamariki comes from a family and community where he is surrounded by animals and they play a huge part in his life. He believes we need to be kind to everyone, including animals. We should be gentle and protect them, and he encourages others to do the same. Most days at kindergarten the children look for creatures such as butterflies, praying mantis or beetles, which they can care for. The children love feeding our pet budgies and frogs, which supports their development of empathy and kindness. Children acquire respect and develop a sense of responsibility for the living enviroment. They also develop knowledge and working theories about how to care for the living world. It is clear that the community to which a child belongs helps them develop their own perspective on learning; this is supported and fostered within the kindergarten environment.

Photos 1. Caring for our kindergarten pets. 2. Being gentle with our guinea pig. 3. Looking after our resident frogs. 4. Observing an insect. 5. Finding a butterfly to care for.

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SCIENCE - OBSERVING, DESCRIBING AND EXPERIMENTING At Maraetai Beachlands Kindergarten, our tamariki have been engaging in science activities to build their knowledge of the world around them based on facts learned through experiments and observation. Our science focus aligns with the Te Whāriki strand of Exploration (Mana Aotūroa). Exploration can be defined as, ‘children experience an environment where they learn strategies for active exploration, thinking and reasoning. They develop working theories for making sense of the natural, social, physical and material worlds.’ Blowing bubbles, baking, and mixing colours are all things that regularly happen at kindergarten. Through introducing science experiments and concepts, the children develop working theories for everyday activities that happen on a regular basis. They start to show more interest in how and why things work and go on to experiment and explore in their work and play, extending their knowledge of the world around them.

In the words of our children as they embark upon scientific exploration: Ethan – “We blow through the straw, bubbles, air in the bubbles. When you pop the bubbles on the paper, they make a dot.” Quinn - “I know what’s happening it’s sucking up all the water. It’s turning into colour, different colours. See how they change colour, yellow turns into green because yellow is the opposite of green, that’s what I think. Trying to do different things, fun being a scientist, so fun you can teach kids how to do science. You got to keep practicing to be a scientist. When you put yellow into a tin it will turn yellowy, no it turned green!”

Caleb – “It spilled out because of the heat because it was burning hot, it makes waffles.” Oliver – “It makes it not runny”. Photos 1. “We blow through the straw, bubbles, air in the bubbles.” 2. Capillary action, walking water. 3. Waffle making.

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WEEDING OUT THE FACTS One of the children brought in a potato pig from home, which led to a group discussion about where potatoes come from. It was interesting to hear their varied theories, including from trees and the supermarket. We recognised this as the perfect opportunity for the children to lead their own learning. To support the children in researching this question we encouraged them to weed our vegetable patch, which had a few potato plants visible. As they were digging out the weeds, one of them pulled out a root with a small potato attached. He excitedly showed everyone which sparked further interest in digging for potatoes. This was a spontaneous learning experience with a small group. They were familiar with potatoes as food, but where they come from was the focus of our inquiry. They participated proactively in this learning experience as they pulled the weeds out, recognising the potatoes. They all interacted with each other sharing their discoveries of potatoes, comparing the size, predicting that they might find a bigger one!

This learning is a great example of tikanga whakaaro (ways of doing) where we all learn from each other as we share our knowledge, ideas and underground discoveries. We celebrated each other’s achievements that boosted and enhanced our mana (pride). We actively encourage all children to participate in inquiry learning such as this. 2.

Photos 1. “There are so many weeds to pull!” 2. “Look what I found - a long potato.” 3. “I found a teeny weeny one.”

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MISSION BAY GOES BUSH During the term, small groups of parents, children and a teacher go for regular walks in our local bush. These are an important part of our curriculum because they provide children with opportunities to connect with the natural environment and to gather materials drawn from nature. The children develop knowledge about our environment, and learn responsibility for caring about the living world and their place in it. “I like walking because it gives me energy,” said Mila. The bush walks provide opportunities for children to explore, build confidence and take risks within a safe natural environment. “I really like playing in the mud and slipping,” said Ollie.

We can see parents value their children’s connection in the natural world through their continued participation on our bush walks. “I really liked taking Poppy and seeing the trees with the animals in,” said Luke. Children have opportunities to talk about the world around them, care for the environment and gather resources to share with others. “I like looking at the trees. I like the leaves because they blow off and I can get them to make a picture with them,” said Mya. The children contribute to the preparation of the bush walks through making their own morning tea, and gathering the special equipment we take with us.

“I like making morning tea to take on the bush walk,” said Wotjek. Ka mate kāinga tahi, ka ora kāinga rua. There is more than one way to achieve an objective.

Photos 1. “This is me and Ollie playing in the mud!” – Kupa. 2. “I like drawing the birds and leaves.” – Mila. 3. “I can see small things better like leaves and spiders.” – Blair.

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CHILDREN TRANSFORM WITH BUTTERFLIES Children take a great deal of care and involvement in looking after the caterpillars in the butterfly house that we have in our back garden. On a daily basis during the busy summer season, they will ask to go and check what is happening and release any butterflies that are there. We have swan plants so there is plenty of food for them. We also grow flowers to be ready as they emerge. This whole process makes an impact on the programme, with children and teachers wanting to learn more and respond in artistic ways to our ever transforming and emerging friends. Children gain confidence in groups when their attention is captured by something that interests them fully. We see concentration and responsibility grow in them.

Here are some of the voices of children: “Here’s a swan plant! I’m an expert! Butterflies everywhere in the tree. It looked like butterfly dews. A million butterflies. I really love planting ‘cause that’s the food we eat; sunflowers and basil. Swan plants for the caterpillars. Nectar for the butterflies: flowers.” “Butterflies drink flower juice; then they fly away, the porridge, um the pollen goes in the other daisies or sunflowers.” These voices are a sample of the rich thinking processes that go on. 2.

Photos 1. W e let go of more than 200 butterflies this year; now there are 200 ‘overwintering’ in trees nearby. 2. Close contact with butterflies brings out responsibility, and wonder! 3. These are pretend butterflies to practice tagging with coded stickers.

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GROWING SOCIAL COMPETENCE, CONFIDENCE AND SELF-WORTH Here at Orakei Kindergarten our goal is to grow leadership, confidence and positive social skills. To do this, children must be able to identify their own strengths and merits, and their teachers encourage them to recognise these. This opens up discussions for what is socially acceptable, learning and talking about feelings and emotions, giving and receiving compliments and feeling confident in themselves. By being able to identify their strengths, children also create a goal for themselves to extend their future learning. This particular activity was set up so that each child at kindergarten could have time with a teacher to reflect and discuss what they believed they were ‘good at’. It was such a special experience to capture their exact thoughts and words.

Emanuera told us that he was good at “Building with the blocks, swinging on the swings and playing with magnatiles.” Ollie confidently said, “I am good at playing on the swings, listening at mat time and building with magnatiles”. Alina said, “I am good at swinging on the monkey bars, being nice, reading and making things.” After the teacher had written down the child’s words, each child then drew a picture of what they had described, and wrote their name. Through activities like this there is so much ‘hidden learning’ like fine motor skills, early literacy and verbal communication. Children needed to be able to be able to express themselves with clarity and as a result, they made a beautiful creation that they can treasure forever. Photos 1. Alina writing out what she is good at. 2. The final result – Alina’s picture and things she is good at. 3. Emanuera’s list of things he is good at. 4. Ollie’s picture and description. 5. Children are encouraged to identify their strengths and passions.

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WHAT DO YOU WONDER ABOUT STINKHORN? Strong foundations for learning are maintained when children know their questions are valued and when they are appropriately supported by whānau and teachers to research their own theories and evaluate their own findings. Everything has value as a teaching opportunity.

A gripping illustration of this is when we wondered what caused the foetid odour coming from the car park next to the kindergarten. Our next question was: how could we find out more? We contacted the friendly council workers who look after the community park next to our kindergarten. They sniffed around. They told us it wasn’t the drains. Further exploration revealed a hoard of Anemone Stinkhorn fungi nesting in the bark; vile smelling brown goo oozing from its tentacles. Naturally, our tamariki were keen to find out more. Over the next few weeks, our amazing tamariki took this exploration in numerous directions. We brainstormed on our white board and invented our own names for it. We investigated the plant online and up close (well, not too close!). One of their more intriguing questions was, “What was the brown poo stuff for?” The interesting answer was, “the poo smell attracts flies, and the flies spread the spores.” Each answer led to creativity using media as diverse as art and perfume making. At pick up times, whānau were invited by their children to come and smell and view the plants but, “don’t touch it!” The Council eventually removed the plant, but we are waiting with bated breath for more to sprout!

Photos 1. “It smells like pooh. It’s alien monster pooh. Eww it’s disgusting.” 2. It begins as white eggs which erupt into twisted alien shapes. 3. Final clay art: “Are you going to take it home?” “No, it stinks!” 4. “Let’s make stinky perfume. We can squash yucky stinky plants and mud.” 5. “This is a fly. He has come to smell the yucky slime.”

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PAKURANGA KINDERGARTEN’S GOT TALENT! The children have been sharing their passion for watching Britain’s Got Talent at home with their families. The show has triggered many conversations about people’s talents, inspiring the children to show us their own. The teachers were excited by the children’s enthusiasm and surprised the children with a grand stage, special guest judges, and of course, our very own ‘Golden Buzzer’ with gold confetti!

Olive said, “The best was when my Mummy came in because it was a surprise. I got to stand with lots of people. I never got to do that before.” “I liked my singing Fireman Sam. I had a good show. I love them [the children] to watch me,” said Mahe. Bridie noticed the audience enjoyed her performance, “I think they thought it was great because they had big smiles,” she said. “At the big mat there was lots of children.” Ariana commented, “Everyone’s looking at me!” Willow explained, “Because it was fantastic!” When watching her performance on the iPad, Willow said, “I want to watch till I do that [hand in the air]. I went up like that when it [the music] goes up.” Children’s mana is at the forefront of our kindergarten. What better way for children to showcase their mana. We are proud that our children felt confident and empowered to share their strengths and talents and know that they are supported and celebrated. Ma te huruhuru ka rere te manu. Adorn the bird with feathers so it can fly. Photos 1. Gold confetti for the performers! 2. Olive performing for the tamariki. 3. Our Britain’s Got Talent special guest judges. 4. The audience really enjoyed the performances! 5. Singing a song for her friends.

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LEARNING CONVERSATIONS Children at Pigeon Mountain Kindergarten test out their working theories to help them make sense of the world around them.

Alex said, “Yes and so we eat something dairy food, and we get all puffed up, and then we get so tired that we have to lie down.”

While having lunch together James and Alex overheard teachers discussing nut allergies. What follows is the boys’ conversation as they interpret what this means.

James then added, “I know what kindy is about, a person leaves to go to school and then a person we have never seen before takes their place.”

James said, “If someone is allergic to food, and the flavour of the food comes out of the food to everyone, there’s one thing you can do is move the food away from them. The food flavour flows away.”

Through conversations such as these, children are sharing their ideas and learning with each other and helping one another to make sense of the world around them.

James and Alex discuss nut allergies.

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TE MIHINI NUI KARAKA Te mihini nui karaka – the big orange digger working on our kindergarten driveway generated a lot of interest and kōrero amongst the children. We watched the digger’s progress, and the children had lots of ideas about what might be happening. This real-life action, right on our driveway, has inspired creative role play in the sandpit, some great art work, and a chance for the children to express their thoughts about what they can see and what they think might happen next. It is an opportunity to practice observational and language skills in a relevant context. It has provided some nice links to the children’s own experiences outside of kindergarten. Watching the truck deliver the framing, Braxtyn commented, “A wood truck comes to my house and gave us some wood.”

Ko te whakatipuranga tenei o te mana rangahau, me ngā mātauranga katoa e pā ana ki te autūroa me te taiao. The child learns through active exploration of the environment. Te Whāriki, 2017.

Photos 1. “It’s got lots of wheels and a long arm-thing.” - Noa. 2. “The digger pick up the mud and put it down.” - Selwyn. 3. “It’s picking up the grass, the flowers and the mud.” - Kay Soi. 4. “I building. I making the sand flat like the workmans.” - Jaxson. 5. “I think they are going to make a car park.” - Braxtyn.

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SOMERVILLE KINDERGARTEN’S JOURNEY THROUGH SPACE Arriving back from the holidays, our friend Cooper was no longer at kindergarten; instead, we had Super Cooper the Astronaut! Super Cooper prepared the launch pad, packed the space ship and invited everyone along for his journey through space … 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BLAST OFF! Our journey began with a spectacular view outside our spaceship window, and planets of all different colours and sizes waiting to be explored. The gathering of information through books, the Internet and resources helped us to make sense of what we were seeing, feeding our curiosity and allowing us the chance to steer our spaceship deeper into space. From Astronaut Cooper, “Did you know that Uranus spins on the side of his axis?” With our space suits on and our jet packs jammed full with knowledge, our next stop was venturing outside the safe surrounds of the spaceship into the vast galaxy to test our theories. Box construction rockets, big and small, were created using a variety of materials. Solar systems with an abundance of stars were hung around our kindergarten. Rockets were blasted out of the sandpit. We were now all lost in the endless void of space. Our kindergarten whānau also couldn’t resist the pull and became fellow space travellers too, sharing stories and resources from home and steering the spaceship through our fantastic Kindergarten Space Disco. Due to our inspirational astronauts, who have freely shared their knowledge and expertise with their supportive crew, our space journey continues. We are super excited to see what part of the galaxy we will explore next!

Photos 1. Researching the solar system for our space journey. 2. Creating planets and stars. 3. Hanging solar systems! 4. Family getting dressed up for our space exploration. 5. Somerville Kindergarten’s rocket ship!

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PITOPITO KŌRERO - PRESENTING NEWS At St Heliers Kindergarten, we have developed a news wall which is where the children can place their items of interest. The children are given the opportunity to tell us in their own words what to write about, we take photos and place it all up on the news wall. Having a wall where children can share their mark making, notes, photos, tickets to shows, and messages creates a sense of belonging, contribution and empowerment. Children seeing their news written in their own words allows them to see themselves as communicators. “I was perfect at swimming lessons. I was doing like floating and kicking with a board.” Through the visual representation of their news, children are able to revisit it constantly, and the child feels valued. Our collaborative wall allows us to celebrate children’s emergent literacy. “I drew and cut out three bunny rabbits. I like to tell stories using my bunny rabbits.” Using the news wall to celebrate the children’s news links to our communication (Mana reo) strand in our curriculum document Te Whāriki. Using the news wall also links to the New Zealand School Curriculum where children use language, symbols and texts. They learn that language and symbols are systems for representing and communicating information, experiences and ideas. Children are learning to communicate their experience in different ways. They are also learning to interpret how others communicate and represent their experience.

We have had a positive response since changing our news telling methods and the children thoroughly enjoy bringing their news in to share with us.

Photos 1. C hildren become empowered when having their voice documented on the news board. 2. Alice is displaying her swimming certificate for the news wall. 3. Creating bunny rabbits for the news wall.

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VALUING TAMARIKI PERSPECTIVES At St Johns Kindergarten, we recognise that children learn and develop best when there is a partnership between home and kindergarten. These experiences develop through their relationships, interactions and home environments. We value each child’s first language and encourage all parents/whānau to become involved in our multi-cultural programme. Teachers pay careful attention to children’s voices, to gain a window into their world and we also view them as social actors with opinions and views of their own. We believe tamariki perspectives are an important source of information about what engages their learning and why. They learn with and from their peers, adults around them and their environment. We believe that children’s prior knowledge and skills can be fostered and nurtured to a higher level by the scaffolding from more skilled others, both children and adults.

We encourage children to be risk takers, explorers, information seekers, questioners, researchers and independent thinkers. We encourage self-directed learning that is driven by a child’s interests, abilities and strengths, so they can see themselves as competent, capable and empowered human beings. We facilitate the practices that reflect the dual heritage of Aotearoa/New Zealand. We acknowledge Māori as tangata whenua of Aotearoa/New Zealand. We also value and respect the cultural diversity of our families. Mā te rongo ka mōhio / Through perception comes awareness.

Mā te mōhio ka mārama / Through awareness comes understanding. Mā te mārama ka mātau / Through understanding comes knowledge. Mā te mātau ka ora / Through knowledge comes wellbeing. Photos 1. Playing with friends. 2. Practicing performance. 3. Building and learning together.

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AKO TIME At Sylvia Park Kindergarten, we strongly believe in all individuals being learners. As a teaching team, we were all part of a Ministry of Education language project, ‘Now We’re Talking’. We were inspired to extend on children’s language learning. This evolved into a special mat time which is directed by children. We call this Ako time. Ako time is all about the tamariki. It allows them to take control of their learning and put their learning into words. After the Ako teacher is chosen, their role is to engage their peers using a breathing technique, allowing them time to reflect on their day with their eyes closed, and start the special rhyme. The Ako teacher then rolls a ball to two of his or her peers and supports each of them with their pepeha and to reflect on what they did that day. From there, the Ako teacher facilitates questions from the rest of their peers to find out more information.

The children are very passionate about being the Ako teacher, and they enjoy practicing this during the day. We asked the children, “What is Ako time?” This is what they said; “When you sit down, and someone rolls the ball to you.” “We have to roll the ball to you.” “When you stand up and learn your pepeha.” We then asked the children “What do you like about Ako Time?” They responded; “Rolling the ball.” “I like it when I get the ball rolled to me.” “Funny faces!”

Photos 1. Children practicing Ako time. 2. Our tree of knowledge. 3. Language of learning. 4. The language of learning in action. 5. A child as Ako teacher.

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