Hi everyone. we have been having such a wonderful time at kindergarten. We tried out our new bike, (thanks to Shiloh's family). We look forward to receiving a few more bikes which we have ordered. We have had lots of Super hero play, in and outdoor activities promoting balancing, sensory activities, turn-taking, sharing of ideas, literacy, numeracy, colour concepts just to name a few. Here are some photos for your enjoyment. Our learning journey at Concord Kindergarten...

LEARNING FUN WITH ICT

As part of our ongoing committment to keep up to date with ICT our children have their own digital camera and they are learning how to use it. We start with a few basic rules - clean hands, camera strap around your neck, keep clear of sand and water..... Next we demonstrate the basic techniques of camera use.... how to hold the camera, aiming at your subject......etc. After becoming familiar with these skills children are encouraged to think about why they are taking these images, as well as identifying the learning happening in them. The next stage is downloading the photos on to the computer to view them and then printing some out to keep or even put in their profile books. For many this is a very new experience while others have well developed skills already whether it be from kindergarten or using ICT at home. Peer tutoring is very evident as we see children pass on their skills to our newer 'photographers.' Have a look at the 'picture mosaic' composed of some images our children have captured. Happy snapping everyone!!!!

Friday 14th May

This term there has been a strong focus on recycling at kindergarten. Three large colourful recycling bins were purchased at the beginning of term, these have since been labelled as cardboard, paper and mixed recyclables. We are trying to re-use much of this in the programme with the remainder being put out at the gate in our blue recycling bin. We have been talking a lot with the children about what it means to recycle and why we should recycle. We are also using coloured containers at the lunch table, one for food scraps, one for yoghurt pottles and the other for general rubbish. The children are already very familiar with these often reminding one another what goes where. Our bokashi is again up and running and we have been making recycled paper also. Dramatic play has been a prominent feature in all areas of the programme over the past few weeks. From fire fighters to super heroes the children demonstrate vivid imaginations and have been using various tools and props in the environment to support their play. With all of the desktops in good working order the children have been actively engaged in ICT. We are also beginning to use skype to communicate with others, this is something new for the children. Last week whilst skyping a class at Fairfield Primary the children were more excited about seeing their own reflection in the video window than they were about who was on the other end of the video, very amusing. All-in-all it's been a busy few weeks!

Future Fire Fighters!

From little seeds, big things grow. An idea from one child becomes the focus of outdoor action over several days as the children build their own fire station. Through co-operation and communication, imaginative dramatic play enhanced with props (e.g. - hoses, hard hats, vests, ladders, water bags, ropes and buckets - to make monsoon buckets) and children making links to prior experiences the 'Concord Fire Station' is constructed and the crew are ready for action! And some great news - with one of our Dads, who is a fire fighter, we are planning a trip to visit the Dunedin Central Fire Station. Watch this space!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all our mothers, grandmothers and all our loved ones. Here are some photos to add to your special day :). From everyone at Concord Kindergarten :)

23rd April 2010

Term two has already begun with a hiss and a roar. We have been fortunate enough to have the weather on our side at the moment as we prepare for the winter months ahead. The children have been very active in the outdoors this week with loads of dramatic and pretend play, the imagination of a child never ceases to amaze me. Anyway we would like to welcome you back and we look forward to another exciting term. See the slideshow below for a sneak peek at our first week back.

Happy Holidays :)

Hello everyone. We just wanted to thank you for following our blog and sharing in all our fun and exciting learning at kindergarten. Term 1 has flown right by and Thursday 1st April will be our last day at kindergarten. We return on 19th April 2010 bright and breezy all ready for Term 2. Wishing all our friends and families a safe and Happy Holiday too. Here are some of our recent wall-displays and fun times at kindergarten. Enjoy :). See you in Term 2. Ka Kite Ano.

Gardening continues .........planting bulbs

We continue to focus on sustainability by growing our own vegetables and herbs. Over recent weeks we made mini salads with chives, parsley, lettuces and tomatoes from our garden. Bella, Toby and Tinkerbell (our guinea pigs) loved the silver beet we added to their diet. This week we dug over the garden and planted cauliflowers, celery, silver beet and also flowers. Children recall from last time that our plants need sun, water and soil to help them grow. We are also experimenting with bulb planting - hyacinths. We plant 3 in pottles of soil and keep them on the verandah. The other 2 are planted in special bulb growing jars, with just water. They are put into a dark cupboard for a few weeks. This 'tricks' them so they think they are under the ground - the roots grow and we can see them through the glass. Then we will bring them out into the light and see what happens next......................watch this space.

Hello there everyone. Thanks to everyone who came to have a great night with with us at the wheel-a-thon. It was a fantastic time with lots of cool bikes, scooters, prams and and enthusiastic children. Thanks to all our families , teachers and hardworking Committee who made this a great success :). Congratulations to all our Wheel-A-Thon participants too, we hope you like your well-deserved certificates :)

Our Excursion to Mosgiel New World, Park and Library

At last Friday 5 March has arrived. The excitement is mounting as we board the bus for our trip to Mosgiel New World, planned for children (and adults) to see behind the scenes and gain a deeper understanding

of where our food and groceries come from before they reach the supermarket shelves. this part of our focus on sustainability and healthy minds and bodies. First stop is the delicatessen where a large variety of salads, cold meats, fish and pies are available. Then it's on through the storeroom via the coolers (bbbrrrrr!!!!!) where hundreds of boxes of goods are stored. A treat awaits at the bakery - freshly baked hot cross buns for all - yummmm! Next we visit the butchery where a look through the door reveals carcasses of meat hanging from hooks - a new experience for many. Then on to fruit and vegetables and the fork lift driver shows us how the pellets of boxes are loaded and unloaded. Back at the checkout we catch up with the other group again and say thank you to Vicky and the staff before we leave. The rain holds off long enough for us to explore the playground across the

road and share morning tea before we head to the Mosgiel Library to

check out their books and toys and share a story......................while we wait for the bus which will take us back over the southern motorway to kindergarten. What a great trip and a big 'thank you' to all our parents, and friends who came to help.

Hello again everyone. Our worm farm which we established early last term is doing really well. The children have continued to express interest in this sustainability project. We are constantly reminded to feed our scraps to the tiger-worms so they do not miss out on morning tea too. The vege garden has done well and we hope you enjoyed your wee take-away of fresh , juicy salad for those who took some. Yum!We have continued having lots of fun in our learning and exploration of the living world. We have watched monarch butterflies emerge and fly into their natural environment. It was simply magical learning about the life cycle of the monarch butterfly as we watch them going through this process on our swan plants. We have also used our new bug catchers to look for slaters, moths, ladybirds and any insects we can find throughout our kindergarten environment. We have continued our learning through posters, books and ICT too. Well from creatures with wings and lots of legs to fun times on wheels. We look forward to our wheelathon tonight. Watch this space :)

Wednesday 24th February

Active Movement in Action. As many of you are aware we place great emphasis on active movement here at kindergarten and we have recently recieved our bronze and silver awards from Sport Otago for both promotion and participation in active movement. All of the children here at kindergarten are very active and they love exploring in the outdoor environment. Last week in the outdoors a series of obstacle courses were set up for the children to explore and extend their skills on. It was great to observe the children trying new things and taking risks alongside challenging their bodies. This slideshow shows the children in action!

Wow, what a great start to the term. We have had so many exciting events happening including being awarded the Bronze and Silver Medals from Sport Otago for our Active Movement Programme. Watch this space as we go for GOLD! Thanks to everyone who came along to our Wacky Hat Day. We loved all your creativity and sense of fun . This applies to all our children, families and whanau of Concord Kindergarten. It was also great to have you come along and join in for the very yummy Shared Lunch too. :) How Term 1 is flying past so quickly and we truly appreciate your participation and support at all our events here :).

Investigating Koura (Crayfish)

'There's something fishy around here' .... the children crowd around to check it out. Fish have been a hot topic recently as children continue to share their holiday experiences so this is he perfect time to investigate the crayfish which Donna has brought along for us. Using the photos of the crayfish when it was caught we are able to fit the body shell pieces together giving an indication of its size - it was certainly a big one!!!! We count the legs and antenna and work out where they were attached to its body. Many people love to eat these sea creatures, especially the tails. Some of the children recalled the crayfish they saw in the tanks when we visited the Portobello Aquarium. This 'hands on' experience gives children the opportunity to gain more knowledge of the koura. They can touch the different body parts and feel the rough spiny surfaces as well as experiencing that 'fishy smell!' (Many thought it was 'yucky!') We will further extend this learning by investigating other sea creatures.

Friday 5th February

WELCOME BACK! As we head back to kindergarten in 2010 it is clear that summer has finally arrived. the children have had an absolute ball over the past week exploring in the outdoor environment. There has ben loads of waterplay in both the troughs and the sandpit. Active movement has also been a prominent feature in the programme with the children embracing the summer sun and making the most of it. Need we forget it's time to slip, slop, slap. So welcome back everyone we're all looking forward to an exciting and action packed year ahead. Here is a sneak peak of what the children have been up to over the past week.

Countdown to Christmas!

25, 24, 23, 22, 21 ...... It all started in early December with the decoration of our Christmas tree and of course over the next few days 'presents' are wrapped (and unwrapped by those who can't wait!!) Dough decorations are made, baked and painted ready to go home to take pride of place on family trees. There is great excitement at our Family BBQ on 4 December when Santa makes a surprise visit. There are 'Candy Canes' for all and a chance to have photos taken with Santa and share those 'christmas wish lists!' Thanks Santa - Yes, we have been good!

Christmas celebrations continued with our trip to 'Chipmunks' on the 14th of December to share a fun morning exploring the many physical challenges of their playground. We have all worked up an appetite and are ready to tuck into our 'Party Packs' for lunch before climbing aboard the bus for the trip back to kindergarten.

Now with only 11 Sleeps to go .................. Our Christmas Raffle is drawn on 16 December - Congratulations to all our winners. Kindergarten closes on Friday 18 December and last but not least a big thank you to all our families and supporters in 2009.

Merry Christmas and have a safe, relaxing summer break. We will see you back on 26 January 2010.

How does this work?

Exploration and hands on learning is the key to finding out how things work and Shiloh is doing just that. After filling his bucket with sand he attaches the handle of the bucket to the hook on the pulley and the action really begins with just a little distraction as he investigates the chain on the sandpit box along the way. See for yourself.

Friday 4th December

Christmas Party On Friday the 4th of November children, families and teachers gathered at kindergarten for our end of year Christmas party/BBQ. A sausage sizzle was provided by our fantastic committee and following this Santa managed to fit us in to his busy schedule........the children were super excited to see him and managed to get their Christmas wish lists in on time. A slideshow of the evening follows.

Friday 27th November

Fabulous Friday! Today was the last day of posting for our college students Shannon and Jaide so we decided to have a 'fun Friday'. First thing this morning Shannon did some puff painting with the children, this involved making a special paint mixture with self raising flour and a range of other ingredients. Once the mixture was complete the children then painted on their pages which were then placed in the microwave. Shannon operated the microwave whilst the children counted down from ten and then like magic the paint had risen all over the page, the children were just fascinated by this whole process. After the puff painting was complete it was time to make piklets for morning tea, topped with cream and jam, YUM-O! Take a look at the slide show below for pictures from these two experiences.

Wednesday 18th November

TURTLE POWER! We were lucky enough to have Sheyanne, (Maja's Mum) pop in this morning with some special visitors. Bert and Ernie were visitors with a difference, let's just say they were not of the human kind. Bert and Ernie are snake neck turtles and very unique characters. As Sheyanne arrived with the turtles all of the children eagerly made their way to the mat to greet their visitors. Let's just say it was a little difficult to stay sitting in a circle with two little creatures making their way across the mat, this really was very exciting. Sheyanne talked to the children about where the turtles live and what they eat, we even witnessed a live screening of feeding time. Sheyanne dropped a block of dried fish into the tank and the children observed with great intent as the turtles ate. The children were lucky enough to touch the turtles with careful supervision, they had hard slippery shells. All-in-all this was a great group experience and there was much discussion about the turtles for the remainder of the day. Maja was able to share her pets from home with her friends here at kindergarten and all of the children were able to get up close and personal with a turtle, making links to the wider world. What fascinating little creatures!