Week 2 of Term 3

Week two of term three has come and gone already, and as always it has been all go at kindy. This week the children have been exploring in the outdoors as we have had some great weather. The children have observed new birds in the outdoor environment and have been conducting research around these. They have made bird feeders and placed them in the trees outdoors to see what birds they attract. This week we skyped a class of children in Korea. One child here at kindy has an Uncle teaching in Korea so the children had the opportunity to gain an insight into another culture and continue exploring the use of skype.

Term 3, 2010

Hello everyone and a warm welcome to all our children, families and friends. We have started Term 3 with many busy learning activities already in full swing. We have been continuing on sustainability in our programme as well as Active Movement and creativity throughout our learning environment. We continue to look forward to your interest in following our blog and we always enjoy getting your feedback. Thanks and here is to another great term :)

Hawaiian Styles...

It's Hula Time! On Friday the 25th of June we had a Hawaiian Disco/BBQ at kindergarten. Families and children had a great night, it was a chance to dress up, mix and mingle and have some fun. Our commmittee did a great job on the BBQ, we all enjoyed yummy burgers and sausages. Check out the video above!

Hi again, we enjoyed making a range of fire-engines creations with use of worksheets, collage and even face-painting to extend our learning about the New Zealand Fire Service. Here are a few snapshots :)

Fire Engines

Hi everyone. Kia Ora. Konnichiwa. Namaste. Ni Hao. Talofa Lava. Bonjour. Ciao. We welcome the beautiful sunshine today where we were able to continue enjoying our Active movement experiences promoting our co-ordination, balance, fine and large muscle skills, communication, turn-taking and confidence. Yippee our new bikes have arrived and we are enthusiastically enjoying these in our kindergarten environment. On Monday we also went on an excursion to the Central Fire station. Thanks to Joel and Ayden and their family for fulfilling this wonderful learning opportunity. We really enjoyed our bus trip there and learning about some of the busy things that happen in the Fire Service. We look forward to learning more about the emergency services, our community, the diverse cultures in our kindergarten community. We would love for you to share a little about yourself and/family pertaining to jobs, cultures, foods and celebrations to name a few. Here are some photos for you to enjoy... :)

Friday 4th June

Well the first week of winter is officially here but thankfully the weather has been on our side, and the sun has graced us with it's presence daily. There has been loads happening here at kindergarten from moving and a grooving to "Hi 5" on the mat area, exploring on our new bike in the outdoors, construction kit exploration, painting and helping out with the building of the new fence. On Friday we were lucky enough to have 'KatAnnaFiddle' visit, they performed for the children and told us loads of exciting stories, what a great way to end the week. Check out this weeks video for the highlights! It sounds like there is snow on the way so wrap up and keep warm out there :).

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 :)