It's a Small, Small World :)

Kia Ora. Talofa Lava. Ni Hao. G'Day. Ciao. Namaste. Selamat Datang...Yummy delicious Singapore Fried Rice. We have been learning about the different cultures of the world and this has included the cooking and tasting some foods of the world. Here are some photos of our Singapore Experience. Enjoy and we look forward to learning more about Samoa & the Cook Islands next. Parents, Caregivers and friends we would love for you to share a little about your culture with us too. This can be in the form of foods, music, dance, stories etc. We also making the world a smaller place here through global maps and skype too :). Join us at Concord Kindergarten as we explore the World.

The Bubble Makers

This morning we discover treasure in the sandpit.......a new bubble machine. The pictures tell the story as we put it into action and the fun begins. Watch, run, chase, stretch, reach for, catch the bubbles...........pop! pop! pop! pop! See them float away higher, higher and higher up into the sky until they disappear. Time to make more bubble mix - detergent, sugar and water - mix well and leave for 3 days then it will be ready for more bubble fun!!! Our learning continues from our 'Pirate Fun' outside in the big yellow box as we find buried treasure (just like real pirates). Bubbles provide opportunities for extending physical skills - motor development, hand eye co-ordination, a sense of fun and excitement and co-operation as children chase the bubbles together. We learn how to make our own bubble mix. And guess what else pirates do - they 'visit' to different places, just as we are doing through skype and learning about other cultures.

KIWIANA

We have started to look at the various cultures in our kindergarten community. To follow alongside this theme much of the focus is on 'kiwiana' and New Zealand culture this week. Today in the art area the children completed various screen prints which incorporated aspects of 'kiwiana'. Prints of objects many of us are familiar with as New Zealander's such as gumboots, The Buzzy Bee, koru patterns, jandals and sheep to name a few. The children really enjoyed the screen printing process and there was also rich discussion surrounding the objects they were printing. I talked with the children about how we associate many of these objects with our culture here in New Zealand. We will continue to explore the kiwi culture for the remainder of this week, it will be interesting to see where this leads, watch this space!

We continued on learning about Emergency Services in our kindergarten Programme this week. Today we had Senior Constable Paul Howard come along to tell us and interact with us about the role of the Police. It was just wonderful learning all about the police officer's work, his tools and watch the lights and sirens go too. Thank you so much . Watch this space :)

PS We look forward to Amby's (Ambulance) visit this Friday

Our friends the birds and more skyping!

Check out these photos for our ongoing encounters with nature and birds in our area. After initially making feeders from dripping and bird seed we have (following a parents suggestion) extended their diet with a mixture of brown sugar and water. This is so popular we are refilling their bowl twice a day. Our "City Birds' book is a constant source of interest as children use it to identify the birds they have seen.........lots of waxeyes and silvereyes and a cheeky little fantail who loves to flit teasingly just above the childrens heads. Somewhere at the back of kindergarten we have heard a bellbird but as yet he has managed to keep hidden........we will keep looking. We certainly have some enthusiastic 'birdwatchers.' Our 'skyping' continues this week with an 'online' video chat to Kate and Mia (3 years old) - from Helen's family, who live near Melbourne.

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 :)