Art Deco Day

Even though it was a rainy day last Friday our Art Deco dress up day was fun for all.  What a lot of gorgeous kids all dressed up there was.  We started the day with a school parade in the hall and a bit of a jump jam oldie called the Candy Man.  It began a day full of fun and once again our Discovery took on a 1930’s twist with headbands, dirt box derby cars, chalk and slate, traditional patterning, tea party, baking and more.  Room 1, 7 and 8 work very well alongside each other during our Discovery sessions and even though we could not get on to the field, as we usually do, we still had loads to do and lots of fun.  Our sharing time at the end of the session is a great time to hear about their thoughts on their play. Learning through play is a part of the Junior Team’s  Inquiry this year so having those conversations is an important  part of the process.  Our Key Competency of Relating to Others is our focus for this term and it’s a good way to hear first-hand how they related positively to one another or helped someone else in some way.

To finish off a very nice day we had Rex's' little puppy come to visit.

Class Waka

Our class waka is finally up for all to see in the classroom.  Once again working cooperatively to create something together is such a worthwhile thing to do.  It stresses the importance of ‘the team’, that we are all in this together and it is up to all of us to make it work.  We have named it the ‘Wonky Waka’ as putting it up so high on the classroom wall was not an easy thing to do and it is considerably ‘wonky’.  We aim to create a few waves around it to show that it is not always plain sailing and we can hit afew bumps or waves along the way. 

Waitangi Celebrations

Waitangi Day  is a mixture of celebrating our indigenous Maori people and their culture, as well as what it means to be a New Zealander for all of us.  We have a country to be proud of and it is up to all of us to look after it.

We  worked as a team to create a beautiful mosaic Tiki which is an important symbol in our Maori culture.  Mosaic is a time consuming business and a nice opportunity for a chat while you are working.  Having our Teachers Aide Sam working alongside the children was a real bonus. We had some real persisters  who stayed most of the session sorting, ripping and pasting.  You can see it on display in the hall alongside the children’s writing on 'What it means in being a New Zealander'.

Kaitiakitanga-We are the Guardians of our world

Become a Kiwi Guardian

How about this for an epic idea.

Have fun with your families exploring your local area and earn for yourself a Kiwi Guardian medal in the process.

Become a true Kiwi Guardian of Aotearoa.

Check out the link.....

http://www.doc.govt.nz/kiwiguardians

Discovery in 2017

Last week we had our first Discovery session for the year.  We joined in with Rooms 1 and 8 and began with a ‘setting the scene’ get-together where we discussed the expectations and activities on offer.

 I read a great book to the children about ‘bucket filling’. (Thanks Annabelle for  letting us use your special copy.)  I heard about it in my Incredible Years course last year and it really hit home with me.  The overall concept is that we are all able to fill each other’s buckets by doing kind things for each other.  You have the choice of either being a’ bucket filler’ or a ‘bucket dipper’ and it is all up to you.  Whether, by your actions you choose to make someone happy, or not, it is your choice.

Our activities for the session were creating our own buckets, making school- bus bookmarks, dough, tea-set, painting, blocks and a heap of outside activities.  Here are some pictures of the children enjoying their discoveries through play.