Bream Bay Kindergarten Video

Friday, September 16, 2016

When spring gives you lemons....make lemonade!



With all the abundance of fruit on the lemon tree we decided it was time to try out the lemons at kindergarten. Lemonade was on the menu!

First we needed a recipe.....




A little lemon juice, a bit more water, a spoonful of sugar and perfect! Ok maybe a little more sugar.... 

Will it be sweet or will it be sour?


"I quite like Lemonade, actually I love it" said Lucas



"Its not sour, yeah it is a bit sour" said Kendall-Lee

"Its not sour" said Tahlia



It was quite a challenge manipulating the lemons and juicing them, we had to squeeze hard with our fingers to get all the juice out! Then we had to hold it steady as we poured the juice into our cup, careful not to spill any. 

Finally stirring the sugar into our drinks so that the liquid and sugar combined...

"Look I squeezed it all!"



"It tastes like lemons, its not sour for me" said Kataraina

As the children made lemonade they took turns sharing the lemons and the lemon juicers. Those who hadn't used the juicers before sought the help of others. The children encouraged each other and talked through the process as they worked.


 Vygotsky believed that social relationships are at the heart of learning and that the importance of those relationships lies particularly in their ability to extend learning (Moyett, 2014).

Concentration!!




"Its YUM!" said Isla

"Its good, it tastes like sugar" said Manaaki



"A bit sour" said Zoey.



"A strong sense of well-being is fundamentally connected to children's sense of belonging, being and becoming. When children feel well, happy and secure and socially successful they are able to fully participate in, and learn from, the daily routines, play, interactions and experiences in their early childhood setting" (Owens, 2012).

Monday, September 12, 2016

Another tyre-ing day.


Lately, the sun has been shining, enticing the children to come and play outside. Even the chilling wind hasn't deterred them. 




"Many of the fundamental tasks that children must achieve, such as, exploring, risk-taking, fine and gross motor development and the absorption of vast amounts of basic knowledge, can be most effectively learned though outdoor play" (Johnson, Christie, & Wardle, 2010).

The children excitedly explored this week's obstacle course. It proved to be an enjoyable challenge, although it was a bit tyre-ing!






As the children explored the obstacle course they used different strategies for climbing over the tyres. 

Some children stepped into the centre of each tyre... 


some children stepped around the sides of each tyre... 




some children stepped (or climbed) over the top of each tyre...




and some children tried different combinations of all the strategies...









While exploring the obstacle course the children were developing their gross motor skills. 

Gross motor skills are developed through using the large muscles of the body in a controlled and coordinated way, through physical activities including running, jumping, climbing, and balancing.







"A moving child is a learning child. Movement is at the very core of how children develop intellectually, emotionally, socially, and of course, physically" (Connell, 2013).



Friday, September 2, 2016

Grandparents Day

Grandparents - the sunshine of life!

What a joyful day today...Grandparents traveled from near and far to spend the day with their special people at kindergarten.  Such a relaxed, calm and fun atmosphere.

Good people, fine food and special time with whanau...doesn't get much better than that!




Double whammy hand massage!


Making lemon drinks, yum!


Building a trolley




Snuggles!


I'm listening!



Sharing stories.








 Pampering Nanny.




Going super fast...go Poppa go!





Grandparents are so easy to operate, even a child can do it!
(author unknown)





Sharing experiences together.



Cup of tea anyone?











Pampering grand children






Sharing a laugh...grandparents are such fun!









Grandparents bestow upon their grandchildren the strength and wisdom that time and experience have given them. Grandchildren bless their grandparents with a youthful vitality and innocence that help them stay young at heart forever. Together they create a chain of love linking the past with the future, the chain may lengthen but it will never part.
(Author unknown)


Thank you to everyone who came to share the day with us.  You've helped create beautiful memories.
Arohanui, the team at Bream Bay Kindergarten