The day the ambulance came to play

 

Let the children play they said...so we did and it was fabulous!

Self directed play provides opportunities for children to explore, experiment, discover and solve problems in imaginative and playful ways and is immensely powerful for learning (NZC online blog).

  

"Driving" was a fun game!

  

  

  

Every buckle ever put inside that ambulance was tried on and taken off...again, again and again!  We learnt, there are a lot of buckles in an ambulance!

Inspection time...checking absolutely everything out!

Wheels...check.

Number plate...check.

Name...check.

Unicorns and lions...check!  Good to go!

"Look I found a gauge" said Max.

  

Children checking out all the gadgets...yip my heart is still beating!

Our Bream Bay community is so lucky to have people within our local St John Ambulance who are passionate about the work they do and who have a willingness to go above and beyond to share their talents and experience with others. 

 These good people have a strong sense of community and a huge heart.  

As an added bonus our local ambulance officers understand that play is pivotal for children's learning and they made this experience such a fun filled learning experience for children.  

We were left in awe of their generosity of time and space for 

children to explore, learn and grow.

  

  

    The generosity and patience shown to children by this ambulance team was fabulous, making themselves available to answer any questions children had...which there were many!

Like..."What's in your pocket?" 

"What's in that bag?"

"How do you make the siren go?"

"What's that noise...whose that talking?"

"Why does the bed have wheels?"

"What is this button for?"

"Where do the sick people go?"

Etc, etc, etc!

 Our ambulance officers patiently demonstrated how things work in an ambulance and talked about what might happen in an emergency.  

It was interactive and fun for children.  

A whole lot of learning happened because of this unhurried time children were afforded to play around and engage in ways that were meaningful and important to them.

Over two luxurious hours of free play in, on and around an ambulance...the best antidote for removing children's fear of the unknown...now in cases of emergency children have knowledge and positive memories of an ambulance and the officers involved.

Sandy plays the game

Sandy has been "hurt"!

  

Another "accident"!

It's been a rough day for Sandy...now she's hurt herself 

while skating at the skate park!

A table with pens and paper strategically placed near the ambulance, offered children opportunities to draw their impressions of the ambulance and work through any further thoughts and questions they had.  

The work that St Johns does in the community is amazing!

St John is at the frontline of medical response, providing Ambulance Services throughout New Zealand. We're also part of a much broader picture of health care, through our provision of first aid training, event medical services, AEDs (defibrillators), first aid kits and supplies, medical alarms, youth groups and a wide range of community programmes.

We thank you for your service.

We wish to express a heartfelt thank you to our wonderful ambulance officers Jeanette and Cherie who went above and beyond to make this experience so wonderful.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Your friends at Bream Bay Kindergarten