Childrens’ Corner 2021
A regular feature from our Monthly Newsletters to Parents, written by our Teachers.
Spring 2021
Lady Spring has been busy, dancing about and sprinkling her warmth everywhere she steps.
As the days warm up, and the Spring showers fall, seedlings are beginning to grow taller and bloom. Have you seen the daffodils waving to us as we arrive at Pathways, and then wave goodbye as we head home? Can you see the bees getting busy again, buzzing around from flower to flower? And, keep your eyes open for the baby birds that will soon be singing from the trees for their mothers to feed them.
What a delightful time of year, that gives us hope for new beginnings.
July 2021
We have been focusing a lot on kindness at kindergarten lately. What ways can we show each other we care? What ways can we be kind to each other? We have even been learning a song to help us. It goes like this;
Kindness is something you feel inside
Kindness is something you see
If I’m kind to everyone, Kindness comes back to me!
I could pick you a flower. I could give you a hug.
I could dance ‘round in circles. I could draw you a bug!
I could tell you I love you! I could say that you’re sweet!
I could share all my toys, or give you a treat!
Kindnessis something you feel inside, Kindness is something you see.
If I’m kind to everyone, Kindness comes back to me!
Can we catch the children out? Catch them being kind?
July 2021
We have been focusing a lot on kindness at kindergarten lately. What ways can we show each other we care? What ways can we be kind to each other? We have even been learning a song to help us. It goes like this;
Kindness is something you feel inside
Kindness is something you see
If I’m kind to everyone, Kindness comes back to me!
I could pick you a flower. I could give you a hug.
I could dance ‘round in circles. I could draw you a bug!
I could tell you I love you! I could say that you’re sweet!
I could share all my toys, or give you a treat!
Kindnessis something you feel inside, Kindness is something you see.
If I’m kind to everyone, Kindness comes back to me!
Can we catch the children out? Catch them being kind?
June 2021
Haere … haere … haere ngā wetu Matariki!
As we welcome the Māori new year while celebrating the Matariki stars rising into the night sky, we are thankful to be able to gather together as a whānau to reflect on the past, celebrate the present and plan for the future.
Don’t be surprised if our birds here at kindergarten seem to get on the heavy side! Our children have made it their goal to make sure that the birds will NEVER go hungry now that we have our very own birds’ house made by one of our tamaiti. What a great way to show our children the importance of looking after other living creatures too!
May 2021
All over the kindergarten yard the leaves are falling down – red, yellow, gold and brown. With rakes in hand we all make a BIG pile, ready for us to jump in, jump over, run through, kick all over the place, and curl up under. Just like Hedgy Hedgehog in our story, the children hide under the leaves. I don’t know how snuggly and warm it is for us, but it’s just right for a spiky hedgehog.
Some of the children wonder – If we leave the pile of leaves overnight will a hedgehog make his home in there? Will we get to see him in the morning? Let’s wait and see…
Have you seen the wind today?
Blow the Autumn leaves away.
See them falling to the ground,
Some are red and some are brown.
See them rustling up the street,
Dancing ‘round our little feet.
Have you seen the wind today?
Blow the Autumn leaves away.
April 2021
Nāku te rourou nāu te rourou ka ora ai te iwi – With your basket and my basket, we will sustain everyone.
We have been celebrating the wonderful season of Autumn at kindergarten. Our Autumn festival this year will be running throughout Autumn with special focus being on our stories, morning circles and our yummy kai.
This month’s story, Stone Soup, carries the important message that, no matter how small or big, we all have something to contribute. Within the story, all the characters come together with the vegetables that they each harvested from their gardens, and putting this together, they shared a lovely warm soup with freshly baked bread. Our morning circle this month incorporates movement and rhyme, embracing the wind that carries the seeds from the trees and flowers down to Papatuānuku, ready for their long sleep through winter… And our soup and bun day comes with the added excitement of who will get the stone in their soup!
Next month will see more celebrations of Autumn – In a lead up to this, I wonder if anybody has seen any hedgehogs hiding in their Autumn gardens??
March 2021
Many hands make light work – Ma tini ma mano ke rapa te whai
“Who will help me bake my bread?” is the cry of the Little Red Hen in our story.
She has a lot of work to do, but not many willing hands to help. The dog, the duck, and the pig are all “too tired” to help. She has to do all the work herself. I hope they don’t miss out on eating the delicious bread at the end of it all.
Just like throughout the Pathways day at kindergarten, sharing the work is much more fun. Baking buns for soup day; Building a slide with the wooden planks; or all helping out when it’s “time to tidy up our play, time to put our things away, tidy here and tidy there, everybody do your share” – many hands make light work. And of course, when everyone works together then we all get to share in the reward – eating those delicious buns, sliding down the slide together with a whole lot of laughter, or enjoying a tidy space to play in again.
Our children learn life through life. Learning through the story, and through action, that yes indeed, many hands make light.
February 2021
“Hand in hand with fairy grace, will we sing and dance and bless this place!”
– A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Well, the talk of the town here at Pathways Kindergarten is all about our new fairy door!! This creates a magical way for our tamariki to say good-bye to their parents in the morning – and of course farewell to their friends at pick up time in the afternoons!! While transitions can be difficult for children, they also have their amazing imaginations to help them through these times. It is through imagination that children learn to be resilient in a safe and non-threatening way, so the more we can create these magical moments, the more we can facilitate easy transitions.
The Gingerbread man has also joined us here at Pathways during story time. This version of the story has some extra humourous sayings, so if you hear your tamariki come home with sayings such as “jelly doughnuts”, “ginger snaps”, or “lemon cheesecake”, you will have an idea of what Gingerbread Fred has been up too!
It is so A.M.A.Z.I.N.G to have our children back at kindergarten… Watch this space for the fun, laughter and learning we have in store!!
