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Why go outside?

Learning in the sandpit

When children use cameras

What do children learn at mat time?

The blog - swap meet of our minds

ISSUE THREE March 2011

news&viewsviews

geraldinekindergarten.blogspot.com

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NEWS & VIEWS issue no.3

GERALDINE KINDERGARTEN

News & Views Magazine25 Wilson Street, Geraldine 7930

HEAD TEACHER: Tania Boland

PHONE: 03 693 8888

EMAIL: geraldine.kindy@xtra.co.nz

BLOG: www.blogspot.co.nz

Geraldine Kindergarten

DESIGN & PRODUCTION

Saltmine Design

24 Hislop Street Geraldine 7930

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Fi McCafferty

PHONE: 03 693 8237

EMAIL: fi@saltmines.co.nz

Greatcommunity.

Greateducation.

Greatkids!

Greatcommunity.

Greateducation.

Greatkids!

OTB EXPERIENCES: The camp fire experiences;The whare/bean frame layering and bean tepee; Bird

Feeders; Following on from the fire drawing with charcoal;Spider web art and searching for them; Poultry: caring forthem daily, having the clucky hen, hatching the chickens

and building the coop with James; Sowing the crop;Measuring/recording the crop and the sunflower;

Numeracy and literacy using; flowers, sticks, stone andleaves; Dramatic play; Introducing the Bokashi

composting system into the programme; Child initiatedgames such as Whats the time Mr Wolfey and Hide and

Seek, treasure hunts and feather hunts; aking usingproduce from the gardens and eggs from the hens.

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from the EDITOR |2

Nature must be seen as an essential component

of the experiential world of childhood, designed

into every childhood habitat.

ROBIN MOORE AND NILDA COSCO (2001) WWW.NATURALEARNING.ORG

YESTERDAY WE WERE able to enjoy, along with the children andtheir whanau, another fantastic visit to Peel Forest. The triplinks closely to the interest we have in the development of thenature garden area. We apologise for the time it is taking aswe work through this process, but assure you we are takingtime to reflect, to explore research articles, to visit other ECEcentres, to have discussions with Kids First, the architect andthe landscape architect; all of which will be beneficial in thelong term. The play space affectionately called OUT THE BACK(OTB) has recently been recognised as a legitimate catalyst instimulating, provoking, and providing for rich and challengingplay experiences. Shown here are pictures of some of theexperiences we have enjoyed in the area with the childrenover the past several months (more detailed descriptions,photographs and a powerpoint presentation are available if youwould like more information).

It has been very thought provoking for the teaching team,recognising the different types of play that have developed, theway the children have been challenged to look to themselvesand to nature for inspiration, ideas and satisfaction, and to beresourceful with few, or without any, man-made resourcesavailable. This in turn develops opportunities for a relationshipwith the natural environment and knowledge of their own place

in the environment,TE WH ARIKI - GOAL 4 EXPLORATION.

The bantams have been very useful in helping to settle childrenand often these same children enthusiastically invite theirparents and whanau to come and visit the bantams. I would find

it difficult to identify a Habit of Mind that has not been evidentin the area. Have we too, been encouraged to look moreinwardly, to ourselves for inspiration/resourcefulness, that is,

if we needed it? Less formal structure and play equipmentallows for a greater depth of reflection on our own practice,and our interactions with the children.

In developing the area further to enable it to be used moreoften, we are mindful that sometimes less is indeed best.Introducing too many different elements may detract from thespecial flavour OTB has. The children, teaching team andparents have been consulted, their ideas and preferencesvalued and recorded. Tunnels, bridges, water, sand and rockswere high on the list and interestingly so were introducedobjects, such as dinosaurs and tea sets.

Plans to install doors leading from the playroom to make thearea more easily supervised are currently being drawn up anda landscape plan for adaptations needed to further enhanceOTB are also underway.

We would like you to view, if possible (ask us to show you atKindergarten if you dont have internet access), the followingtwo videos on you tube and appreciate you sharing yourcomments with us. Guess what we might look into next!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyhRzZbU1i4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8bqISOTsCE

Why go outside?

LizLIZ MILLS, N.Z.F.K UNION DIPLOMA

WATER

MUD

TUNNELS

SAND

BRIDGES

STO NE S SUN KE N

BRIDGES

INTRODUCED

ITEMS

PATH S TR EES

PLANTS

ANIMALS

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3| COURAGE & CURIOSITY adventures from the playground

OFTEN WE DISCUSS the value of childrensplay as learning and the common perception

that real learning cannot happen outside.Many people lack understanding about howimportant movement is to the developmentof: language, literacy and numeracydevelopment.

In our morning and afternoon sessionschildren often use the sandpit in particularas a secure place to begin their kindergartenexperience, to learn and test new ideas and

skills and to learn about working in a group(working interdependently).

In the photos alongside you will see childrennew to Kindergarten having their first dayphotos taken in the sandpit. The sandpitprovides a comfortable place where theyfeel confident and secure. From this spacethey can observe others, and learn the rulesand routines of this place. Many children

return to this space as they develop furthersocial skills.

Here, several groups of children are workingtogether to negotiate with each other howthey will achieve each of their plans. Will,Reon and Carlos are planning to make theriver travel all the way around the sandpit.However, Jessica and Deja are using part ofthe sandpit to bake. These children negotiate,

agreeing that the river will go around thebakery as the water in the river will be usefulin the baking. Jacob, Ella, Charlie, Alex andBailey are playing in smaller groups and aremore interested in experimenting with the

properties of the water and sand to see howit mixes, splashes, sets like concrete; and

feels on their hands, feet and faces. Theyenjoy imaginative play using trucks in aconstruction game to support the buildingof the river.

The following are possible learning outcomesof learners being engaged in work in thesandpit and outside. Some of theseexperiences are not available to children inside.

KNOWLEDGE Science forces and gravity, texture,

changes in the state of materials, chemicalreactions, geography

Social sciences learning culture,protocols of groups, how to get alongwith a diverse range of people

Language and Literacy buildingvocabulary for asking questions, makingstatements, negotiating, taking turns,expressing an idea or thought, writingand drawing in the sand , constructionplans and signs, using reference materialsto source information and improve plans,

Numeracy measuring volume andweight, the concepts of shape and3-dimensional objects, patterning

The Arts dramatic play, natural sculpture

SKILLS

small and gross motor skills social skills perceptual motor skills

Does real learninghappen in the sandpit?

"You can discovermore about a personin an hour of playthan in a year ofconversation." PLATO

Wise words:

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DISPOSITIONS

Self-confidence (sense of belonging) Working as part of a group (team work) Problem posing and flexible thinking

(generating alternative ways to solve aproblem)

Communicating with clarity and precision Gathering data through all your senses Using prior knowledge Creativity, imagination and innovation

TANIA BOLAND

|4

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5| it takes a COMMUNITY to raise a child

DURING DECEMBER we visited Waihi Lodge and McKenzie Health Care;

the children sang their Christmas songs to the residents andafterwards chatted with them.

Getting out and about

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I HAVE READ ATTENTIVELY your GK News& Viewsmagazine and have so marveled atthe contents and the goals you have set upto educate the children, that I felt motivatedto spend one morning with you and observethe work you do.

I was delighted by the fact that you givefreedom to the children and support theirdecisions to choose area of work-playaccording to their own interests and youencourage them to continue to satisfy theirown curiosities. Freedom that helps the boyor girl to acquire security and confidence inhim or herself, as well as develop their owncreativity which allows him/her to resolvewith success any future situation.

Another relevant fact is the time dedicatedto read stories to them, that they not onlyenjoy because of the content of the story butalso in this brief moment, several processesthat are very important are happening, likethe discipline, the attention andcommunication in the interacting with theteacher who reads it.

The experience of working with children inmy country, Per, and in Bolivia, Argentina,Scotland, and teaching at university level(teaching future kindergarten and primary

teachers of Per) makes me reaffirm myopinion of how important is the interactionbetween the children and also with adults.That way they cultivate values like; respect,solidarity, responsibility, collaboration,honesty, and integrate naturally into society

by practicing every day until they learnthem and form part of their lives. Also,importantly, is the need to form good habits,the most important being; toilet training,cleanliness, punctuality and tidiness as wellas the ability to express through music,dance, drama, painting etc.

In the education of children we should notforget that we are the biggest example to

imitate and that the parent-teacher-childrelationship must be strong.

NORI ROJAS MOROTE

Recently we were fortunate

to have Nori Roja visit the

Kindergarten while she was

staying with her family in

Geraldine (Nori is Carlos

Johnsons grandmother).

Nori is a Peruvian writer,

singer song writer and

Lecturer at the National

University of San Marcos

(UNMSM) and the University

Human Sciences (UCH) in

Lima-Per.

She wrote this article

especially for GK News & Views.

OUR KIND OF PEOPLE |6

We are their

role models

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7| LEARNING IS FUN so be a learner every day

WE HAVE OBSERVED the children using the

cameras and as a teaching team we havediscussed the learning that arises from thisand I would like to share it with you.

Children found wonderment and awe The most wonderful experience in the

world is the experience of the

mysteriousALBERT EINSTEIN

Children were able to communicate whatwas important to them - We need to

view young children as experts in theirown lives as well as being skilful

communicators.JAMES AND PROUT 1997

Children use the camera as a tool for

settling in both the morning andafternoon sessions.

Children use the camera to help initiateand maintain relationships, both withtheir peers and teachers.

Children using the camera are awareof, and enjoy humour.

Children use the camera to takephotos of objects that promote a senseof belonging.

Children use the camera to becomeexplorers as they begin to develop thefeeling of becoming; competent, confidentlearners who ask questions and makediscoveries.

The camera also offers opportunities forthe children to recall and retell what andwhy they have taken the photos-communicating with clarity.

Photography by young children offers

interesting possibilities as a tool for

listening, understanding this visual medium

as one of many languages of children.

Childrens choices of images can open up

individual shared perspectives of their

everyday lives and the wider world

community.ALISON CLARK

SHUT AND OPEN. SHUT AND OPEN.

WHO WAS THIS I spied with the camera?Zac, of course! Zac had noticed Ilukagetting a camera so of course he decided

DISCOVERY AND WONDERMENT:

When children

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that it looked like fun. I observed him for afew seconds, watching his curiosity as hetried to work out what to do.

I wonder what button you have to push toturn it on. Zac looked all around the camera,turning it this way and that way and he thentried the circle. His wonderment and aweshowed as he discovered that he was right.

Shut and open, shut and open, open andshut. This was said as he pushed that buttonhe had discovered. My next question wasWhat do you need to do to take a photo?Zac kept looking around the camera andwith a question in his voice he said, thelong one. What happens when you push it?I asked. It works! he said. With that, Zacstarted to click away. I took a photo of that,

and he pointed to the mat. He didnt takejust one photo of the mat but about 20.

So, Zac, tell me what button do you push to

turn it on? I questioned. Well. Zac hadobviously worked that out because heconfidently told me. The little circle oneand the long one takes the photo. You areso right, Zac.

After taking a few photos of me andlaughing, he became quite serious saying,Theres something wrong with my camerabatteries are flat. Again, he looked allaround the camera, then whatever theproblem had been was fixed and heexclaimed, Not flat, its right.

GAEL WILLIAMS

|8

Costa,A and Kallick,B (2000) Habits ofMind: A Developmental Series. Alexandria,

VA: Association for Supervision and

Curriculum Development.

Humour has been found

to liberate creativity

and provoke such higher

thinking skills as

anticipation, finding novel

relationships, visual

imagery, and making

analogies. People who

engage in the mystery ofhumour have the ability to

perceive situations from an

original and often

interesting vantage point.

They tend to initiate

humour more often and to

be verbally playful when

interacting with others

use cameras

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9| play is WORK

FOLLOWING OUR ERO REVIEW the teachingteam was prompted to spend some timeevaluating our mat times. We lookedcritically at issues such as: our motivations(why have a mat time?); intended outcomes

for children; activities and experiences;and timing.

An initial discussion led to trialling differenttimes to see when children were mostresponsive. We felt that earlier in the dayworked better because mat times are a greatopportunity to reach the whole group. Weoften use the time to have group discussionsabout our expectations around behaviour,

safety and respect.

Mat time provides an ideal opportunity tointroduce new children, parent helpers orspecial visitors to Kindergarten. When the

need arises, we discuss general business,like which bin to use for your lunch scraps,or the importance of washing your hands.At the end of mat time we conclude with aKarakia a blessing in te reo Maori that

expresses our wish for a peaceful day.

During mat time children are learningimportant social protocols such as sittingand listening attentively, concentrating, andconversational skills such as taking turns totalk, communicating with clarity, andquestioning. These are skills children will useas they transition into primary school andbeyond, and like any skill, the earlier you

start to practice the better.

Sometimes we will introduce a new conceptor experience at mat time, and we find thatchildren often feel safe to take a risk and try

COMMUNICATION & SOCIAL SKILLS

What do childrenHealthy

Muesli Slice

Healthy

Muesli SliceSnacks dont need to come in packets.

Try baking some home-made, healthy

snack options for the lunchbox. They can

be tasty, low-cost and easy to prepare.

INGREDIENTS

2 TB oil

1/4 cup sugar1 TB golden syrup

5 Weetbix (crumbled)

1 egg

1/2 cup dried dates (chopped)

1/2 cup dried apricots (chopped)

1/2 cup brazil nuts (chopped)

1tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1 cup rolled whole oats

1 1/2 cups wholemeal flour1 tsp baking powder

100ml water

METHOD

Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix the golden syrup, egg and oil

together and add to the dry ingredients.

When combined, add water and mix

lightly to combine. Press into a slice tine

lined with baking paper Bake at 180C

for 30 minutes. Cool for five minutes.Cut into approximately 20 pieces

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|10

something new in this environment something that they would otherwise nottry. An example of this is when we used mat

time to encourage the children to each drawa self-portrait which would be used to makea tea-towel - part of the GK Kitchen Walkfundraising project. We began by talking as agroup about how we would go about makinga self-portrait. What shape is a face? Whatfeatures need to be on there? Where dothey go? What makes our faces unique?Many children who wouldnt ordinarily be

interested in drawing were happy to giveit a go, and we received feedback fromsome parents that children took this interestin drawing themselves home and practicedit there too.

Lately we have noticed an increasedinterest in numeracy, so we have used

mat time to look at numbers andcounting in ways that are interestingand authentic for children. Someexamples we have used are: makinggraphs using the childrens favouriteholiday activities; recognition andfamiliarity with the order of numbers;and counting using hopscotch-stylenumbers on the floor for stepping on.

We often find that children takethe ideas triggered during mat timeand work on them throughout thesession or at home, and this, weknow, is the most powerful way thatchildren learn: following their own

interests and consolidating their existingknowledge and ideas with new information.

EMMA YOUNG

learn at mat time?

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11| geraldinekindergarten.blogspot.com

GERALDINE KINDERGARTEN is finding ways ofworking together and becoming immersedin a two way process of communication.Children and their families are at the core ofour early childhood curriculum. Learning is

the collaboration of ideas that we share, theconversations and discussions we have withone another. The blogspot is only one toolwhere ideas and expectations can be sharedbetween family and Kindergarten that arepowerful influences on childrens lives(Te Whariki, 1996, p30).

Through the ICT research carried out over athree year period, we used internet toolssuch as skype and the blogspot to shareour ideas and events with otherKindergartens that were also on theprogramme. We followed the idea of placingthe childrens group stories on the blogspot,

just as we would place them on the wall inthe Kindergarten, creating another way toconnect with our families and community.

The connections made came from a farwider community than we anticipated and

our global community developed.

HAVE YOU VISITED OUR BLOG RECENTLY?

The swap meet of

Involve your children inselecting, preparing, cookingor serving the evening meal.

Eat together as a family asoften as you can. Set thetable for dinner and breakfast

to encourage this to happen.

Healthyeatingideas

Healthyeatingideas

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|12

WHY USE THE BLOG?

Our thoughts on possibilities for having anaccessible blogspot for everyone to use:

If you lose or misplace a notice fromKindergarten it is now available onthe blog.

Important messages, such as term datesare posted by the Board of Trustees.

Have a conversation with your child aboutwhat has been happening at Kindergarten.

Families can comment on, and contributeto the Kindergarten programme

When families are away it may be a means tobe able to communicate, be updated, and beinformed of the happenings at theKindergarten. Maintaining the important link.

A way for new families to find out about us.

The two way communication tool is onlyeffective if comments are made on the blog.The comments make the entries to the blogmeaningful and authentic for the childrenand provide boundless opportunities forlearning (GK Teaching Team Philosophy,2011). These ideas, suggestions, and beingmade aware of the points of view of otherssupport how we formulate our thinking and

allow us to create a more stimulating andvaried learning environment for all.

HOW DO I POST A COMMENT

ON THE BLOG?

Simply click on comments at the bottomof the entry, the box provides a space to

respond to what is read and seen.The comment is emailed to GeraldineKindergarten, the teachers then read thecomment before transferring it to the blog.This is a safety measure.

We believe that there are many ways tocommunicate. As a small stand alonekindergarten in a vast global world we areproud to share what we know and challenge

ourselves to find new and novel ways tocollaborate with our families and the widercommunity. We eagerly await yourcomments! LOUISE SHERRATT

Your feedback

I realised this year how importantthe social skills and relationshipslearned at Kindergarten are when mysons began Geraldine High School,They effortlessly reconnected withfriends made at Kindergarten whenthey were three and four-years-old.

HEATHER PAYNE

I really want to thank you theteaching team, the wonderfulchildren and the great community ofGeraldine for the care and welcomethat was afforded us on our stay inGeraldine following the Christchurchearthquake. Where do I start to tellyou the ways you took care of us? Irefer to the way we were accepted so

quickly after a brief phone call, thespecial attention Catherine receivedon arrival, the warm clothes for babyJames, the baking that one of theparents brought for us I am wellingup just thinking about it. Your loveand care for us was overwhelming.I also want to comment on what awell run, richly resourced, superenvironment you have created at theKindergarten. Again, you are to be

applauded for the many ways youhave taken initiatives and innovativein you thinking for example withlearning stories (wikispacescollaborative voice). As a BoardMember of KidsFirst Kindergartenit was wonderful to observe the wayyou run your Kindergarten so welland I look forward to sharing thatwith our team. Catherine misses hernew friends very much but we will be

in touch again soon. We will foreverhold Geraldine, its people and yourkindy in our hearts.

CAROLYNE & CATHERINE

our minds

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Didyouknow?Didyouknow?

The effects ofquality ECE are evident

at age 16 years.

We found that high-

quality centres had a

positive, long-lasting

association with students

literacy, numeracy and

logical problem solving

competencies, and also withtheir social skills.

NZ COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH, 2008

RESPECT EXCELLENCE LEADERSHIP TEAMWORK PERSEVERANCE ACCESSIBILITY

BEEN TO OUR SITE Y

ET?

2011 TERM DATES

TERM 1: 26 January - 15 AprilTERM 2: 02 May - 15 July

TERM 3: 01 August - 07 October

TERM 4: 24 October - 21 December

13| BEHIND THE SCENES our Board of Trustees

Kindergarten children in apicture for the Kitchen Walk

thank you card

ECE FUNDING CUTS

You would have heard a lot about these inthe media. At Geraldine Kindergarten we arecommitted to 100% trained registeredteachers the Government will only fund to80%. The BOT are working hard to minimisethe impact on our families. At this stage weare trimming our budget, maximising ourfunding and increasing our fundraising tohelp cover the shortfall. Please rememberour sign in sheets need to be signed for usto receive funding

New Zealand Kindergartens Incorporated

(NZK), our national umbrella group,represents 29 of the 33 kindergartenassociations throughout New Zealand.NZK are 100%: about children, families and whanau committed to quality early childhood

education qualified and registered workforce home grown and community based not-for-profit

Kiwi ownedCheck out their FaceBook page.

Thanks go to the fantastic Kitchen Walk

committee of Karen Pace, Pip Goldsbury,Fra Mills, Hayley Simmons and Marcelle deBonth for the fantastic job they didorganising the recent Kitchen Walk

fundraiser.

Plans are being drawn up for the doorsleading to the nature garden and a copy willbe available to view once they arecompleted. The BOT are committed tomeeting any shortfalls in funds for thisproject

GDFKA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Wednesday 13 April 2011

7pm Drinks & Nibbles

Nominations for Board of Trusteesclose 30 March 2011. All welcome,for more information contactHelen May on 693 7161.

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FAMILY I am married to Karen and we have two boys,Reuben and Lewis. Reuben is five and now attends

Geraldine Primary School and Lewis is about to embarkon his Kindergarten experience as he turns three nextmonth. I am a senior field agronomist for Biodiesel NZ,the leading supplier of Biodiesel in the country. I amalso a volunteer fire-fighter in Geraldine.

REASONS FOR BEING ON THE BOARD

It is a great opportunity for me to get involved in boththe community and my children's early education. We

have had a really positive experience with Geraldine Kindergarten and I

want to help ensure that this wonderful facility continues for the future.

parents NOTICEBOARD |14

RESPECT EXCELLENCE LEADERSHIP TEAMWORK PERSEVERANCE ACCESSIBILITY

FAMILY I am married to Glen and have three childrenPatrick, Conor and Quinn, all threeare at Geraldine Primary School. I am anex-Southlander and have been involved with GeraldineKindergarten since we moved to

Peel Forest three years ago. I currently have a term byterm fulltime teaching position at Geraldine HighSchool and Glen is the CFO for Rangitata Dairies. I haveheld positions in Young Farmers and the GeraldinePrimary Home and school and I also run junior Tee Ball.

REASONS FOR BEING ON THE BOARD I am a strong believer in the benefits ofEarly Childhood Education, and in particular the advantages of kindergartenand that it should be accessible to all. The opportunities that my children weregiven as a result of our involvement with kindergarten has enabled them to

make successful transitions to school and some great friendships. So now I amusing this opportunity on the BOT to use some of my skills and expertise forthe benefit of the kindergarten today and the next intake of life long learners.

Meet Sarah Foley-SmithGDFKA BOARD MEMBER

Meet Ash PaceGDFKA BOARD MEMBER

The use of

Bokashi inschools is a

phenomenon thats

small but quietly

growing. It has

great potential for our

green future. Bokashi not

only deals effectively with

organic waste but it fuelsinterest in the bigger

picture of recycling, re-use

and waste minimisation.

It also encourages our

younger generation to help

others, teaches them where

food comes from and the

life-long skills of

gardening and composting.

www.zingbokashi.co.nz

BokashiRecyclingSystem

BokashiRecyclingSystem

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Wilson Street, Geraldine 7930 PHONE: 03 693 8888 EMAIL: geraldine.kindy@xtra.co.nz BLOG: geraldinekindergarten.blogspot.com